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Genuine Oaxacan Alebrije
Artisan: Florencio Fuentes
Hometown: San Martin Tilcajete, Oaxaca, Mexico
Craftsmanship: Original Oaxacan Folk Art; Hand Carved from One Piece of Copal Tree Wood; Meticulously Hand Painted; Signed on Bottom by Artisan; Exclusive & Unique; Narciso is the Only One in the World
Fun Backstory: Narciso and the Feo
The sun was bright in the sky and the day a lazy one. Narciso looked around his domain and nodded his approval that he had been born in the Oaxacan Region of Mexico. Though his Keel-billed Toucan cousins extend as far south as the tropical rain forests of South America, he was doing just fine in the shrub forests of Oaxaca.
From his perch he could see the half dozen or so other Keels that lived with him. Two of them were “playing ball” with a piece of fruit they had found, tossing it high in the air with their bill while the other waited to catch it. The game would end, he knew, when one decided he was more hungry than playful and let it slide down his throat instead of tossing it back.
A strange noise caught his attention and caused him to look in the direction from which it came.He was somewhat surprised to see a Coluber Constrictor, or Mexican Racer Snake, sharing the branch he was perched on no more than ten feet away. He was watching Narciso with what appeared to be total disinterest, and Narciso realized that he had never seen one up this close and personal before. There would be no harm, he reasoned, to take the time to learn a little about his visitor.
The first thing that impressed him was how ugly the other creature was. Appearing to be about four foot long, he was an olive-gray green, and had some ungodly scales around his lips.What, Narciso thought, a contrast between this drab fellow and himself.
Unlike most birds, all Keel-billed toucans are colorful, even the females. Typically they have black bodies, with yellow, white, and green on their chests and cheeks. Their bill is yellowish green, with a run of orange on the sides and a red tip. Their “skin,” which is located around their eyes and on their legs and feet, is a beautiful bright blue! Narciso, however, was not your typical Keel-billed toucan!
For example, his beak was tan with even lighter tan “bulls-eyes” spotting it, adding to its uniqueness. His black eyes were encircled with tan and black concentric circles with a colorful rust outline. His body was green, speckled with black circles with white dots in them. His green tail feathers were separated by yellow trim and highlighted by purple dots with lavender centers.
Narciso paused from his self-description, basking in the glory of his beauty. He noted that his snake friend was now only seven feet away, but didn't take time to think anymore about it as he preferred to admire himself in his mind’s eye some more instead.
It was his chest, Narciso decided, that really made him beautiful! Like other Keels, his chest was black but his boasted a star-burst of turquoise with a white circular center. It was accentuated by white, multi-layered designs that resembled a six. That wasn't the only “designs” he possessed, for on his wings were what appeared to be various markings used by the areas native inhabitants, the Zapotecs. Yes, he was quite the Keel-billed specimen to say the least!
Suddenly Narciso took flight, not looking back ‘til he was circling above the branch he had so recently vacated. Sitting in the very spot he had just left was his new “friend,” obviously upset. Continuing to another tree Narciso landed, thinking to himself, “if he thought I was going to let him catch me, that snake is as dumb as he is ugly!”
Narciso tensed when the snake raised his head to get a better look of him, but relaxed when he put his head back.
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