Huaraches: What they mean to Mexico and Charro Azteca - CharroAzteca.com

Huaraches: What they mean to Mexico and Charro Azteca

The Huarache


The huarache is now a stylish and summer staple in a lot of people’s shoe collections. No matter where you’re from, the huarache style of shoes has become universally popular.
This has resulted in different corporations to mass produce these shoes in factories located in developing countries. This means that there are factory workers in places like China and India that are most likely being overworked and mistreated for little pay, and the materials and artisanship lacks quality.
The huarache is an important artifact in Mexican history and its culture. It’s one of the objects that has remained original to its indigenous roots despite the Spanish conquest and all the changes that that resulted in. That is why it is important to be mindful to how it is made.
The original huarache comes from Mexican territories which are now states like Jalisco, Michoacan, and Yucatan; although many other states have also been linked to making them as well. They gained the most popularity in the 20th century, and even evolved into having rubber soles made from old tires, making them extremely durable, as opposed to the leather soles they were made of originally.


The authenticity of huaraches is defined by its handmade craftsmanship and hard work. Mexican artisans make the shoes from scratch, hand-cutting the leather and braiding them. They are hand-sewn, and the leather dyeing and designs are also done by hand.


 
You can immediately tell the difference from an authentic huarache to one that is mass-produced. The quality in mass-produced shoes is poor and the materials used are dramatically less durable than those of authentic huaraches, yet somehow big companies mark their prices up; sometimes even over $100, for shoes that probably cost cents to make.
We often get comments about the price of our huaraches being steep, seeing as how huaraches in Mexico can range from $8-$14. But the goal of Charro Azteca is to bring the authenticity of Mexican products to the United States, and to those who for one reason or another cannot go back home to Mexico and get these products. We also take pride in the fact that we seek Mexican artisans to make our products and we let them lead the negotiation process with us. We will never “lowball” our manufacturers, especially with the economy being the way it is in Mexico. While authenticity is a priority to us, helping our people is equally as important to us.
The huarache has become one of our most popular products and it is important to us that our products are authentic which is why we have them made in Sahuayo, Michoacan. Our artisans make sure that the quality of the huaraches they send us is impeccable. Our huaraches stay true to their origins, and now our people can be stylish in them as well. ??

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