Ten of the famed boots of Mercedes are getting a refresh with new coats of paint and repairs and will shine anew on the corners and roadways of the growing Mid-Valley city.

Thirty boots, with each standing six feet tall, have become a signature look in Mercedes since 2013 when then the city’s Economic Development Corporation originated the idea. The boots bear the names of colleges and universities in Texas and the United States, with a few representing schools in Mexico. Over the years, the boots invariably show signs of being exposed to the weather elements of the Rio Grande Valley, most notably its heat, humidity, and high winds.

Ten boots were identified in most need of repair. Two of those boots sit in prominent spots in downtown Mercedes and feature two state flagship universities – the University of Texas and Texas A&M University. Some of the other boots needing work included UT-San Antonio, the University of North Texas, Texas A&M-Kingsville and Texas Women’s University.

In August, the EDC board selected Viera’s Paint & Body Shop of Mercedes to repair and paint the boots after putting the project out for bids. In the last days of October, Alejandro Viera began putting up the first of the repaired and freshly painted boots and did so with the pride of a job well done and being able to contribute to his community.

“It’s the city of boots, right?” he said while working on installing the maroon-and-white TWU boot on Texas Avenue near the H-E-B grocery store. “It gives me a lot of pleasure that I was given this opportunity to do this work for the city.”

Continuing Traditions

The history of boot making in Mercedes goes back to the 1920s when Mexican bootmaker Zeferino Rios set up his first shop in the city.

Rios would build up a name and reputation for the finest work done in handmade boots. The tradition of boot making would be established in Mercedes with Rios and other craftsmen like Henry Camargo setting the standard. Today, Rios of Mercedes makes and assembles boots that are made locally and shipped and sold around the country and the world. Combine the boot making with Mercedes being the home of the Rio Grande Valley Livestock Show and the city became known for its Western heritage.

“Over the last decade, las botas de Mercedes have been an attraction for both residents and visitors,” said Marcos Garcia, the president of the Mercedes EDC board. “On a yearly basis, hundreds of alumni and future students flock to Mercedes to showcase their school pride.”

Restoring the boots, Garcia said, “not only allows for our community to continue that tradition, but it allows us, as a city, to promote postsecondary education while remaining true to our city’s rich history of being the boot capital of Texas.”

The Boots Are Back

Viera says seeing the big boots around town for years had left a passing impression on him.

Working on the six-foot-high boots gave him a stronger meaning as to what they mean to the city. As traffic buzzed on Texas, he took out his phone and showed photos of the 10 boots lined up at his shop. Viera smiled in describing the range of colors of the different universities.

“I’m used to working on cars and trucks, so this project was very different and interesting,” he said.

Viera needed two months to complete the paint and repair work on the 10 boots. The first one to go up was the TWU boot. Viera parked his truck near the gas pumps at H-E-B and unloaded the boot representing the Denton-based university. Placed on its cement block, Viera drilled new holes around the big boot that would resume its spot on the corner of north Texas and Hidalgo Street.

The other nine boots, he said, would be back to their familiar spots by the end of October. So, if anyone was wondering where those 10 boots were, they are back and ready to represent their universities and a community that loves its history and honors the importance of education.

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-        Ric Cavazos

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