Mixe Native Group Oaxaca Special Carved Wood Elephant

About 90,000 members of the Mixe indigenous group live in the eastern highlands of the state of Oaxaca, where their culture flourished as far back as 2,000 B.C. Somewhat less assimilated than some other tribes of the Oaxaca area, they have retained their language and some ancient rituals and customs. The name Mixe itself actually means, “people who speak the mountain language.” 

Several of the finest Mixe woodcarvers have relocated from their isolated indigenous area to the city of Oaxaca where they have found a robust market for their finely crafted and beautifully painted woodcarvings. This “Tribus Mixe Collective” has created a lush and welcoming compound on the edge of the city with lovely gardens, seating areas with rustic furniture, and large workshop and display areas. They are part of the effort to replant and preserve the copal wood from which many, but not all, of their items are carved.