This fantastic woodcarving by Luis Pablo is a playful, contemporary take on a nahual. The body stretches in a long feline crouch, painted in fiery oranges and yellows that incorporate seamlessly, almost like hot embers. Bold black zigzag bands race along its back, and tiny yellow strokes suggest glowing fur. The upright tail, painted in crisp black-and-white rings.
The nahual's head shifts from animal to human: a serene face with a black beard, expressive eyes, and bright pink lips emerges from the animal body. Tall, speckled ears and white-tipped paws keep it firmly in the world of alebrijes, half-dream, half-animal.
In Mesoamerican tradition, a nahual (or nagual) is a person with a spiritual connection to an animal counterpart, sometimes a guardian spirit. This carving captures that idea beautifully: part man, part wild creature, all energy and transformation.
