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PANAMA HATS & Other “TOQUILLA”
Straw Handcrafts from Manabí
 One
of the practical, picturesque and frequently purchased souvenirs
from Ecuador are the famous “Panama Hats”, straw
purses and other handcrafts from the province of Manabí.
Beyond the remembrance they represent, they are products
with a tremendously interesting natural and cultural background.
Growing plants and working hands, the golden picture of
a small town where every house has straw hanging on its
gardens to dry, and the entire way of life and cultural
activities of many of Manabi’s inhabitants lie beyond
these artifacts.
To get to the essence of the product, one may visit different
sites in Manabí. The process begins with nature as
everything in its last instance, in golden “toquilla”
straw plantations. Then the straw is cooked in big “pailas”
(see picture below). Afterwards, artisans work to fabricate
the fiber, and finally, fine weavers braid the hats, purses
and baskets that are not necessarily expensive, yet valuable
for their usage and artistic origin.
 The
coastal province of Manabí lies south of Esmeraldas,
the northernmost province of Ecuador on the Pacific Coast.
Many sites of the Manabí province are part of the
“Sun’s Route” through the Ecuadorian Coast.
A very well known place in this province is the Machalilla
National Park, which holds impressive beaches and a unique
flora and fauna.
Not far from Portoviejo, the province’s capital, lies
the town of Montecristi, famous for being home to many “paja
toquilla” artisans. Several people from small towns
around Montecristi are also dedicated to this art. For example,
the small town of Barcelona shines like gold with the “toquilla”
straw lying to dry under the strong Equatorial sunrays.
Walking along its small dirt roads, one can visit artisans
working at home to send their products to the country’s
main cities and abroad.
Although of Ecuadorian origin, these hats are called “PANAMA
HATS” because in the sixteenth century, after the
Spaniards took possession of the Isthmus of Panama, they
heard about the richness of the south. It is then that they
decided to expand their conquest. Francisco Pizarro and
Diego de Almagro reached the lands of present-day Ecuador
in 1526, and in 1534 they founded the Royal Audience of
Quito. Later on, these hats were sent abroad through the
Panama Channel, thus receiving this name. However, they
were originated on the Ecuadorian coast, specifically in
the small town of Montecristi-Manabí. Archeological
discoveries of ceramic figurines wearing strange hats have
been made on the Ecuadorian coasts. Legend tells that the
Spaniards discovered a strange headgear that some of the
South American natives wore, and they thought that this
translucent material was vampire skin. (Taken from book
“PANAMA a legendary hat”, Editions Assouline).
 We
recommend our readers to buy the book mentioned above, which
may be purchased at any of the main bookstores of Ecuador
(MR. BOOKS in Quito, among others). According to the author
of this book: “There remain today only a dozen weavers
capable of making the finest straw hats in the world: MONTECRISTI
SUPERFINOS.” To measure the quality of PANAMA HATS,
one must observe the fineness of the weave and the number
of rows on the hat’s crown. Depending on how fine
the hat is the price can vary from about 10 dollars to approximately
3,000 dollars! Some exported hats are sold abroad at even
more expensive prices, since most foreigners value handcrafts
more than Ecuadorians:
“It is unimaginable to me that this hat was crafted
by human hands. With my reading glasses on, placed under
a strong light, I admire row after row after row after row
the tiny, even, overlapping threads of straw. The colour
is that of old, wellcarved-ivory. Hold it to the light and
it glows, seemingly translucent. It is truly a work of art.”
(Brent Black, journalist-writer and panama specialist in
the United States / Preface of “PANAMA, a legendary
hat”, Editions Assouline, First Edition).
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