The French Embassy in Ecuador will finance a project to conserve the toquilla straw hat. This traditional Ecuadorian accessory was declared Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2012. For its conservation, France will invest USD 375,000.

The initiative "Weaving sustainable development in Pile, Manabí" seeks to safeguard the traditional way of manufacturing the hat and contribute to the sustainable development of the artisans of Manabí, where the accessory originates, as reported by the Ministry of Culture and Heritage of the Ecuador.

Toquilla straw is created from the fibers of a palm tree that grows on the Ecuadorian coast. The toquillales are cultivated by the farmers of that region. After harvesting, the fiber is separated from the green bark of the palm.These fibers are used to weave extremely fine hats, which can be sold for prices reaching USD 2,000. To make a single hat of this class, artisans carry out the weaving for eight months. In the community of Pile, extra-fine hats are made, whose quality is conditioned by the climatic conditions of the place and an exact number of stitches for each row. There are also toquilla straw hats that take a day to make and cost USD 15.

I hope to be able to buy a medium-quality toquilla hat one day.