For the People's Government, celebrating these first 100 years means recognizing the workers, designers, suppliers and entrepreneurs who have taken L
For the People’s Government, celebrating these first 100 years means recognizing the workers, designers, suppliers and entrepreneurs who have taken Leon to the heights, said Libia
Leon ranks first nationally in footwear production, leather tanning and finishing; and in the manufacture of other products in the sector
Leon/Gto News
The Governor of the People, Libia Dennise Garcia Munoz Ledo, participated in the commemoration “100 Years of Unity, Industry and Shoemaker Pride”, where companies and families that have given life to the footwear industry throughout this century were also recognized.
“These are one hundred years that transformed the destiny of many families, of men and women who, faced with adversity, chose to work and get ahead, entrepreneurs who started in small workshops and built companies that today are an example for Mexico and the world,” said the State Governor.
The ceremony was organized by the Guanajuato State Chamber of the Footwear Industry (CICEG), and included recognition of 150 long-established companies and the unveiling of a commemorative plaque.
The history of the footwear industry is also the history of Leon. In 1926, the city was full of small workshops where women and men worked hard to support their families. The business directory of that time listed 105 shoe workshops, 6 of them run by women, in addition to 16 finishing shops and 10 shoe stores.
On May 24 of that year, manufacturers led by Jose Padilla Moreno, owner of the Bufalo brand, founded the Union of Footwear Manufacturers of Leon, the first step to organize the guild and defend its interests.
The Leon Regional Chamber of Footwear was registered in 1942. The current Guanajuato State Chamber of the Footwear Industry (CICEG) was established in 1968, and its first board of directors took oath in 1969.
As of December 2025, CICEG was made up of 580 economic units (72 percent were micro and small businesses), representing 36,770 jobs.
“I am sure that the continuity of this industry will continue to be guaranteed by the unity of the sector, because the history of this Chamber of Footwear is also the history of our City and our State,” Libia Dennise said.
According to the results of the 2024 Economic Census of INEGI, Guanajuato concentrates 74.3 percent of the value of the production of tanning and finishing of leather and hide, and manufacture of leather, hide and substitute materials products in the country, and has 6,225 economic units:
- In León 4,228
- San Francisco del Rincón 1,123
- Purísima del Rincón 788
- They concentrate more than 98 percent of the businesses of the subsector
As of December 2025, Guanajuato produced 162.35 million pairs of shoes and exported 51.88 million pairs for $1,034.59 million.
The People’s Government has supported the sector and works with the Federation, the municipality and business chambers to promote fair competition conditions.
“The government I lead will continue to move forward hand in hand with you, because times have changed in a hundred years, challenges evolve, and we must build solutions as a team, so count on your Governor,” concluded Libia Dennise Garcia Munoz Ledo.
Present at this event were Juan Carlos Cashat Usabiaga, President of CICEG; the Mayor of Leon; and other State Offficials and directors of the Footwear, Textile and Clothing sector, of the Secretary of Economy and representative of the Government of Mexico; as well as local and federal legislators, leaders of business chambers and representatives of the leather-footwear sector.
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