Valverde del Camino It is undoubtedly a benchmark for shoe manufacturing in Spain. It has a powerful industry dedicated to both artisanal and mass production, which dates back more than 100 years. In particular, the different types of boots that are made in the town stand out, although there are also other types of artisanal footwear, such as moccasins, oxfords, Bluncher, booties, etc. As far as boots are concerned, those intended for horse riding and similar activities are some of the most famous and among them, the rociero boot It is probably the one that has gained the most international fame.
Today, despite the economic crisis and the constant threat from China, the footwear industry employs more than 300 workers in the town, generates economic activity worth 24 million euros and manufactures more than 400,000 boots a year.
A few days ago, the Valverde del Camino City Council wanted to pay tribute to the inventor of rociero boot that has given so much joy to the town, it is about Jose Parreno, born at the beginning of the 20th century, worked with great skill in footwear until shortly before his death in 1975. He was the first craftsman in the town of Huelva to make a rociero boot, a design that undoubtedly helped position the footwear sector in Valverde from the mid-20th century onwards, turning the city into the benchmark it is today in our country.
The boto rociero is characterised by being a boot without a zip, which covers us up to half the leg, thus replacing the traditional gaiter. Parreño's original design was born on the occasion of a design competition held in the 1940s in Valverde del Camino, which aimed to give a boost to the artisanal footwear sector that was already thriving in the city at that time.
To commemorate the invention of this type of boot, so popular in pilgrimages and activities such as horse riding, the Valverde town council has paid tribute to its author, and as part of the event the roundabout at the entrance to the town has been renamed “Rotonda del Boto de Valverde” (Valverde Boot Roundabout), where a plaque has also been installed commemorating its inventor, the craftsman José Parreño, and the city's footwear industry.
In the words of Mayor Valverde, “The boto has become a symbol in the world, used and known by everyone, which over the years has brought fame and prestige to our town.”
