The santiag boot and its history

The santiag boot is to shoes what Harley Davidson is to motorcycles, much more than a fashion accessory, a true myth. It is a craftsman shoemaker from El Paso (Texas), Tony Lama, who would have created in the 1910s the original American model, inspired by the boots of English and Spanish riders of the sixteenth century. The name santiag comes from the city of Santiago.




It is a high boot with a pointed and raised toe, entirely made of leather, more or less decorated and with bevelled heels that can receive spurs, this accessory of the rider allowing him to direct his mount. Leaning back to hold a beast with his lasso, the heel inclined 45 ° offered him a better grip on the ground because the boots santiags, or western boots, are first the prerogative of cowboys. It is the increase in the price of meat that allowed them to equip themselves with boots of better quality but also decorated.

If the majority of the boots santiags are manufactured starting from leather of cow, one also finds some in skin of lizard, crocodile or snake. The heel is about three or four centimeters high and is originally made of strips of leather glued together. The height of the upper can vary, the lowest ones are called Roper, sometimes with a rounded toe. There are still craftsmen who make boots santiags but the majority are industrial and produced in Mexico. There are even accessories to embellish the boots: metal spikes more or less decorated with engravings, leather boot towers and chains reminiscent of spurs or metal heel guards.




In Europe, there is a rider's boot quite similar in style, the Camarguaise, most often made of turned leather, with a less pointed toe and a less beveled heel than the santiag boot.




Today, the santiag boots have become the symbol of the great American West and are worn by bikers, country music fans or rock'n roll fans. Rather virile, the female gender has also ended up seizing the boots to make a totally cowboy or Native American look.