Kangaroo Nahual

Kangaroo Nahual by Pedro Mendoza

Carved and painted wood

Ht. 16″ x W. 15″ x  D. 6″

Woodcarver Pedro Mendoza works in La Unión Tejalapam, one of the three important woodcarving villages in Oaxaca. This figure is a kangaroo nahual, a most unusual and fun version of the nahual, an important mythological figure widely found in all forms of Mexican folk art. The nahual is half human, half animal and is a magical shape shifter capable of bestowing blessings or making mischief.