By:  Kathleen Rowe, Chair, Health Sciences

Alebrije artisans Saúl Aragón Ramírez, Maximiliano Morales, and Martha Santiago are visiting CASA this week, hosted by the Health Science and Recreation Department.  This annual fall visit provides a week of deep cultural exchange, educational presentations, demonstrations, and the chance to see the latest alebrijes.

Alebrijes are the brightly painted, hand carved, wooden animals made in only a few pueblos in Southern Mexico.  The figures are carved from the wood of the copal tree, indigenous to Oaxaca.  The visiting artisans are part of a collective of 18 families who are committed to further developing the art of the alebrije, as well as replenishing the copal forest.  This combined commitment to art and environment led to the name of their alebrijes – “Ecoalebrijes”.

This trip is part of the Health Science and Recreation’s long standing “Intercambio” – an 8-year relationship that includes the annual fall visit by artisans to the SJSU campus and the Spring Break trip of 20 students to the pueblo of Arrazola.  While in Mexico, the students spend the week with artisan families, work in various public health and education projects, and experience pueblo life.  Highlights of the week include the early morning hike to the Zapotec ruins of Monte Alban and the group’s health fair serving 400 people.

Saúl Aragón and Kathleen Roe, Chair of Health Science and Recreation, are the Co-Founders and Directors of the Intercambio, which is completely self-supported.  Eligible students are able to travel to Arrazola, even if they have modest resources, through extensive fundraising.  To date, over 120 students have made the trip – no one is ever excluded due to limited resources.

If you would like to help support a traveler or the Intercambio – or to find out where the artisans will be selling and demonstrating this week, please contact the Health Science Department at healthscience-group@sjsu.edu.

We accept cash, check, and credit cards.