Mad Hatters

I AM not a hat person. But Jamie and Zenchai are. However, I enjoyed the hour or so we spent at the Panama Hat Museum in Cuenca.

It’s fun - trying on hats, seeing how they are made, marvelling at the variety, not to mention the expertise of the workers.

Interestingly, while these hats are said to have originated in Panama, the reality is that more of them are made and worn in Cuenca than anywhere else in the world. The real name for them is a Montecristi. 

They came to be known as 'Panama Hats' during the 19th century when they were worn by workers on the Panama Canal for protection against the fierce sun. 

The process for making the hats is fascinating. Fibres come from the toquilla palm which grows in abundance on the Ecuadorian coastlands. Efforts have been made to grow the palms elsewhere, but to no avail and thus Ecuador remains the epicentre for Panama Hat production. 

Preparing the palms requires harvesting the shoots before, by hand, beating and splitting them in order to remove long, thin leaves that are bundled up and then boiled for around 20 minutes before being left to dry for three days.

During the drying process, the leaves reduce in size and roll up, making them perfect for weaving into hats. The more closely together the fibres are woven the better - and more expensive - the hat. Standard hats are sold for around $15. The best ones can fetch in excess of $500! A good hat will keep your head dry during a rainstorm. 

 You can buy one – or two or more – at the museum if you choose. There’s a café on site, too, but we didn’t try it.

Address: Calle Larga 10-41. No admission and try on as many hats as you like.

Comments

[Bill M]

Hi. Another name of the toquilla palm whose young leaves are used to make "Panama" hats is "jipijapa." Jipijapa is also the name of a town, which, along with Montecristi, was a center of hat production; and at one time, the hats were known as Jipijapa as well as Montecristi. The name "Panama" arose because many foreigners purchased these hats while traversing the Panama Canal, and named the hats for where they bought them.