The panama hat, the famous white hat with the characteristic black band, is made of very thin straw of toquilla palm, which grows in the tropical coast area of Ecuador. These hand woven and lightweight hats are comfortable to wear, look great and are nothing less than a fashionable and timeless top product - for both ladies and gentleman. And - which makes it even more interesting - the panama hat has a very rich history. 

Some History 

The panama hat for many years has been an elegant and timeless fashion item that was worn by many famous people, like royals, presidents, actors and musicians. The internationally known name does, however, totally neglect the original home country of the panama hat: Ecuador. Subsequently, a frequently asked question is why "El Sombrero de Paja Toquilla" (as the Ecuadorians call the hat) is named "panama hat". That's an interesting story. 

For thousands of years, pre-Inca cultures in the area which today is known as Ecuador know the art of weaving 'paja toquilla’, the straw of the toquilla palm plant. Out of this material, they wove elongated headgear, which however bore no resemblance in shape to the present panama hat. 
  
The Spanish 'conquistadores' conquered without many resistance the once mighty Inca Empire at the beginning of the sixteenth century. In 1534, Inca king Atahualpa was captured and then killed. Atahualpa was born in Tomebamba, the present-day city of Cuenca. That city is coincidentally the present-day center of panama hat production.  

The Spaniards were impressed by the fine weaving, which the Indians in the conquered territories used for their headgear. They even thought the hats were made of bat skin, because of the extremely detailed structure. However, it still took about three hundred years before the special weaving technique became known worldwide. 
  
In the nineteenth century,  smart businessmen began to export hats from Ecuador. At that time, hats of toquilla straw were produced exclusively in the coastal region of the now newly independent Republic of Ecuador. In particular, the town of Montecristi in the province of Manabi was (and is!) famous for its high quality hats.  Still, the best 'extrafino's' come from that place and are even called ‘Montecristi’s’. 
  
The export of the hats developed very strong in the nineteenth century. For that reason, in 1836 people from the city of Cuenca in the southern Andes province Azuay started to compete with the hat weavers in the coastal region. The city council wanted to give the local economy a boost and established a local hat factory. In the following years, Cuenca developed as the international center of the panama hat industry. 

From the mid-nineteenth century the production of the hats soared with giant leaps. Meanwhile, in the Central American country of Panama, a thousand kilometers north of Ecuador, started the construction of a canal that would form a link between the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean. 
  
The circumstances under which the workers had to work at digging the Panama Canal were heavy. It was hot and humid and the sun was their worst enemy. Hats were indispensable for the American workmen, who bought the Ecuadorian-made straw hats on the local market. When they went back to the U.S., they took the hats with them. The name "panama hat" was born. 

The name ‘panama hat’ and the product itself became known worldwide when celebrities started to wear them. U.S. president Theodore Roosevelt wore a panama hat during his visit to the construction site of the Panama Canal in 1906. A photo of Roosevelt wearing a panama hat even appeared in the New York Times. 
  
In the decades that followed many celebrities, among others king Edward, Winston Churchill and Ernest Hemingway wore the hats. "Panama hat" quickly became the name people all over the world called the hat. All over the world, except in Ecuador. Proud as they are, for Ecuadorians the name of the hat still remains 'Sombreros the Paja Toquilla'. 
  
Today, the panama hat experiences a revival. In many different forms, the hat can be seen at streets, beaches, clubs or wherever. Also many Hollywood stars, like Sean Connery, Tom Cruise, Cameron Diaz and Emma Watson, have been spotted with ‘Panama's’. Although also a lot of fake paper-made ‘panama hats’ are sold on the market, many people acknowledge and appreciate the quality and beauty of the one and only panama hat from Ecuador. 

© Ecualanda