Ecuador – Home of the Panama Hat!

Manta, Ecuador

DAY 8 – We crossed the Equator during the night as we continued on our southerly heading toward the country of Ecuador, arriving at 5:00 a.m. Wednesday morning at the port of Manta, on January 12th.  We are marking the beginning of our second week on our cruise today.

We shared our port with large U.S.  Air Force and Naval ships that are helping Ecuador battle against Colombian drug trafficking cartels in a strategic program called Plan Colombia.

Just outside the port city lies the town of Montecristi, now famous and known throughout the world for the original and official handmade Panama hats.  Larry and I could not resist purchasing one after seeing all of the months it takes to make just one hat.

Following are a few of the photos we selected from our excursion to one of the Panama hat hand weaving facilities:

Shredded palm fronds are boiled for 30 minutes to soften them for weaving the Panama hats.

The cooked palm fibers are dried in the sun.  Colors from plants and flowers can be added to the boiling water to create colored Panama hats for ladies.

The hat takes shape as the nimble fingers of the weaver continue to create the hat pattern. The weavers stand and lean on pads as they work. One hat can take 3 months to complete.

Think of the months it has taken to produce this table of completed hats designed for either men or women.