The iconic Mexican heritage craft of cuera tamaulipeca was featured as part of the boxing championship belt awarded after Saúl 'Canelo' Álvarez defeated Edgar Berlanga on Saturday in Las Vegas. Álvarez claimed victory in the highly anticipated bout, and the belt, which celebrates Tamaulipas' rich cultural tradition, was presented to him as part of his triumph.
The belt, named "Tamaulipas II" to mark the 200th anniversary of the Mexican border state of Tamaulipas, was created by a family of artisans from the Artesanías Reyza workshop based in Tula, Tamaulipas.
Cuera tamaulipeca refers to the traditional handmade outfits that represent the state of Tamaulipas, and the artisan craft applied to the leather and materials from which it is made.
Hector Reyna Suarez is the current owner and lead craftsman at the workshop where he says the craft originated in the 1940s.
“It’s a point of pride for us that they considered us for this project,” said Reyna from Tula on Saturday as his family prepared to leave for Ciudad Victoria, the capital of Tamaulipas.
The family attended the public viewing of the boxing match being held at a special event by the government of Tamaulipas.
“But besides the fact that we made this, we’re rooting for Canelo,” said Reyna. “We've been watching all his fights for a long time.”
The rivalry between Canelo Álvarez from Mexico and Edgar Berlanga of Puerto Rican descent stems from the long-standing boxing competition between Mexico and Puerto Rico, two nations known for producing world-class fighters.
Canelo has had an impressive career, now with 62 wins, 2 losses, and 2 draws. Berlanga had a perfect record of 22 wins before his bout with Canelo.
This cultural and sporting rivalry added intensity to the bout, giving deeper meaning to the match as the people of Tamaulipas celebrate 200 years as a state.
During the weigh-in ceremony ahead of Saturday’s fight, the state of Tamaulipas gifted a traditional cuera to Canelo before presenting the championship belt that Canelo ultimately took.
The Reyna family has been making artisanal products for five generations, starting with Rosalío Reyna Ortega, who created the first cuera tamaulipeca by order of General Alberto Carrera Torres between 1943 and 1945.
The cuera tamaulipeca was originally made from deer leather, but today it is made from sheep, goat, or pelibuey, a Cuban breed of domestic sheep.
The Reyna family still uses machines passed down from earlier generations to produce their artisan products, maintaining the traditional craftsmanship.
“Everything is handmade, and we still continue to craft things the way our grandparents taught us and as it was done more than 80, 90 years ago,” said Reyna. “Everything is original.”
The workshop changed its name to Artesanías Reyza as the joining of the two last names—Reyna and Zapata—when his wife, Adriana Zapata, and her family joined the business about a decade ago.
The state commissioned the work earlier this year from the family, who submitted three designs for what would hold the 24-karat gold-plated plaque of the championship belt.
Canelo retained his super middleweight titles, defeating Berlanga by unanimous decision.
