In the book "Shakira: Woman of Grace", Ximena Diego wrote that
Pies Descalzos allowed Shakira to reinvent herself in her career, since after the commercial failure of her albums
Magia (1991) and
Peligro (1993), she thought about retiring from music. In an interview with
El Tiempo magazine, Alberto Vásquez, manager of Sony Music Colombia's Promotion Department, stated that the album's sales exceeded expectations and allowed the singer to conquer new territories where no other Colombian artist had previously reached. According to the Colombian magazine
Semana, with the new album Shakira became an "international phenomenon".
El Tiempo noted that in 1996 Shakira achieved the status of teenage idol among the youth of Latin America. The magazine
El Comercio stated that the album "paved the way for Latin artists in international pop". The magazine
El Universo considered the album a point of reference in Spanish-language music. Hector Gaona of
Teleantioquia talked about how the album "changed Colombian pop", with songs like "Antología" and "Estoy Aquí" defining a new aesthetic in
Latin music. He observed that Shakira was "the voice that spoke for a generation". The newspaper
Las Americas wrote that
Pies Descalzos "is the flagship album of a generation, which marked a before and after in the history of Latin American pop".
Señal Colombia described the album's impact as changing the history of Latin pop. ==Track listing==