Taming the Toquilla Straws

The Panama hats are made from the toquilla straws. These straws are taken from the tropical rain forest wild plant known as Carludovica Palmata. The scientific name was given by two Spanish botanists in the 18th century in honor to the King Charles of Spain (Carlos) and his wife Ludovica. To get the best quality of the straw for weaving the Panama hats, the plant is harvested when the leaves hold less moist. Each stalk has wrapped fingers inside of large multiple leaves. The Panama hats are made from these leaves, but first they have to go through certain procedures to get the straws to weave the Panama straw hats. There are four stages actually to tame the toquilla straw. All these steps are necessary to get the best straw to weave the Ecuador panama hats.

First, you need to get the straw out of the leaves. The stalks of the toquilla plants are opened and the inner tender leaf fingers are separated and split into thin straws. This takes a long time separating the individual strand of leaflets. The leaf fingers have to be split into several thin straws using the hands and bundled.

The next stage is to boil the straws in water for an hour. The straws are carefully submerged and stir constantly in the water so that the strands remain separated. All the straws must be carefully boiled. When it is boiled properly it is taken out to dry.

The Panama hat straws usually need shade for protection. They are not dried directly under the sun. Often straws are hung to dry beneath the houses or under a roof.

When the straws are dry, the next step is to bleach them. The Cuenca and the Montecristi hats differ in the process of bleaching. To make the Montecristi hats, the straws are fumed with sulfur while the Cuenca Panama hats use peroxide. The difference you get is the color of the straws. The Montecristi hats are ivory in color and the Cuenca Panama hats are white. However, the quality of the straw remains high in quality.

Cuenca Panama hats

Cuenca, in Ecuador is a haven for most historians and cultural buffs. This city is surrounded with narrow cobbled streets, dozens of fine architecture churches, museums, art galleries and red tiled roof houses with ironwork balconies. Cuenca is famous for its colonial architectures, but it is also known for the Panama hats that are sold in great numbers.

The Panama hat weaving business in Cuenca began in 1836, to increase the local economy. For that, the authorities opened a modern hat workshop with several hat-making tools like bleaching powder, hat blocks and toquilla straws brought from the coast plantations. Master weavers from Manabí were brought in and people were trained to weave the straw hats. The hat industry grew up immensely as well as the demands. The development of the hat industry in Cuenca became the most powerful and profitable economic activities.

The Cuenca Panama hats are weaved from a thicker straw and that allows the hat to be complete in just days of weeks. Though, the Cuenca hats have a lesser reputation than the Montecristi Hats, but they are no less when it comes to quality. The Cuenca panama hats are bleached white and most people seem to prefer that color. The Cuenca Panama hats are weaved thicker than the Montecristi hats, but they are still the Ecuador Panama hats. The quality is good and hand weaved by the local artisans. These hats are regarded as affordable of overall good quality.

Next time you are in Cuenca, the Panama hats will be served to be a luxury souvenir. You will find many hat factories selling the genuine Panama hats in affordable prices. You can also have the chance to view the Panama hat being made in arrays of colors. You don’t have to just dream about getting the Panama hat. Make it possible with the Cuenca Panama straw hats.