Huaraches from Miahuatlán, Oaxaca
Posted: May 16, 2012 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Crafts, Fashion, Footwear Design, Handcrafted, Huarache, Huarachero, Huaraches, Mexican Crafts, Mexico, Michoacan, Oaxaca, Sandals, Traditional Footwear 1 Comment »Miahuatlán is a important commercial center 2 hours west from Oaxaca. Market day is Monday and most of the town center is filled with stalls. In Miahuatlán the cross-strap Huaraches are the most popular style. Also known as Huaraches ‘Acapulceños’, or Huaraches ‘Oaxaqueños’, their price ranges from the 40 Pesos rubber Huarache ‘de campo’, to the 400 Pesos finely crafted variety.
Most men around Miahuatlán wear this leather Huarache version below.
There are also fashion styles like this Huarache made using Denim. Like Huaraches in Huetamo Michoacan, this is an interesting design direction by Senor Roberto the Huarachero, to attract new consumers.
And there are also crafted versions like this Huarache ‘con pelo’, made local Huarachero Senor Galdino, with a finely braided border detail.
In Miahuatlán cross-strap Huaraches come in many shapes and sizes, for adults and children.
Both with delicate details and heavy duty construction.
The Querétano Huarache
Posted: May 16, 2012 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Crafts, Handcrafted, Huarache, Huarache Querétano, Huaracheria, Huaraches, Mexican Crafts, Mexico, Querétaro, Sandals, Traditional Footwear, Woven Sandals Leave a comment »Traditionally still used in the mountainous corner of the Sierra Gorda in state of Querétaro, the Querétano can be found in Peñamiller where it is made and also in main market of San Juan Del Rio just off the main highway to Mexico City.
Traditionally painted green, the ‘Querétano’ Huarache comes in many different colours and leathers, lined and unlined.
Although best known for its use in the traditional Huapango Querétano dance, Huaraches ‘Querétanos’ are still worn daily.
Huaraches and Burras from the Bajío – Irapuato, Salamanca, Celaya and Acámbaro
Posted: May 14, 2012 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Burras, Crafts, Handcrafted, Huarache, Huaraches, Mexican Crafts, Mexico, Michoacan, Sandals, Traditional Footwear, Woven Footwear Leave a comment »In the south of Guanajuato State is the agricultural area know as The Bajío (lowlands).
The Huaraches and Burras for sale at the main Market in Irapuato were mainly from neighboring Michoacan.
20 minutes further east in Salamanca, Huaraches also mostly came from Michoacan.
In Celaya there was a broad selection of Huaraches from central and eastern Mexico.
These ‘Petatillo’ Huaraches from nearby Dolores Hidalgo.
The ‘Armadillo’ Huaraches is sold in 2 versions, one open and one closed.
A common style around the Bajío is the ‘Capellada’ Huarache (Capellada means ‘Vamp’).
In Acámbaro the ‘Capellada’ Huarache is also sold closed.
The Missing Staples – Huarches from Altotonga, Veracruz
Posted: May 8, 2012 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Crafts, Handcrafted, Huarache, Huaraches, Mexican Crafts, Mexico, Sandals, Traditional Footwear 2 Comments »Typically many Mexican Huaraches are made with ‘grapas’, or staples used to weave the leather strips through. At the main market of the mountain town of Perote I spotted an odd pair of ‘Huaraches Grapados’ with a leather flap replacing the ‘grapa’. Apparently the resourceful Huarachero had run out of metal wire and given the deadline designed a leather patch to replace it.
The leather patch may not be as hard-wearing as a metal staple, but its a nice design detail.
Xajab’ – Huaraches From Guatemala
Posted: April 26, 2012 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Caites, Chiapas, Crafts, Guatemala, Handcrafted, Huarache, Huaraches, Huixtán, Maya, Mexican Crafts, Mexico, Pata de Gallo, Raramuri, Sandals, Tarahumara, Traditional Footwear, Xajab’ 1 Comment »Although a recognized word, Huaraches in Guatemala are mainly known as Caites or Xajab’.
Apab’yan Tew a reader of Huarache Blog kindly sent a link to great photos from his personal collection of Guatemalan Xajab’ and Caites.
His Mexican footwear collection also includes Caites from Huixtán, Chiapas and some Raramuri ‘Pata de Gallo’ Huaraches.
Thanks for sharing Apab’yan Tew.
Huaraches in Cuautla
Posted: April 23, 2012 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Aztec, Cacles, Crafts, Cuautla, Handcrafted, Huarache, Huaracheria, Huaraches, Hueyapan, Ixtle, Mexican Crafts, Mexico, pre-Hispanic, Sandals, Traditional Footwear, Woven Footwear Leave a comment »The Mexican State of Morelos has a few Huarache making centers, namely the City of Cuautla and the town of Jojutla.
The men’s Huaraches from Cuatla are exported to all the central Mexican States as far a Guerrero. Although the majority of Huaraches made in Cuautla are ‘Cross Strap’ styles made from a variety of leathers, the Huaracherias at the central market in Cuautla sell a good range including woven designs.
On the other hand women’s Huaraches for sale in Cuautla are all imported from other Mexican States.
These Huaraches from Guerrero, are called ‘Guitarra’ and are painted in bright colours to appeal to a less traditional consumer.
A very rare sandal that can still be found in the main market of the city of Cuautla is the ‘Cacle’. A very ancient design, the ‘Cacle’ originates in pre-Hispanic Mexico and the word means sandal in Nahuatl.
More than 500 years on, ‘Cacles’ are still made in the nearby towns of Hueyapan and San Felipe Tepemaxalco.
‘Cacles’ are made from woven Ixtle fibres, from the Maguey/Agave plant. Incredibly a pair of ‘Cacles’ which takes about 2 days to make, costs only 80 Mexican Pesos.
Huaraches in the ‘Mixteca Baja’
Posted: April 22, 2012 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Acatlan, Crafts, Huajuapan, Huarache, Huaraches, Mexican Crafts, Mexico, Oaxaca, Puebla, Sandals, Traditional Footwear, Woven Footwear Leave a comment »The ‘Mixteca’ is a region of Central Mexico which spans across the states of Puebla, Oaxaca and Guerrero. Located in northwest Oaxaca and southwest Puebla is the lowland part of the region known as the ‘Mixteca Baja’, or ‘Tierra Caliente’. In the heart of which are the towns of Huajuapan de Leon and Acatlán de Osorio.
Having already posted on Huajuapan and the decline of the tanning and Huarache craft in a post titled Huaraches Nube Magazine Article. ‘La curtiduria en Huajuapan. Arte en el olvido’, I was familiar to the Oaxacan town by name. Outside the main market in Huajuapan I noticed that there are still a good number of surviving Huaracherias near the main market.
One of the local styles is the ‘Tejido con Pico’ Huarache.
The ‘Tejido con Pico’ differs from the ‘Tejido’ because it has an extra strap in the forefoot.
The most popular style in Huajuapan is the ‘Tres Hebillas’ Huarache, meaning ‘Three Buckles’. Chrome leather is still tanned in Huajuapan.
There is also the ‘Dos Hebillas’ Huarache.
The ‘Tres Vueltas’ Huarache is imported from Cuautla in the nearby state of Morelos. It is the same which is available in Guerrero. The ‘Tres Vueltas’ Huarache has no buckles and the end of the leather strip is simply finished.
The ‘Quatro Vueltas’ Huarache also from Cuautla, Morelos.
The ‘Playero’ Huarache.
A really nice design was the ‘Trabo’ Huarache also known as the ‘Dobliado’ Huarache from Southern Oaxaca.
The ‘Playero’ Huarache from also from Southern Oaxaca.
One hour north of Huajuapan is the town of Acatlán de Osorio in Southern Puebla. Here in the main market is a hall filled with Huaraches.
The local styles are mostly ‘Cross Strap’ and ‘Tejido’ Huaraches which are popular in the State of Puebla and Southern Veracruz.
A local Huarache signature detail is a smaller sized insole.
This style called ‘Petatillo’ Huarache is essentially a modified version of the local ‘Tejido’ Huarache.
GuaraVans – Huaraches in Art
Posted: April 4, 2012 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Art, Contemporary Art, Contemporary Mexican Art, Crafts, Design, Footwear Design, GuaraVans, Handcrafted, Huarache, Huaraches, Mexican Crafts, Mexico, Sandals, Sneakers, Social Critique, Traditional Footwear, Ulises Matamoros Ascención, Woven Footwear, Woven Sandals Leave a comment »Ulises Matamoros Ascención is said to be one of a few Contemporary Mexican Artists that explore and express indigenous themes in art.
Indigenous themes in Contemporary Mexican Art are often avoided, because they are seen to relate to the Muralist Art Movement from the 1920′s and 1930′s. The exact reasons for this I don’t yet know, but I suspect it might be the strong nationalistic message of the Mexican Muralist Movement which many indigenous groups don’t identify with, or the inaccurate representations of liberated indigenous people common on Mexican Murals from the 20′s and 30′s.
Exploring the value of symbol, in his work titled ‘Guaravans’ from 2009, Ulises Matamoros Ascención compares Huaraches with branded sneakers. He explains that both have the same value in use, but that Huaraches do not have a symbolic value like branded sneakers, especially in indigenous cultures where they are primarily used.
Ulises Matamoros Ascención-GuaraVans – 2009
Guaravans also expresses the notion that within a capitalist culture things no longer have a connection with their functional origin, claiming that “nothing is real, everything is hyper”. Essentially that nothing is authentic. His perspective reminds me of my often mentioned Malcolm Mclaren’s social critique on ‘authenticity vs a karaoke culture’.
For more information visit Arte Ulises Matamoros
Huarache Blog gets Quoted
Posted: March 31, 2012 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Barefoot Running, Huarache, Huaraches, Luna Sandals, Mexico, Pata de Gallo, Raramuri, Sandals, Tarahumara, Traditional Footwear Leave a comment »Toot, toot, toot, is that the sound of a Horn?
Huarache Blog was recently quoted on the Luna Sandals website for saying this about Luna Sandals: “no company has come as close to paying homage to the incredible super-athlete Tarahumara as Luna Sandals.”
This is true, sports companies have in the past named their running products Tarahumara and Raramuri, but non have actually designed product that was otherwise related to the Raramuri.
Luna Sandals has done a fantastic job of developing and promoting not only a new concept in the running footwear market, but also one which is undeniably related to the Raramuri. Luna Sandals has put the Raramuri on the map.
Below is a recently found photo of Luna Sandals founder Ted McDonald and Manual Luna the Raramuri who showed Ted how to make the Raramuri ‘Pata de Gallo‘ Huarache sandal. The traditional ‘Pata de Gallo‘ Huarache that went on to become the Luna Sandal designs of today.
For more information on Luna Sandals, check out my post titled ‘Luna Sandals – Huaraches For Running‘
Keep up the good work Luna Sandals.
Weaving Huaraches in the Plaza
Posted: March 29, 2012 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Crafts, Huarache, Huaraches, Mexican Crafts, Mexico 1 Comment »A very rare site these days in Mexico is to see Huaracheros making Huaraches outside, on the street, or in the Plaza, or Market.
Probably taken on market day in somewhere in Chiapas, these photos taken by professional Photographer Sean Sprague are a real find.
Published in the very good and informative site Mexicolore.
Sean or Mexicolore if you read Huarache Blog, could you please for documentation purposes let Huaracheblog know where and when the photos were taken, thanks.
