There are multiple artisan creations in all corners of the world. In Mexico, the construction of alebrijes is very popular , figures made of cardboard, layers of papier-mâché and strips of newspaper . These figures represent some fantastic animal and are relatively recent, since they were invented in the 20th century by a Mexican artist, Pedro Linares López (1906-1992).
Some Mexican cartoneros have managed to transform the cardboard from the streets into art
These cardboard figures are usually put on sale during Easter time and are hung on a rocket to be burned at popular festivals.
Highlight that they are unique and handmade creations without any industrial process. The artisans who work these pieces are known as "cartoneros". In some territories of Mexico, alebrijes are not made from cardboard but from copal wood.
A brief profile of the creator
Pedro Linares began to develop his artisan activity in the capital of Mexico when he was a child. He lived in extreme poverty and cardboard was the most useful and economical material to create an artistic structure. According to some testimonies, he inherited this ability from his father, who also taught him the art of pottery and the making of piñatas. His first creations were simple colored masks and very simple figures.
As some direct relatives have related, in 1936 he suffered an ulcer that caused him to faint. This circumstance made him lose consciousness and sink into a strange and deep sleep. Immersed in sleep and very close to death Pedro Linares had the vision of some strange figures. Once awake, he told his family about the mysterious appearance of unreal beings and in a few days he created his first alejibre.
This word was also his invention, as he heard it while trapped in sleep. In this way, the original masks acquired a new spirit and alebrijes were invented.
In a short time the art of Pedro Linares was recognized by two leading Mexican artists: Diego Rivera and Frida Khalo
Already in adulthood, his three children learned the trade of cartonero and alebrijes became a popular article highly valued in the capital of Mexico.
In the 1970s, the film director Judith Bronowski made a documentary about this original craftsman. In 1990 he was awarded one of the greatest distinctions, the National Prize for Sciences and Arts.
Their alebrijes have been recognized in the United States and in several European countries. The day before his death he was working on one of his pieces.