Why is it called Nike Cortez?
The Nike Cortez is making a comeback, but what history lies behind Nikes first track shoe? Who is this mysterious Cortez and why does he…
Nike is bringing back an old favorite in its most familiar form. (Photo from Nike official website)
The Nike Cortez is making a comeback, but what history lies behind Nikes first track shoe?
Who is this mysterious Cortez and why does he get a shoe named after him?
The Nike Cortez was first designed by Nike co-founder and former Olympic-class track coach Bill Bowerman. He finalized the design in 1968 and four years later, released the shoe at the peak of the 1972 Olympics, which is why it gained rapid popularity among the general public.
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The shoes are named after the famous Spanish conquistador. (Shutterstock)
The shoe is named after THE Cortez, Hernando Cortez, a Spanish conquistador who gathered up an army of Spaniards and Native Americans from Central America and the islands to march on a great Aztec city called Tenochtitlan. This city was in what we now call Mexico, according to the Web Stand.
The great and famous Aztec warrior-king Moctezuma II actually took Cortez in peacefully and lavished him with gifts of gold, but all that really did was tempt the Spaniards to steal all the Aztecs gold. Eventually, Moctezuma became a prisoner in his own home while Cortes racked his empire.
And thats where Mexicans were born, from the combination of the Spaniards and the Aztecs. The whole Mexican race sprouted from those wars. And so did this memorable shoe, inspired by the rich history of Mexico.
When the shoe was released, it was the same time in history when joining a gang was seen as cool among the youth. Gangs soon took to wearing the shoes, which have been described as having thick, long wearing outer sole, full length sponge with a mid-sole cushion to absorb road shock and reduce leg fatigue. Seems like the perfect shoe for someone regularly involved in gang activity.
Most of us in the Los Angeles area of the brown and Black races didnt really rock tennis shoes until we knew we was goin somewhere we had to run from the police. said O.G. Lepke, a rapper based out of Los Angeles.
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Legendary tattoo/graffiti artist, Mister Cartoon weighs in on how it happened while inking a new client in his parlor at SA Studios in LA.
It became a gang member shoe here. Cats used to triple tie the laces, or only wear blue to rep the Southside. They got real popular in the 90s. If you seen someone wearing Cortez, you knew they were affiliated. If you wasnt affiliated and wearing Cortez, you might as well be, because you will get confronted just wearing those shoes. If you team em up with the Dickies and the white tee, then you definitely affiliated.”
