No one is really sure how many shoeshine boys work the streets of Chichicastenango, but estimates reach into the 50s. Sometimes these boys start working to make a few dimes worth of profit when they are as young as the age of five. They wander the streets with a small wooden box of shoe shining …
Shiny Shoes and Clean Hearts
There are dozens of shoe shiners in Chichicastenango. Starting as young as five years old, these youngsters prowl the streets looking for leather shoes to turn into shiny proof of their work. “Shoe shine?” they ask in earnest. “Son muy sucio.” (They are very dirty.) These poorly dressed youngsters can be seen carrying their little …
