LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — Handmade cowboy boots were once a staple of ranching life across America and Mexico, but most boots are now mass-produced, and fewer artisans are learning the techniques used to make them by hand.
For centuries, bootmaking has been part of ranching culture on both sides of the border.
In Las Vegas, bootmaker Javier Martell is carrying on that tradition and sharing it with a new generation.
A craft tied to ranching culture
Before boots became a symbol of the American West, they were part of life for vaqueros across northern Mexico. Martell is one of the few custom bootmakers in the U.S…