Backpacking South America

Our first stop in Ecuador was Cuenca, Ecuador – one of the hubs of the Panama hat industry. Interestingly, Panama hats are not actually made in Panama, but Ecuador. The name Panama Hats was a result of the hats departure point being from the Panama Canal, so once they reached their destination, they were called Panama hats because of the origin of the shipment.

After a lazy Sunday in Cuenca, we set out Monday to learn more about the Panama hat industry and made stops at Homer Ortega and Serrano Hats to view their process and collection of hats. Ortega was the only factory that was offering tours on the day we visited. So we were shuttled through the history and process of making the hats.

The hats are made from the plaited leaves of the paja toquilla straw plant. The finer you are able to peel the leaf, the finer the weave of the hat. There are two main processes to making these hats: weaving and blocking. The more weaves per block in one square inch, the finer the weave and the better quality the hat. It is said that the finer quality hats are very appealing for travel since you are able easily fold them up into your suitcase and they will retain their original shape once unpacked. It is also said, that it is possible for some of these Panama hats to hold water and to be folded up so tiny that they can pass through a wedding ring.

However, your Panama hat should remain protected from the wet and rain in order to preserve it. To this day, most of the process of making Panama hats is a hand-craft of fine caliber. It is an interesting process with long lasting history.

Needless to say, we didn’t leave empty-handed.

Shrunken Heads

After a morning of playing “dress-up” and trying on all sorts of different hats, we headed out to visit the Museo Banco Central, which had a number of great exhibits, but the Etnografico was by far the most interesting. It showcased the various different ethnic groups of Ecuador. It is astounding how many unique cultures live in Ecuador, a small country of coast, mountain and jungles. The highlight of the floor though was the section on the Amazon tribes which showcased their beliefs, worldview, and lifestyle. It also dedicated a large section to the explanation of their religion and the role of creating spiritual balance through the process of shrinking skulls.

In the exhibit were actual shrunken heads. It was quite chilling and fascinating.