Panamá Hats

Before I went to Panamá, I thought this was a Panamá Hat.

Mike and I talked about them, and we thought they were made in México or Costa Rica somewhere, and sold around here. It's a very popular hat among Yucatecans. And below is what I learned in my research, from the Lonely Planet Guide to Panamá, p.141:

"A Panama hat or simply a Panama is a traditional brimmed hat made from a Panama-hat palm (Carludovica palmata). Although originally from Ecuador, the hat became popular in Panama during the construction of the canal when thousands of Panamas were imported for use by the workers. After American President Theodore Roosevelt donned a Panama during his historic visit to the canal, the hats became the height of fashion.

Unlike the better-known hats from Ecuador, which are woven from crown to brim in one piece, this kind is made by a braiding process, using a half-inch braid of palm fiber, usually of alternating or mixed white and black. The finished braid is wound around a wooden form and sewn together at the edges, producing a round-crowned, black-striped hat. It's a common site in rural parts of Panama......"

These boys are wearing Panamá hats.