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glamorous about the construction of custom boots. It’s tough
work, requiring exactitude under often uncomfortable con-
ditions. It also requires Zen-like focus as the bootmaker deals
with a variety of sewing machines and hand tools, including
specialized hammers, pliers, heel pries, tack pullers, awls, and
leather knives.
The shop is running behind on its orders, so it will be several
months before I have my boots. No problem, I’m expecting that
kind of delay for custom-made boots. I leave Armando and Ar-
mando Jr. and head to McAllen, where I put up at Casa de Palmas,
a hotel that turned 100 last year.
That night, I lie awake in bed and ponder the connection I’ve
made. My boots will be crafted by someone whose direct an-
tecedents once built boots for Emperor Maximilian’s cavalry
troops. I’m not just honoring tradition; I’m preserving history.
The next morning, I set out for Mercedes. If Raymondville is a
laid back rural town, Mercedes is in the middle of one of the fast-
est-growing metropolitan areas in the U.S. Hidalgo County’s pop-
ulation is close to a million people, with McAllen its largest city.
Municipal boundaries mean little these days: McAllen, Pharr, San
Juan, Alamo, Donna, Weslaco, and Mercedes blur into each other. I
fail to account for rush-hour traffic, so I’m a little late when I arrive
at Camargo’s Western Boots—or Camargo’s of Mercedes.
Henry Camargo is 65 years old and has operated this shop since- A native of Mercedes, he grew up obsessed with drawing and
describes himself as a visual artist. After he graduated high school,
he started college with the intention of working for Border Patrol.
In 1973, he took a job at the Rios of Mercedes boot factory. It proved
to be a life-changer: He never went back to college and has been in
the business ever since.
It was Camargo’s good fortune to fall under the tutelage of Antonio
“Tony” Sanchez at Rios of Mercedes. Within the world of bootmak-
ing, Sanchez was a huge figure. A native of San Luis Potosi, Mexico,
Sanchez lived most of his life in the Rio Grande Valley, working in
the boot business. “Sanchez was the greatest boot designer of them