Huaracheria Fabiola has been making handmade Huaraches in Puerto Vallarta Since the 1960’s.
Huaraches Custom Made in Three Days at Huaracheria Fabiola Puerto Vallarta
The Estero El Salado is Preserved in a Vote by The Residents of Puerto Vallarta
Hello fellow travelers, welcome this episode of the Puerto Vallarta Travel show. I am your host Barry Kessler and I am just so happy to be introducing you to my favorite vacation destination, and maybe even yours, Puerto Vallarta Mexico.
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That music you were just listening to is performed by Alberto Perez, the owner of the La Palapa Group of Restaurants. Those are La Palapa, Puerto Vallarta’s Oldest
Restaurant on the famous Los Muertos Beach, and The El Dorado Restaurant and Beach Club right next door so you can enjoy that fantastic view of the Los Muertos Pier all lit up at night in beautiful colors, or during the day in its grand splendor for breakfast, lunch or dinner, seated with our toes in the sand right at the water’s edge. It’s so romantic, it’s so, Puerto Vallarta my friends.
This week I’m taking you to the Emiliano Zapata Neighborhood in Puerto Vallarta, to introduce you to a true craftsman, his name is Octavio Rios and he is a shoemaker. He’s one of the family at Vallarta’s oldest shoemaker Huaracheria Fabiola. They can make a custom pair of footwear in just a couple of days. Really, but before we get to Octavio, let’s see what’s happening this week in Puerto Vallarta, the 1st of March, 2020.
The Estero El Salado Is Safe From Development for now
First, we start with some really good news. Two weeks ago we talked about how developers were eyeing the Estuary the Estero el Salado in Vallarta, and there was going to be a week for Vallartans to come out to different locations around town where they could vote on the future of the Estero. Well the vote is in, the people of Vallarta have spoken and here’s what the result is…
The plan to develop the Estero El Salado, the nature preserve in the protected estuary where crocodiles live in the mangroves, has been scuttled. Let me read from this article in Espacio PV, translated from Spanish to English..
The Estero el Salado expands its polygon of protection thanks to the Vallartenses!
Today, February 29, the Decree to expand the Estero El Salado Protected Natural Area is signed.
The Estero’s long time Director and protector Jaime Torres announced the protected area has been expanded from 169 hectares to 208 hectares.
This decree is signed thanks to all the Vallartans who supported, with demonstrations, with their opinion in the process before, during and after the survey, all those people who go, enjoy and contribute to the Estero, to the groups untiring efforts to protect the natural heritage of the Estero for the good of all living things and the Vallartense community.
Thanks to each and every one of them, Estero el Salado continues to be what it should always be, a Protected Natural Area.
Thanks to the Vallartans!
That’s right, Jalisco Governor Enrique Alfaro came to town and he was hounded by protesters who thought he was there to steal the estero, only to ultimately surprise everyone. The people spoke and he was there to usher in not developers as originally hoped for by him, but ushering in the protection and expansion of the Estero El Salado.
The proposed plan included turning the area into an entertainment nature destination, a recreational area with ziplines, shops, a healthy restaurant, organic market a cycling path and space for fairs to sell organic natural products. Of course, this would be extremely destructive to the natural area during the construction, and after. I have a link to the article with pictures.
So, a very good day for the environment and the Estero El Salado. Now, if you are wondering where the estuary is, it’s opposite the marina Vallarta, the south part of the marina, on the other side of the Carretera 200. There is a protected area. They give tours there and next time I’m down, I’ll be taking the podcast to the Estero El Salado that’s for sure. The name Estero el Salado translates by the way to the salty estuary.
Now the last time down I met one of the cast and crew from Espacio PV, Leo. And Leo invited me to a taping of one of their YouTube shows, and I asked if I could record an interview with them, which I did. I had a blast with this group of young college are
students who do news in a really fun way. They tackle serious topics in a fun way….they drink. They get drunk while they do the show. It’s pretty funny. Anyway, it’s in Spanish but Leo is a Mexican from the States and he helps me translate so stay tuned for that episode with the cast and crew from Espacio PV. I have a link to the article in the shownotes as well as a few pictures from my visit to their set. As well as a map showing you where the Estero El Salado is. And congratulations to the fine people of Vallarta who came out in droves in support if protecting the Estero. Bravo!!!
Garza Blanca Project on Caraterra 200 South of Vallarta May Be Deemed Illegal
Speaking of environmental victories, This just in…
From Vallarta Unos online…Translated from the Spanish so I will attempt to clean this up as I read it…the headline essentially says…That The ex mayor of Vallarta Fernando Corona who is the owner of many projects and properties in an around Vallarta, including the Garza Blanca where they just ruined the hillside along Carraterra 200 south of Vallarta, is being investigated for corruption and fraud in connection with that project.
By Jorge Olmos Contreras
The multimillion dollar investment that is being made by the businessman and former municipal president of Puerto Vallarta, Fernando González Corona to divert a section of the federal highway 200 south of Vallarta, could be lost if the Ministry of Communications and Transportation (SCT) abides by the recommendation recently made by the Ministry of Public Administration (SFP), noting that they are in the process of nullifying the agreement signed between the SCT and the company “Promotora Arena Blanca SA de CV” – without the right to compensation, protecting In this way, the interests of the Public Property..
As reported earlier, the secretary of the federal government’s public service, Irma Eréndira Sandoval Ballesteros, announced that one of the worst cases of corruption that was brought to her attention was the deviation of the line of a highway in Puerto Vallarta to free land next to the beach and benefit a tourist developer.
The federal official referred, without a doubt, to the deviation of 780 meters from the highway section of kilometer 205 + 770 to 206 + 550 located south of Puerto Vallarta towards Mismaloya, to give way to a mega tourist development by Fernando González Corona and partners.
In this regard, the SFP Audit Report 2019 – – detected the Agreement for the Agreement of Actions for the modification of the Federal 200, Manzanillo – Puerto Vallarta road, with a length of 780 m; whose purpose was – according to the beneficiary company’s arguments – to modify the road to avoid, supposedly, accidents, being the responsibility of a private company construction costs, in exchange for giving the right of way of the current line.
DOLO HUB AND DECEPTION OF THE COMPANY
However, the SFP annual report warns that “possible acts of corruption were determined because it was intended to benefit an individual with a piece of public property. In the company’s performance, fraud and deceit were observed. During the visit to the site, it was found that the road was constructed by modifying the original route, without respecting the right of way, to free land adjacent to the beach, which was intended to be used in a tourism project of the same company ”
Therefore – the report adds – “the SCT was recommended to carry out the process of nullification of the agreement without the right to compensation, protecting the interests of the Nation”.
This means that the entrepreneur Fernando González Corona may not use the deviated section for his benefit, which also obstructed the view of the beach with a wall, but that he will have to respect the original section of the road and that everything he built he will not be compensated for due to “possible acts of corruption.”
On top of that public officials or former officials of the SCT who signed and authorized the diversion of the road on April 5, 2018, such as Oscar Raúl Callejo, Under Secretary of Infrastructure and the engineer Salvador Fernández Ayala, General Director of the SCT Jalisco Center , could be under the magnifying glass of the SFP for these alleged acts of corruption to benefit Fernando González Corona.
OFFICIALS UNDER THE MICROSCOPE
In this regard, the same federal agency indicates in its report that within the investigations that the SFP is responsible for, it has 315 files that it received on the occasion of the transformation of the current Attorney General’s Office (FGR) into an autonomous entity and the subsequent replacement of the ICO that ceased to have powers to continue knowing the issues that, as part of the SFP, were within its competence.
Of these, 57 are in the investigation stage and are intended to prove or distort serious or non-serious administrative offenses, included both in the Federal Law of Administrative Responsibilities of Public Servants, and in the General Law of Administrative Responsibilities (LGRA ).
“It is noteworthy that our efforts are carried out in strict compliance with the norms that guarantee and protect the human rights of those investigated. In that sense, in the appearances of the presumed responsible persons, it is ensured that they are assisted by their lawyer, and if they do not have one, the intervention of a public defender is requested, so that they have knowledge of their rights and the consequences of their statements before a possible self-discrimination ”, indicates the SFP report
It also states that “irregularities were detected in equity and interest declarations submitted by public servants. The participation of a federal official and that of his spouse in various companies, as well as the ownership of real estate and vehicles that he failed to declare, which updated the concealment of conflict of interests and enrichment was accredited, within a period of less than three months. hidden, reason for which said file was sent, prior substantiation, to the Federal Court of Administrative Justice (TFJA), in order to impose the sanction on the public servant ”
https://www.vallartauno.com/index.php/component/k2/item/10778-ordenan-nulidad-del-convenio-entre-sct-y-fernando-g-corona-por-desvio-de-carretera-sin-derecho-a-indemnizacion?fbclid=IwAR0nYlHyvFcC55HhChoGBzSYiiarr7dI_drUQl5q4AB-lRyLjq44jJFDoP0
…..So very interesting. I have a link to this article in the shownotes.
Now we have talked about the former mayor and the disaster he has caused along a section of the highway, it’s breathtaking how ugly it is. Okay this is s story that’s just unfolding, and we’ll see what will happen to Fernando Corona.
Let’s hope for a happy ending…no massage jokes please.
Now here’s a story that should alarm anyone thinking about opposing a well-connected builder in Nayarit just over the border and on the bay.
Here’s a story where a developer up in San Pancho used the courts to turn the tables on the folks attempting to stop him from developing on the beach….
From Mexico News Daily…
Court freezes bank accounts of opponents of Nayarit condominium project
They claim that the developer has illegally built on almost 1,200 square meters of protected coastline
Court freezes bank accounts of opponents of Nayarit condominium project
Published on Wednesday, February 26, 2020
Residents and public officials in Nayarit involved in protesting the construction of a condominium complex on federally protected coastline have had their personal bank accounts frozen for over three months thanks to a lawsuit brought by the developer.
Despite holding protests as far back as 2018, opponents of Punta Paraíso, a luxury development in San Francisco — San Pancho, to locals — have watched Lemmus Real Estate continue with the project with no apparent regulation from the federal government.
They claim that the company has illegally built on almost 1,200 square meters of the Federal Zone, or Zofemat, a 20-meter wide strip of coastline meant to be protected by the federal environmental protection agency Profepa.
“We met with [President López Obrador] two times, we spoke with his super-delegate [in Nayarit], … we spoke with [Nayarit Governor Antonio Echevarría García] … and of course we protested openly,” said local activist Erik Saracho in an interview with Mexico News Daily.
After more than two years of fighting the development and seeing their demands that the law be applied in San Pancho go unheeded by any regulatory agency, Saracho and others involved in the opposition found themselves in a difficult situation at the end of last year.
In late November, he and five other protesters woke to find that they had no access to their personal bank accounts. Without any official notice from a governmental or legal entity, the activists were told by their banks that their accounts had been frozen due to a lawsuit.
Carlos Lemus of Lemmus Real Estate told a press conference that same month that the company had sued the activists for defamation, claiming that their actions had cost Lemmus Real Estate over 12 million pesos (US $629,000).
“They froze our accounts by means that we consider to be corrupt,” said Ismael Duñalds, a state lawmaker from Bahía de Banderas, the municipality in which San Pancho is located.
“We were never notified. … We were not part of a case in which we could have defended ourselves. … We only found out when our banks told us that our accounts were frozen and there was nothing we could do because of the judge’s ruling,” he said.
“If that is the case, … then [freezing their accounts] would be illegal,” said Mexico City-based environmental attorney Raziel Villegas, who is not associated with the case. The lawyers representing Duñalds and the other activists were unable to comment, as it is still in litigation.
He said that the defendants should have known they were being sued and been given the chance to defend themselves in court before such actions were taken.
The activists appear to be up against a formidable opponent with no apparent accountability. One said that Lemus personally threatened to put her in jail if she did not stop protesting.
When contacted by Mexico News Daily, Lemus said that the claims of frozen bank accounts were “false statements” and declined to comment further.
Judge Manuel Edgardo Servín Orozco of the Fourth Civil Court of Jalisco, who issued the ruling, likewise turned down requests for comment, as did Profepa.
Duñalds and the others know that they are up against a formidable opponent — Saracho himself called their case a “long shot” — but they haven’t lost hope.
“If we don’t [protest Punta Paraíso], it will set a precedent for companies to do what they want with the rest of the beach in San Pancho,” he said.
Local painter and landlady Elvía García, one of the six whose accounts have been frozen, said that she and the others are “very positive” and continue to fight, because “the situation puts the rest of the beach at risk.”
“We are here, and we’re going to see this through to the end,” she said.
Mexico News Daily
And I have a link to that article in the shownotes. I will be keeping an eye on this story and follow up when I have more news.
Some sad news here….
Cheryl’s Shoebox Final Days of Giving
Posted in Cheryl’s Shoebox Blog
Ten years ago, Cheryl Schrean saw a need and began taking her daily strolls with her backpack tossed over her shoulder full of shoes. Anytime she noticed someone with worn shoes or no shoes, she would stop them and pull a pair out of her satchel. At one point, she single-handedly collected over 3000 pairs of shoes to take out to the Christmas At the Dump event. Shortly after Cheryl passed, Vicki Steuterville, Michael Hammond, and Jaime Baldridge decided to keep her efforts going and Cheryl’s Shoebox was reborn. Throughout the years, we have received assistance from Dean McConkey, and Mark and Sue Schneider plus countless volunteers who have helped us pass out shoes and make the Cheryl’s Shoebox Summer Bash a huge success. After many years of dedicated service to the community, we discovered that we had outgrown our shoes and it grieves to say that we will be shutting down Cheryl’s Shoebox as soon as our final projects are completed. We estimate that we should have all projects completed by the end of March 2020.
Due to our growth over the last 5 years, we were advised that we should seek legal counsel to determine what our responsibility is to the Mexican government since we were no longer just passing shoes out of our backpacks. After hiring an attorney, we were advised that due to the overwhelming support we received from all of you, that our little mom n’ pop charity would basically need to grow into a “full-time business” to continue our success.
This would require paying a substantial amount of attorney and filing fees plus monthly reporting, including accounting expenses, to the government in order to move to a large charity status. Our little labor of love was turning into a big business that would not have coincided with the original values of, Cheryl, our much beloved little-old-lady-who-passed-out-shoes.
we’ve been very proud of all that we have accomplished over the last several years and we owe it all to your generosity from the very beginning. Our first big shoe give-away occurred in Chimo, which is located about 20 minutes south of Yelapa. After a few years of providing shoes to the 3 schools in Chimo, the El Tuito government stepped in and began providing them with new school shoes and backpacks with school supplies each year. We then turned our efforts to the outlying communities of El Progreso and El Colorado by assisting some of their community groups with outfitting the children with school shoes, athletic shoes, backpacks filled with their yearly school supplies and various other educational material the groups needed to help the up and coming generation go forth and conquer the world. We have also been steady supporters of the Banderas Bay Women’s Shelter that provides assistance for abused women and children.
We have an extended list of accomplishments that range from hurricane relief, migrant worker assistance, the children with cancer center, and to many other groups and individuals that have contacted us for assistance. We encourage your continued support of these worthwhile organizations. Although we will no longer be accepting donations, please, continue to follow our Facebook wall as we complete our final planned projects that, due to your past generosity, we are able to fulfill.
Please visit https://www.casajojofoundation.org/ for information on more charities that are dear to our heart and will continue to lend our personal support when we can.
And I Have a link to that article in the shownotes.
So, all good things must end. Sometimes it’s difficult to do good. Lots of good can sometimes get you in trouble.
Now with that story about footwear, I thought I would bring in our next guest, Octavio Rios, a shoemaker at Puerto Vallarta’s oldest Huarache Maker Huaracheria Fabiola. But before we get to Octavio, let’s look at the history of shoemaking and huarache making in Mexico.
History of Shoe-making in Mexico
from Gear Patrol online…
Why Mexico Makes Some of the World’s Best Shoes
You’ll find some of the finest shoemakers in Mexico. Specifically, León in the central Mexican state of Guanajuato. The city was founded in 1576 by Spanish conquistadors looking to guard the area against the local tribes, and the European vaqueros brought with them farming and cattle. The cattle, along with horses, prospered over hundreds of years birthing a vibrant leather industry essential to the local economy. Today, the region is home to generations-old tanneries that supply premium leathers to local shoemakers and leather-goods producers.
The article goes on…
Currently, Mexico produces upwards of 250 million pairs of shoes — 70 percent of which are made in León. With that amount of shoes, not every pair is a world-class build, but mass production, quick turnarounds and cheaper materials can be found in any manufacturing region. A number of shoemakers continue to produce incredible footwear, the kind of you’d expect in a region that’s specialized in the craft for centuries, and people have noticed.
The article goes on to say…
Mexican-made footwear isn’t good because other countries made it good. It’s good simply because it is. León’s shoemakers have built their prowess upon generations of shoemakers before them and centuries of history. Guanajuato is paved with cobblers and stores dedicated to the product and the craft, and there’s nowhere else quite like it.
And Look for the link to that article in the shownotes.
So, what is the traditional Mexican footwear called?
So, if you look up a google search for Mexican shoes guess what comes up….Huaraches.
History of Huaraches
And if we go to the wikipages we find that huaraches are….
Pre-Columbian in origin, the sandals are believed related to the cactle or cactli, of Náhuatl origin. The name “Huarache” is derived from the Purépecha language term kwarachi, and directly translates into English as sandal.[1]
Early forms have been found in and traced to the countryside farming communities of Jalisco, Michoacan, Guanajuato and Yucatan. Originally of all-leather construction, the thong structure around the main foot is still traditionally made with hand-woven braided leather straps.[2]
Huaraches gained popularity in North America thanks to their adoption as part of the 1960s hippie lifestyle. By the end of the 20th century they were to be found all over North and South America.
Styles
Traditional huarache designs vary greatly, but are always very simple. Originally made of all-leather, later early designs included woven string soles and occasionally thin wooden soles. Later more elaborate upper designs were created by saddlers and leather workers.
The modern huarache developed from the adoption in the 1930s of rubber soles developed from used rubber car-tires. Modern designs vary in style from a simplistic sandal to a more complex shoe, using both traditional leather as well as more modern synthetic materials.
Many shoes claim to be huaraches, but they are still traditionally only considered a huarache if they are handmade, and have a woven-leather form in the upper.[2]
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Huaracheria Fabiola, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
Contact Information for Huaracheria Fabiola Puerto Vallarta
- Address: Ignacio Vallarta 145, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
- Phone: +52-322-222-9154
- Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Huaracher%C3%ADa-Fabiola/
- Trip Adviser Page: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g150793-d2242320-Reviews-Huaracheria_Fabiola-Puerto_Vallarta.html
And so that brings us to guest. Octavio Rios is one of family of shoemakers. Octavio works with his brother, nephew and a long time assistant who together run
Huaracheria Fabiola. The place is easy to find. As you come into Zona Romantica over the bridge over the Rio Cuale, that’s Ignacio Vallarta and just before you hit the second street, Aquelis Serdan, you will find this shop. Across from the Fit Club and Seasons Restaurant and the Condos Molino de Agua.
When you walk in the front door of the shop, you find yourself in one big room with loads of shoes, sandals and huaraches. All styles, all leather piled high on shelves, and pegboard displays. Hundreds of them. This is a working shoemaker. The brothers all
make shoes, they all are busy assembling them while customers roam through the store. They are attentive to the people who shop there, but they are always working. I asked one of the brothers if he wanted to talk with me and although he did speak
English, he told me his brother Octavio spoke pretty good English and guided me upstairs to the real shop. I was fascinated. Strips of leather hanging around. Leather
soles cut out of tanned cowhide. Grinding machines, sewing machines. It was a really cool place. And Octavio as it so happens, does speak English very well and he agreed to tell us about his place…so let’s go right now to the corner of Ignacio Vallarta and
Aquilles Serdan to 145 Ignacio L. Vallarta, and let’s meet the sole man from paradise, Octavio Rios, one of the talented brothers at Hueracheria Fabiola, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.
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Octavio’s Sister has a store called Faviolas in Pueblo Viejo
All right Octavio! Thank you for all the great advice and telling us about your cool Hu
huaracheria. Make sure you check out the pictures I have in the shownotes that will
give you a good idea as to what kind of footwear they sell and make of course. They are quick but make sure if you do go have shoes made by them, give them more than enough time to finish the custom huaraches. I have a map that will take you to the front door as well at www.puertovallartatravelshow.com.
Okay that should do it for now….
Next week, stay tuned for more on the ground reports from Puerto Vallarta Mexico, with travel tips, great restaurant and excursion ideas and more. Until then, remember, th
is is an interactive show where I depend on your questions and suggestions about all
things Puerto Vallarta. If you think of something I should be talking about, please reach out to me by clicking on the Contact us tab and sending us your message.
And remember, if you are considering booking any type of tour while you are in Puerto Vallarta
you must go to Vallartainfo.com, JR’s website and reserve your tour through him, right from his website. Remember the value for value proposition. His experience and on the ground knowledge of everything Puerto Vallarta in exchange for your making a
purchase of a tour that you would do anyway, you’re just doing it through him as a way of saying thank you. It costs no more than if you were to use someone else so do it.
Really. And when you do take one of these tours, email me about your experiences. Maybe you can come on-board and share with others what you liked or didn’t like
about the tour. Again, contact me by clicking on the Contact us tab and sending off a message. Don’t forget his maps, his DIY tours and his revitalized Happy Hour Board. I have links to all of those in the show notes.
And once again, if you like this podcast, please take the time and subscribe and give me a good review on iTunes if you would. That way we can get the word out to more and
more people about the magic of this place. Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Remember I made it easy for you to do just that with each episode I create. But if you haven’t been to my
website, you really need to have a look there. I have the links to the places we talk about, interesting pictures and the more all right there in my blog-posts and show-notes for each episode of the show so check them out for sure if you haven’t already all-right? All right.
Thanks to Octavio Rios from Huaracheria Fabiola, thanks for telling us all about your family business that many of us have grown to know and love over the years. It’s a Vallarta treasure a landmark, and still going strong serve the next generation of visitors and lovers of Puerto Vallarta. Check the pictures and maps and links and visit them the next time you are in paradise for your custom-made huaraches and sandals. Great quality and reasonably priced too.
And thanks to all of you for listening all the way through this episode of the Puerto Vallarta Travel Show. This is Barry Kessler signing off with a wish for you all to slow down, be kind and live the Vallarta lifestyle. Nos Vemos amigos!
Contact Information for Huaracheria Fabiola Puerto Vallarta
- Address: Ignacio Vallarta 145, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
- Phone: +52-322-222-9154
- Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Huaracher%C3%ADa-Fabiola/
- Trip Adviser Page: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g150793-d2242320-Reviews-Huaracheria_Fabiola-Puerto_Vallarta.html
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