Genuine Oaxacan Alebrije
Artisan: Louisa Melchor
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; Violet the Vulture is the Only One in the World
Fun Backstory: Violet - The Alien Vulture
It was not a statement, it was an accusation! And, a vicious and vile one! As Violet sat there, fighting to hold back her tears, Verda again screeched.
“I tell you, Violet is an alien! Just look at her - - have you ever seen a black vulture that looks like her?”
All the other vultures present looked first at one another and then at Violet. She was, no doubt about it, uniquely colored. While she did have some black on her, it was not exactly the predominant color!
Until this moment Violet had always been rather proud of her appearance. Her green head and feet were helpful for hiding in the foliage of the Oaxacan Region of Mexico, though the rest of her was not exactly camouflage plumage.
Her wings were quite colorful to say the least. Blues, purples and pinks ordained her like no other vulture in Oaxaca. Her bright yellow tail feathers were beautiful, but she was the only vulture around that had them.
“Now,” Verda screeched, interrupting Violet’s self-inspection, “we have to do something about it before flocks of these alien creatures come tumbling out of the sky from their mother ship and over-whelm us by eating every morsel of dead animals and garbage in sight. If she be not an alien,” Verda demanded, “let one of her family members step forward and speak for her.”
There was somewhat of a pregnant silence as everyone looked around to see who would come forward. Only, no one did. After another pause, Veto spoke up.
“If she is an alien,” he asked, “what should we do?”
Everyone, even Verda, remained silent. Nodding slightly, Veto turned to deliver what he thought to be a viable solution.
“Violet, you must leave this part of Oaxaca. In fact, you must leave all of Mexico.”
Totally dejected, Violet walked away. She was an alien, she knew, but she never thought that being from North Carolina would cause such a problem!
