Museo del Calzado Borceguí: Shoe Museum

At first glance, Mexico City’s Shoe Museum looks like a shoe store. In fact, the Museum came about in 1991 after “El Borceguí” had been selling shoes at the same spot for nearly 125 years. The store opened in 1865. It changed hands a few times. But in 1991, the latest owner of the store, José Villamayor Coto, founded the museum in honor of his father. The objective is to encourage research on footwear and orthopedics through disciplines including the anthropological, historical, scientific and artistic.

The collection includes some 2,000 life-size shoes, and another 15,000 miniatures. Examples of footwear  range from those of the ancient Egyptians to the footwear of present-day celebrities. Exhibitions are divided into multiple sections: historical shoes, 20th century shoes, sports shoes, shoes of children’s literature, and shoes of Mexico’s famous. Sandals have been collected from each of Mexico’s 32 states. As many of the examples in the collection have been donated, in fact, the museum has continued to grow over the years.

On a whim, pop in. The Borceguí shoe store continues to operate a friendly place for shoes. The museum carries that same tradition a bit further, and offers real insight through more than one item in the collection.

Hours: Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. & 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Saturdays: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.