Panama hat

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A Panama hat or just Panama is a traditional brimmed hat that is made from the plaited leaves of the panama-hat palm (Carludovica palmata). Despite the name, genuine Panama hats are made in Ecuador, not Panama; their name comes from the fact that they came to prominence during the construction of the Panama Canal when thousands of the hats were imported from Ecuador for use by the construction workers. When Teddy Roosevelt visited the Canal, he wore such a hat, which increased its popularity.

The Ecuadorian town of Cuenca is the main producer; however, the town of Montecristi has the reputation of producing the finest quality hats.

Glorified during the 19^th century, the panama has since been considered the prince of straw hats. Ecuadorian national hero and emblematic figure, Eloy Alfaro helped finance his liberal revolution of Ecuador through the export of panamas. The reputation of the hat was established by Napoleon III, Edward VII, and some other aficionados.

[edit] Name

The Panama hat has bore several names. It was called jipijapa, from the name of a small town of the Manabí province which was supposed to be its traditional origin, or montecristi, a name it still goes by among the specialists of quality panamas. The jipijapa or montecristi has also been called toquilla, a name derived from the name of the hats that the Spaniards wore at the tome of the conquest.

[edit] Quality

Quality is a heavily disputed subject when dealing with Panama hats. There are two main processes in their creation: weaving and blocking. The best way to gauge the quality of the weave is to count the number of weaves per square inch. Fewer than 300 would be considered low quality. The rarest and most expensive have 1600-2000 weaves per square inch, and it is not unheard of for these to sell for thousands. There are many levels of quality in between 300 and 1600. Even though the panama continues today to provide a livelihood for thousands of Ecuadorians, only a dozen weavers capable of making the finest straw hats in the world "montecristi superfinos" remain.