Es una técnica colorida de alfarería que data desde la época colonial; es famoso por su estilo surrealista y su tono de picardía, también se le conoce como barro fantasía. Su nombre proviene de la resina natural obtenida de árboles llamados "betus", la cual proporciona brillo y protege el color de cada pieza.

To decorate Oaxacan alebrijes, artisans often incorporate Zapotec symbols into their designs, each with a particular meaning.

To decorate pieces like these, the artisan takes several months, first outlining the piece using a syringe and then after the piece has the decoration, he moves on to the filling, filling the decorations.

The lacquer technique requires a lot of patience and skill. It can take up to 3 months to make a chest and the tools used to decorate it are brushes made from cat hair and chicken feathers because the work required is very fine.