Panama
Panama hat (also known as “Ecuadorian hat”, “jipijapa”, “toquilla” or “montecristi”) is a traditional brimmed straw hat of Ecuadorian origin. Most people don’t know that the Panama hat actually originates in Ecuador, not Panama, as the name may suggest. The origin of Panama hat began yet in 1500s when Spanish conquerors first observed an unusually looking and beautiful headwear worn by the natives of Ecuador. The rich and shiny material was like nothing they had ever seen before. And the country named Panama was just the country where American first saw such hats during the Gold Rush times.
Panama hats’ origin can be traced back to a small town called Montecristi. Theodore Roosevelt popularized panama hats while being photographed many times wearing this attractive straw hat during the times he was inspecting the Panama Canal.
