Oaxaca City

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Paint your Alebrije

Badge of ExcellenceOaxaca City, Mexico

4 hours (approx.)
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

Learn about Mexican culture and arts while having fun and expressing your creativing with this activity. You'll visit the village of Arrazola and meet a family of artisans who have been making alebrije folk art sculptures for decades. Learn about the carving and painting process, then get the chance to paint your own animal figurine. Keep your creation as a souvenir to remember your time in Mexico.

This is a private, customizable activity just for you and your party
All necessary art supplies are provided
Travel to the village in comfortable private transport
Snacks and bottled water will keep you refreshed

What's Included

Paint and brushes
Snacks
Bottled water
Small animal figure to paint yourself
Private transportation

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

Usana Distribuidor Laura Juárez
C. de Manuel García Vigil 504, RUTA INDEPENDENCIA, Centro, 68000 Oaxaca de Juárez, Oax., Mexico
We pick you up in front of the restaurant Gozobi (Garcia Vigil 504, Oaxaca, MX 68000) in downtown Oaxaca. It's really close to the Santo Domingo Church :)

Start time

10:00 AM

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Service animals allowed
Near public transportation
Infants must sit on laps

Not recommended for travelers with back problems
No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
Most travelers can participate
This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.

Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.

Traveler Photos

Reviews

5.0

41 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

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Showing 1-10 of 41 reviews

Magical Time, Magical Creatures.

Oscar_S, Jan 2024

We loved learning about the history and then painting our own Alebrijes. Probably our favorite part of the whole trip!

A must see and do experience! Do not skip this one!!!

Kristin_P, Nov 2023

What an incredible experience this was! From the drive out to Armando's home/gallery, our guide Cesar, Armando and his family inviting us into their space and hearing the history of Armando's grandfather, Armando, and now his wife and kids, continuing this intricate art form. They are truly such a talented family! The afternoon was great, choosing our own alebrije to paint, painting in a cool space, and hearing stories from Cesar about the family and the community of artisans. Do not buy any alebrijes in town before you shop in the family gallery. Armando's prices are much less, and the craftsmanship is superb. I can't say enough about this experience!! IT IS A MUST DO/SEE!!!!

A must do while in Oaxaca!

Ramon_B, Sep 2023

The whole experience was great. From the pick up point to the nice conversation on the way there with Cesar. Meeting Don Armando Jimenez and his lovely wife was awesome. He talked through the process of making the Alebrije and ultimately finishing off with painting our own Alebrije! I would totally recommend this experience!

Really nice time, highly recommended !

Julia_G, Aug 2023

We loved this experience: the explanations given by Armando (and instant translation by Cesar, the very nice host of this tour) were very interesting and the painting process and creativity really what we were looking to experience. Very fun even for just adults !! Highly recommended as an alternative to more classic excursions.

MUST DO!

Rachel_H, Jul 2023

Overall, this was our favorite excursion of our trip! Meeting this family was so lovely, our host Caesar was amazing, and our time spent there was so peaceful and a perfect break from our busy trip. The carvings we were given were stunning and we had plenty of time to finish the painting process. Overall, solid 10/10!

This was such a magical...

Savannah_V, Jun 2023

This was such a magical experience! Everything felt so genuine. Was really cool to go to the actual workshop and to create our alebrijes with the family. Also Caesar was awesome and so knowledgable. Thanks for everything!

Guide Just didn’t show up

sjori, Apr 2023

Guide didn’t show up and never canceled. I confirmed our tour 4 days before and guide said we were all set. The morning of our tour we met at the location on Viator and were 15 minutes early. By 10 I tried contacting our guide and got no response. By 10:15 I got the guide’s number and called. He sounded like he didn’t even know he had a tour that day and then made up and excuse that his van broke down the day before. He never tried to cancel or let us know and we waited 40 minutes and missed out on an activity we were looking forward too.

Response from Host, Jun 2023

A completely biased review The night before there was a big flood with hail, which caused great damage not only in the city but also in big part of the state. During the single call that we got from this person, she didn't allow to communicate, only screaming and acting with very entitled. I had a really difficult situation at home during the entire night, this was one in a kind moment and does not reflect the spirit of our experience. Thanks a lot for your empathy, I hope you feel better now.

So much fun

Amanda_F, Apr 2023

My daughter (13) and I throughly enjoyed this. Armando is the real deal! I was so impressed by his story and craft. I highly recommend this experience.

Fantastic time!

Gabriela_V, Apr 2023

Shared history and answered endless questions from the kids. Wonderful people. Beautiful studio. Well worth the trip!

A must do when in Oaxaca!

Morelia_A, Mar 2023

It was a quick trip there and back, so you get a lot of time to work on your alebrije. The process of making your own was fantastic you are able to let your creative freedom flow out and watch it come alive. They gallery is filled with beautiful pieces that are made in their studio, which you are able to purchase. They take card and cash which was fantastic! Highly recommend this activity.

So much fun!

Emma_R, Mar 2023

Caesar was a fabulous host, both fun and informative. I would do this your again, recommend it to others, and explore other tours Caesar offers.

Learning and creating

Alan_B, Feb 2023

Such an amazing experience! César is a wonderful knowledgeable guide and Armando and his family are generous hosts and teachers. Painting the alembrije was fun, satisfying, and allowed us to learn about and create authentic Oaxacan art. Muchas gracias!

Our favorite Oaxaca experience!

Beth_f, Nov 2022

Absolutely fantastic experience. One of a kind. Cesar is knowledgeable about Oaxacan history and the area. You will meet a master wood carving family and learn all about the process. Then you will get to chose your animal and paint your own. Kids will love it. Don’t miss out on this fun and educational experience.

Great fun!! Relaxing and creative;)

Cheree_D, Oct 2022

Had no idea. I could be so artistic;) Fabulous chat about the history and they helped me with the smallest of details. Great fun!!

Highly recommended!

Jay_F, Jul 2022

This is such a great experience! It's really fun to learn about the history of alebrijes and to see how they are made, and painting our own was a great time. They turned out better than we expected because we are not very artistic, so don't worry about it being too hard! Cesar was a great guide and made the experience even more fun.

Unique experience

Lizzie_S, Jun 2022

Highly recommend this experience. Got picked up in Oaxaca by Cesar and drove to a house and workshop in a small village. Here, we chose our models and started painting our alebrijes. Could get inspiration from the family’s shop. We then had a talk from the owner of the workshop about how he makes them and how his grandfather had started it. It felt like we were supporting a small business and local family, rather than our money going to one of the many large tour companies. Cesar was an excellent host and gave us lots of local knowledge and helped us while painting with any questions we had. This experience is totally worth the money and you get to take home your own alebrije (can also buy more from their shop if you want but there was no pressure!).

So Super Glad We Did This / Muy Feliz

Lauretta_P, Mar 2022

This was a perfect artistic workshop experience. Our facilitator Ceasar was helpful, easy, great to be around, and did a great job translating to English. Visiting the artisan family felt unique and special. We learned some history, saw the production process hands on in an intimate way, and got to paint alebrijes. That was artistic and meditative and I think anyone regardless of what artistic level they are at would have a great time. The family is part of a lineage, and in a strong way how the tradition started. I super highly recommend this experience.

A must do! Wow

Sara_M, Dec 2021

Caesar was very informative. The experience was authentic, serene and very creative. Kid friendly. I highly recommend this experience!

Best craft experience!

Erin_W, Mar 2021

This was the best experience! Such a fun activity. Our tour guide, Cesar was fabulous - really kind and knowledgeable. And the family we met who makes the alebrijes was so warm and informative. Would highly recommend for any creative travelers!

A must if you're in Oaxaca - Best tour

Fiona_G, Nov 2019

I can't recommend this tour highly enough. Took this trip on my 3rd visit to Oaxaca and have taken a lot of tours with various companies but none compare to this. Well coordinated, excellent communication from the moment you book, really personal feel and a true taste of authentic Oaxaca delivered by guides who are clearly very passionate about what they do and responsible tourism. I hope next time I visit to take this tour again and look forward to any other trips you add to your itinerary as was such a great experience. Thank you