Thank you so much for visiting the Tecuani Leatherworks website! My name is Mauricio, and I am the leather craftsman who makes all of the products on this shop.
When I started working with leather, my idea was to create a wallet that would last for a generation. I know that leather looks better the longer you use it, so I just wanted to learn how to make a good wallet for myself that I could use for decades.
Little did I know that I would end up loving the art of crafting leather items and that my idea of making a great wallet would turn into something bigger. I am so glad to be able to share these quality products with you.
How are the leather items made?
I take special care to choose only the highest quality full grain leather and dedicate the time required to produce premium, handcrafted leather products. Each piece of leather is hand-cut individually, and sewn with my antique Singer 29 4 cobbler foot-pedal controlled sewing machine, and then hand-stitched with the final details.
Since every item is handmade, it is unique from all the others. While some are certainly similar in style, there are irregularities in color and stitching that make it one of a kind.
How did Tecuani Leatherworks get its name?
What does tecuani mean? It means jaguar in Nahuatl, which is the language of my ancestors, also spoken where I am from.
When I was growing up in my indigenous village in the mountains of Central Mexico, the jaguar loomed large in our imaginations. We learned stories about the cuāuhocēlōtl, the elite Jaguar warriors of the Aztec and heard whispers about the tecuani, the name we have for those mysterious wild cats living in the mountains around us.
Even though I now live in upstate New York, which is where I craft my leather products, I continue to honor and respect the prowess of the jaguar. That’s why you see the name Tecuani Leatherworks in my maker’s mark and logo.
If you have any questions, you can always contact me at mauricio @ tecuanileather.com – just remove the spaces before you send the e-mail.