VTG Hand Carved Ironwood Howling Coyote Wolf Figurine Southwest Decor Abstract 6.5" x 3" x 1.5" Good Vintage Condition - No chips What is Ironwood? The ironwood tree is considered native to the Sonora Desert as it is found only the states of Sonora, Baja California and Baja California Sur in Mexico and Arizona and California in the United States. Ironwood is similar to ebony, as it is dark, dense and very hard; its grain is very straight. It is one of the heaviest woods found in nature. Mexican ironwood carving is a Mexican tradition of carving the wood of the Olneya tesota tree, a Sonora Desert tree commonly called ironwood (palo fierro in Spanish). Olneya tesota is a slow growing important shade tree in northwest Mexico and the southwest U.S. The wood it produces is very dense and sinks in water. The tradition of carving it began with the Seri indigenous people of the state of Sonora.