Neftali in his workshop holds a major piece - an incredible peacock of the Tribus Mixes group awaits his feathers and wings. When finished, he will measure over 6 feet tall with a wingspan equally large !  

Tribus Mixes

The works signed “Tribus Mixes” are by a group of Mixes Indians living and working together in Oaxaca. An important tribe, the Mixes Indians descend from Zapotecs who mixed with Aztecs. They are now considered as having their own lineage.

Noel Martinez and his son Antonio (pictured here with a peacock) run the workshop; Noel oversees the entire process, and Antonio is in charge of painting.

Noel invites high school aged boys down from his village (near Puebla) into Oaxaca City. These young men study and attend high school in the city, and work at Noel's craft shops, earning their room and board. When they have finished high school they are invited to return to their village for the benefit of the entire community. We support Noel, Antonio and their “family” of young men in their civic-minded activity. In fact, much of the money earned from the Wild Wood gallery goes directly to the support of Zapotec and Mixes Indians; in all, we support more than 50 families.

We have a considerable supply of Tribus Mixes works, many of which could not be shown. In particular, Tribus Mixes excell at large dragons, which are not shown here, because they defy single-photograph representation. Please call for more information about any of our pieces, or to inquire about having a piece custom made for you.

Click on images to view larger size.