Genuine Panama Hats - All you need to know

ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT GENUINE PANAMA HATS

1. GENERALITIES

Our country began to be a Toquilla Straw hats exporter, approximately since 1630. Nevertheless it is important to emphasize, that the active export began in the year 1800.

The Toquilla Straw hat is a real Ecuadorian product, but it was known internationally as hat of Panama or "Panama hat", since this type of hat was sold in large quantities in the ports of Panama, by many of the travelers, workers and merchantmen in the epoch of the construction of the channel, it is so how they associated the hat with Panama.

The straw hat or straw toquilla, is a species of palm tree without trunk, whose leaves in the shape of fan rise from the floor, maintained by long cylindrical stalks. Each plant has wide leaves that reach from 2 to 3 meters length.

The outter part of the tender leaves (top) is green, being the center ivory-colored or white pearl; this is the part of the straw used for the elaboration of crafts. At present, nearly 200 families are dedicated to the crafts of straw hat in the Chapare, which receive technical advice regarding the cultivation, prosecution and weaving of the palm.

The weavings of straw hat are carried out by hand, the majority by women of the Subtropic region of the Chapare, this product is an economic alternative.

Currently the little craft production is sold by the artisans at specific market places in Chimore and Villa Tunari. The products from Jipijapa have a good acceptance and its price (reasonable in general) varies according to the quantity of employed straw, model color and final work.

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