Toquilla Straw Hat Weaving

The hat is Ecuadorian, not Panamanian, and the name is one of history's better-known misattributions, coming from the fact that the hats were shipped through Panama and worn by workers on the canal. The craft, recognised by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage, starts on the coast, where the toquilla palm is cut, boiled and dried into pale straw, and the finest weaving of all happens in the small town of Pile near Montecristi, where a handful of weavers produce superfino hats so tightly woven that a single one takes months and the straw count runs to hundreds per square inch. Cuenca in the highlands is the other centre, where hats are blocked, trimmed and finished, and where museums and workshops let visitors watch the whole process and understand why prices range from twenty dollars to several thousand.

What you actually see

• A weaver at work - the slow hand-weaving of the crown and brim.
• Montecristi and Pile - the coastal towns where the finest superfino hats are made.
• Cuenca's workshops - blocking, trimming and finishing, with museum displays.
• The straw itself - toquilla palm cut, boiled and dried into weaving fibre.

When to go

Workshops run year-round on working days; weavers on the coast often work in the early morning and evening when the air is humid and the straw is supple, which is worth knowing if you want to see the finest weaving rather than the finishing.

Honest expectations

Most hats sold to visitors are machine-assisted or coarsely woven and have little to do with the craft that earned the UNESCO listing; a genuine superfino costs hundreds or thousands and takes months to make, so be clear about what you are buying. Pile is a small, hot coastal village with no tourist infrastructure. Cuenca's workshops are easier but show mainly the finishing stages.

Nearby

Cuenca's old town is on the doorstep of the highland workshops; Manta and the coast are near Montecristi.