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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