Leather Goods
About five hours by bus from Mexico City is the largest city of the state of Guanajuato and the fifth largest of Mexico. Leon is a city with colonial influence and Baroque and Gothic styled architecture and is probably best known for its leather industry. It is commonly known as the shoe capital of the world, with a great tradition in Leon leather for many centuries now. Its importance is also shown through a number of famous brand names that produce their wares in this city.
There are several areas where you can find leather goods, one of the largest being the Zona Piel (the Leather Zone). There are over 4,500 shops in this area and they sell any number of types of leather goods you can think of. Plaza Piel and Plaza del Zapato are other options. Shoes, jackets, belts, bags among many other items are found here.
The importance of the leather industry is also reflected in a very interesting museum called the Museo Nacional de la Piel del Calzado (MUNPIC: National Museum of Leather and Footwear), which was constructed within the Cultural Center of Guanajuato. This is an ideal site to learn all about leather in Leon.
