Crises go and crises come, but the typical industry of León continues from strength to strength. Shoe production, both from small workshops -also called “picas” -as well as from large factories, is on the rise.
How did the development of this colossal industry begin? Perhaps because of that feeling of greatness that all Mexicans inherit from our indigenous ancestors, whose symbol of nobility and preeminence consisted in the right to wear shoes.
The city of León is considered the emporium of shoes; however, the first formal shoemaking workshops were places where "a lot was worked and little was taken out." In 1645, with rudimentary wooden tools, 36 families, including Spanish, mulatto and indigenous women, manufactured the shoes that would later be worn with pride by the most exalted figures of the viceroyalty.
But one fine day the railroad arrived in León, and with it the machinery to lighten the load of footwear production and the opportunity to export to the United States. Texas was the first state in the American Union to massively purchase the regal Leon shoes.
Years passed and another basic industry for footwear developed at great speed: the tannery became a source of work for many natives and a magnet for foreigners eager to progress. With the tannery in full swing and producing high quality leathers, the footwear industry grew in such a way that almost every house was a small “pica” or family workshop.
The first shoe factory that laid the foundations and forged the guidelines to become a formal company was "La Nueva Industria", which began to work in 1872 under the baton of its owner, Don Eugenio Zamarripa.
By 1900, 17% of the economically active population worked in the leather industry, in any of its forms, despite the population exodus caused by the devastating flood of ‘the city in 1888.
Don Teresa Durán was the first shoemaker entrepreneur who, in 1905, had the vision to undertake serial production, with an area for the process phase, in a place designed for this purpose, and with services such as a bathroom and dining room for workers. .
Currently, León shoes are not only sought after in the Mexican Republic, but in almost the entire world, as saying Bajío footwear means quality, comfort and good taste.
