How Cuenca hats are made

Cuenca Ecuador

Since we have some time before we make our trip to Central America I will research and share with you information that I discover about people, places and things outside of Costa Rica.

My most recent research has taken me to Ecuador in search of information on the trendy Panama hat.

I bought a couple of Panama hats at a local boutique in San Francisco and loved them so much that I became very interested in the history of the Panama hat.  I have to admit that one of the fascinating things about the Panama hat is that the genuine hats are hand-made ONLY in Ecuador.  One of the cities famous for its hats is Cuenca.  Also originally one of the cities on our top 10 list for retirement. Cuenca elevation 9,0000, is on the AARP list of the most affordable locations for retirement.

Can't wait to go there and buy myself a Panama hat!