Have you ever heard about Peruvian sandals Yankees (Los Yanquis), in Quechua dialect called Ojotas? These shoes are still quite popular in that country, especially in the Andes.
Probably you will not meet to many people wearing this kind of shoes in the coast or in the jungle, but definitely if you will come to the Andes, you will have a great opportunity not only to see a lot of local people wearing them, but also you can try on them by yourself.
The Yankees sandals are made of rubber, actually of tire handcrafted. The price for a pair is very low considering that they have a really great durability. In the past, because of lack of money, Yankees sandals were more common than now, when people have better access to the shoes market and gain more money. When I talked with several Peruvians about this topic, they explained to me that now some of them, especially on the coast, consider this model of shoes as designed only for the poorest people.
Who is wearing sandals Yankees?
Actually a lot of Andean people use them every day.
For sure they are very popular among farmers, but not only.
They also suit perfectly to the special traditional dresses.
Everyone says that these sandals are very comfortable and durable. What surprise me all the time, when I see people wearing them, is that they use them even in extremely cold conditions, in the highest parts of the mountains, all year, all the time. I really admire Peruvians for that, because I even do not think about wearing sandals here. Instead I have warm high trekking shoes all the time with me.
You can buy sandals Yankees on the market or in some shoes shops in Cusco.
They can be not only a great and unique gift for you, your friends or family, but also a very cheap one. The pair of this special sandals cost only around 10-20 soles.
About fame of sandals Yankees it is louder also on YouTube, where you can find a very interesting advertisement of Nike company, with sandals Ojotas in the lead role.
VIDEO
https://www.youtube.com/watch?x-yt-cl=84359240&v=y7gqbrdlugQ&x-yt-ts=1421782837
VIDEO
1 Comment
Great article! Just one comment on the ad, its from renowned Peruvian newspaper El Comercio. They were promoting a series of marketing educational volumes, which discussed the importance of Branding and popular brands as Nike, and how they got where they are.
Cheers!