Fantastic Animals from Mexico: Alebrijes and Nahuales

Fantastic Animals from Mexico: Alebrijes and Nahuales is on at Discovery Green from Tuesday, September 15, through Sunday, October 18, 2026. It's an outdoor exhibition that brings eight towering sculptures of Mexican folk art to downtown Houston, each one standing around 20 feet tall. The figures are enlarged reproductions of original works by celebrated Oaxacan artists, and the whole thing runs through Hispanic Heritage Month.

If you've never come across them, alebrijes are those brightly colored, fantastical creatures that blend different animals into one—think a dragon with butterfly wings and a lizard's tail. The tradition is credited to Mexico City artist Pedro Linares, who popularized them. Along with the alebrijes, the show features nahuales, the animal guardian spirits of Mesoamerican folklore. Both draw on Mexican magical realism, and seeing them scaled up to 20 feet makes them feel less like folk art and more like something out of a dream. The exhibition is meant to celebrate Mexican craftsmanship and cultural heritage, and it highlights the ties between Houston and Mexico.

There's more to it than just walking around the sculptures. You can watch a video on-site to learn about the art behind the creatures and how the tradition started. And if you're looking to get your hands dirty, there are two free workshops led by Irving Mondragón Laguna, open to all ages. Between the towering figures, the video, and the workshops, it's a full program rather than just a walk-through.

Discovery Green is at 1500 McKinney St, in the heart of downtown. The exhibition is free and open to the public, so you can drop by whenever you're in the area between September 15 and October 18.