Carlos Pérez Méndez (left), 9, and Eliseo López Méndez, 10, are shoe shiners in San Cristóbal de las Casas, a major city in Chiapas, Mexico’s southernmost state. The two boys, who are not related, charge 7 pesos (about 34 cents) per pair, and 10 pesos (about 49 cents) when a customer requests a special hue or tint. They estimate they shine as many as 15 pairs a day. The daily earnings contribute to their families’ household income. According to 2014 figures from local nonprofit Melel Xojobal, nearly 3,000 children in this city work on the streets.

Adriana Alcazár González, GPJ Mexico

Carlos Pérez Méndez (left), 9, and Eliseo López Méndez, 10, are shoe shiners in San Cristóbal de las Casas, a major city in Chiapas, Mexico’s southernmost state. The two boys, who are not related, charge 7 pesos (about 34 cents) per pair, and 10 pesos (about 49 cents) when a customer requests a special hue or tint. They estimate they shine as many as 15 pairs a day. The daily earnings contribute to their families’ household income. According to 2014 figures from local nonprofit Melel Xojobal, nearly 3,000 children in this city work on the streets.

Adriana Alcazár González, GPJ Mexico

Carlos Pérez Méndez (left), 9, and Eliseo López Méndez, 10, are shoe shiners in San Cristóbal de las Casas, a major city in Chiapas, Mexico’s southernmost state. The two boys, who are not related, charge 7 pesos (about 34 cents) per pair, and 10 pesos (about 49 cents) when a customer requests a special hue or tint. They estimate they shine as many as 15 pairs a day. The daily earnings contribute to their families’ household income. According to 2014 figures from local nonprofit Melel Xojobal, nearly 3,000 children in this city work on the streets.

Adriana Alcazár González, GPJ Mexico

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Featured Photo of Young Shoe Shiners in Southern Mexico

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Carlos Pérez Méndez (left), 9, and Eliseo López Méndez, 10, are shoe shiners in San Cristóbal de las Casas, a major city in Chiapas, Mexico’s southernmost state. The two boys, who are not related, charge 7 pesos (about 34 cents) per pair, and 10 pesos (about 49 cents) when a customer requests a special hue or tint. They estimate they shine as many as 15 pairs a day. The daily earnings contribute to their families’ household income. According to 2014 figures from local nonprofit Melel Xojobal, nearly 3,000 children in this city work on the streets.

Photo by Adriana Alcázar González
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Featured Photo of Young Shoe Shiners in Southern Mexico
By Adriana Alcázar González Reporter
March 28, 2017
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