Alebrije Painting Workshop In San Martín Tilcajete With Pickup

We enjoyed our driver and the journey to St Martin Tilcajete. The studio was amazing, and we learned about the significance of the spirit animals. It was good to see artists painting and carving. Our painting time was a bit rushed- we needed more time to work on it. We were back in Oaxaca at 2:00, not 3:00 as advertised.

Sebasupicked us up at the hotel on time and my husband and I were the only passengers. Great conversation in both Spanish and English. Loved the experience and explanation of how alebrijes are made. Great day and came back with a gorgeous peacock!!

It was a fun experience but pickup was 30 minutes late, and driving time was about 30 minutes each way so we didn't have very much time to actually paint the alebrijes. I would have been nice to have had another hour and a complimentary beverage.....or maybe have signed up for a painting workshop in central Oaxaca.

What a great experience. Our 5 year old daughter loved it and so did I. The explanation of how the alebrijes are made was great. I definitely appreciate the craftsmanship so much more now. And the choices of what we could paint were great.

Enjoyed the explanation, view of studio, and opportunity to paint with the family. The artist helping us was great at adding details when we asked for them.

This was such a fun tour. You select your Alebrije and get to paint it. I wish they had more Alebrije options. But definitely must do. Everyone there is so talented.

They provided a pick up to and from our airbnb, they arrived early. Once we got to the site, Joseph gave us a tour of their workshop and their paintings, and we ended with choosing our own models to paint. I chose a bird and my wife choose an elephant. One of their best artists was our teacher and gave us tips on how to get our models exactly how we wanted them. My wife really enjoyed the experience and it was a really relaxing atmosphere.

transportation was very comfortable, our translator was excellent, & the people at the workshop were so kind and welcoming. They gave us mezcal, homemade chocolates, and a hot chocolate drink. Highly recommend for an intimate and authentic experience!

We enjoyed learning about the complex process of creating Alebrijes and witnessing these amazing artists at work. Now we understand that most of the Alebrijes that plentifully occupy market stalls, tiendas, and even airport gift shops are cheap copies of these incredibly intricate works of art. Unfortunately, we were expecting to spend time in a workshop creating our own works of art. All 3 of us who attended are creative artists and we were excited to participate in creating Alebrijes, not just buy them in the gallery. We were given very few choices of samples to paint. All 3 of us ended up having to paint the same figure (snake). We were given only 25 minutes for the whole painting experience, while the samples placed in front of us for pattern and reference inspiration obviously took many hours. The paint palette we were working from was crusted over. An employee stood over us watching (presumably to help?) which was unnerving and she managed to bump the work table a couple of times which caused our carefully done work to smear. It was very disappointing to be given unlimited time to shop but very limited time to create. This "workshop" would work for a young child who only wants to play around with paints for a few minutes and does not care about the finished piece. We DID buy a beautiful Alebrije and we respect the work this family is doing. They just need to rename the workshop or change the format.

The David Hernandez taller is one of the most amazing places I’ve ever been. You’ll be amazed at the talent the artisans have. The tour guide was amazing and very knowledgeable, the painting class was very fun.

We deeply appreciated this introduction to the carving and painting of alebrijes. Our guide was informative and took great care in making sure we understood what he was saying. The wood, the carving, the many steps in between and the painting were quite amazing, informative and fascinating. Many hands and talented people creating beauty and keeping alive the tradition. This was only a introduction to a long standing art but a good beginning. We all painted our own alebrejes after and continued to talk about what we learned. We share this visit with a family who had 2 children apx 9 and 11 and they seemed to enjoy this workshop immensely.

If you are interested in the art behind the traditional alebrijes in Oaxaca. This trip was terrific! Great driver. Fun day!

This was a really great opportunity to see very talented people at work. Our whole family enjoyed it and learned a lot.

This tour is a must for anyone visiting Oaxaca and learn about the art of Alegrijes. We visited the artist workshop, learned all about how they make the this wonderful art form. We had the opportunity to paint our own creatures. For a little extra the tour guide took us to a wonderful place to have lunch, a true authentic Oaxacan foodie expereince.

Everyone was on time and ready for us to learn how those famous "alebrijes" were made...from a raw piece of copal wood, the shape and size of which inspire the sculptor.Then comes the painting and what a miracle this is, and what detail they can accomplish with one hair brush. Trying ourselves at painting a small animal in two hours makes you quickly believe in the super talent of these painters trained for 6 months at 10 hours work day to achieve the best. After this experience our eyes are trained to the best and we can appreciate the differences and understand the high prices they commend.

<p>Loved this tour. We had a blast painting alebrijes and learning about the carving and painting process!</p>

For me, San Martín reflects very much the essence of Oaxaca: its traditions, its people and the authentic way in which they preserve their culture.

Very beautiful view u. Very nice place to vacation and rest very rich food delicious baked fish and seafood