Cesar Melchor: Desert Dream Rabbit with Armadillo Shell
Cesar Melchor: Desert Dream Rabbit with Armadillo Shell
This wonderful piece looks as if it just hopped out of a dream. César Melchor has carved a lively rabbit, ears alert and eyes wide open, and dressed it in a bright “armadillo” shell. The rounded, banded back is painted like protective plates, covered in tiny, precise designs that feel almost like embroidery in color: oranges, pinks, purples, greens, all layered one over another.
Why the armadillo shell? In Oaxacan folk art, it’s very natural to mix animals and create new, imaginative creatures. Here, César turns the rabbit into a desert trickster: fast and curious like a conejo, but with the strength and protection of an armadillo. It suggests a little story: this shy, alert rabbit borrows the armadillo’s armor so it can explore the world with more confidence.
The result is a joyful, symbolic figure: a guardian of gardens and bookcases, full of color, movement, and the playful imagination that makes Oaxacan alebrijes so special.
