Jacobo and María Ángeles have been making particularly wonderful alebrijes (colorful animal figures fashioned out of soft copal wood) for over 25 years and now run a workshop providing employment for 100 people. Visitors get a free tour and see the incredibly detailed alebrijes being made. It's very labor-intensive. An average-sized piece takes up to a month to make.
Many of the figures made here are based on the sacred animals of Zapotec mythology. The best pieces sell for many thousands of pesos, and some huge and very detailed ones can take up to four years to make. The workshop is about 2km from the highway. The couple's work can also be found in Voces de Copal in central Oaxaca.
