Mexican pointy boots

A red Mexican pointy boot.

Mexican pointy boots (Spanish: Botas picudas mexicanas) are a style of boots made with elongated toes that are popular footwear for men in parts of Mexico as well as in the United States. The boots are said to have originated in Matehuala in the Mexican state of San Luis Potosí. The pointy boots have risen to popularity at the same time as "tribal guarachero" music and the boots have become a preferred footwear for the all-male troupes that dance to the tribal music.

Origin and expansion

The boots reportedly originated around 2009 in Matehuala in the Mexican state of San Luis Potosí, located in North-Central Mexico. Following their creation, the trend has expanded to parts of the United States where large numbers of Matehualan migrants live, particularly in Dallas, Texas, but also in Tennessee, Mississippi and Oklahoma.^[1][2]

Design

The pointy boots are made by elongating the toe of normal boots by as much as 5 feet (1.5 m), causing the toes to curl up toward the knees. Those boys or men who can not afford to pay a shoemaker to prepare the boots use garden hoses to make their own. The boots are then further modified according to the wearer's personal taste. Alterations incorporate paint and sequins and can go as far as adding flashing LED lights, disco balls and even mirrors.^[1][2]

Dancing

The appearance of the pointy boots has coincided with the popularity of "tribal guarachero" music. Tribal music has been described as "a mixture of Pre-Columbian and African sounds mixed with fast cumbia bass and electro-house beats." Boys and men that wear the pointy boots have formed all-male troupes to compete in danceoffs at local nightclubs to tribal music. Participants in the contests spend weeks choreographing their dance moves and fabricating their outfits which commonly include "matching western shirts and skinny jeans to accentuate their footwear." In Matehuala, prize money ranges from $100 to $500. The prize often includes a bottle of whiskey.^[1][2]

The dance troupes have reportedly become so popular that they are being "hired to dance at weddings, for quinceañeras, celebrations of the Virgin of Guadalupe, bachelorette parties and even rosary ceremonies for the dead."^[1]

See Also

• Trival dance music (tribal-guarachero)

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d} Olga R. Rodriguez (15 May 2011). "Mexico Town's Mutant Pointy Boots Create a Craze". Associated Press. http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory?id=13607091&singlePage=true. Retrieved 15 June 2011. 
2. ^ ^{a b c} Esteban Sheridan Cárdenas (March 2011). "LOOK AT THESE FUCKING BOOTS! Mexican Footwear Finally Gets to the Point". Vice. http://www.viceland.com/int/v18n3/htdocs/look-at-these-fucking-boots-721.php?page=1. Retrieved 15 June 2011. 

External links

• Video: Behind The Seams – Mexican Pointy Boots, VBS.tv, April 1, 2011
• Video: Mexican Town Goes Mad for Pointy Boots, Associated Press, May 16, 2011