In the morning, I went to visit the museum for the manufacture of the hats commonly known as Panama hats. As I found out, these hats are actually traditional hats from Ecuador. Their name comes from the fact that back in the day, all exported hats went through the big sea port of Panama - and that name somehow stuck to the hats. The frustration about the misleading name seems to run deep. At some point, the manufacturers even started adding seals to the hats specifying Ecuador as the country of origin.
The hats are all hand-weaved from plant fiber. The difference between cheap and expensive hats is determined by the quality of the fiber: very thin fiber looks better and takes a lot longer to weave, and so is more expensive.
Only after the weaving is finished, the hats receive their final shape using a machine that applies pressure and hot steam. The guide in the museum - that is actually just an add-on to a manufactory - even did a live demonstration of the machine. Very interesting!
In the afternoon, I did a city tour in an open-top bus (once again). The most interesting part was the stop at the Tori mirador where we could enjoy nice views of Cuenca:
Back in town, the central plaza is dominated by two cathedrals. The new one was completed in 1885. Apparently some mistake on the architect's side resulted in two rather short bell towers - the building wouldn't have been strong enough to support the intended size of the towers.
The old cathedral, from the 16th century, is on the other side of the plaza and serves as a religious museum nowadays.
I wonder what made them build a new cathedral? The old one seems rather fine to me...
The hats are all hand-weaved from plant fiber. The difference between cheap and expensive hats is determined by the quality of the fiber: very thin fiber looks better and takes a lot longer to weave, and so is more expensive.
Only after the weaving is finished, the hats receive their final shape using a machine that applies pressure and hot steam. The guide in the museum - that is actually just an add-on to a manufactory - even did a live demonstration of the machine. Very interesting!
In the afternoon, I did a city tour in an open-top bus (once again). The most interesting part was the stop at the Tori mirador where we could enjoy nice views of Cuenca:
Back in town, the central plaza is dominated by two cathedrals. The new one was completed in 1885. Apparently some mistake on the architect's side resulted in two rather short bell towers - the building wouldn't have been strong enough to support the intended size of the towers.
The old cathedral, from the 16th century, is on the other side of the plaza and serves as a religious museum nowadays.
I wonder what made them build a new cathedral? The old one seems rather fine to me...
