Shoes symbolize family in Coco.

poisonapplepieshop:

Miguel’s family, the Riveras, make shoes. In the Land of the Dead, nearly everyone wears shoes. 

Even the “poor” dead, who have very little, typically wear them (the man on the left wears prominent boots).

In fact, we only see two characters who have none: Chicarron, who has no one left alive to remember him, and gets forgotten…

…and Hector, who has been kicked out of the family. 

Hector never wears shoes. In fact, even in his Frida costume, he is still barefoot. 

(The real Frida, on the other hand, wears boots.) 

The only time we see him wearing shoes?

When he is accepted back into the family and given a place on the ofrenda. 

The ofrenda is topped with a miniature version of his guitar, together with a copy of Mama Imelda’s boots.