Panama hat of the first towns to start weaving the hats in the Andes is Principal, part of the Chordeleg Canton in the Azuay province. Straw hats woven in Ecuador, like many other 19th and early 20th century South American goods, were shipped first to the Isthmus of Panama before sailing for their destinations in Asia, the rest of the Americas and Europe, subsequently acquiring a name that reflected their point of international sale—"panama hats"—rather than their place of domestic origin. The term was being used by at least 1834. The popularity of the hats increased in the mid-19th century when many
Panama ingredients are maize, rice, wheat flour, plantains, "yuca" (cassava), beef, chicken, pork and seafood. Panamanian men's traditional clothing, called "montuno", consists of white cotton shirts, trousers and woven straw hats. The traditional women's clothing is the "pollera". It originated in Spain in the 16th century, and by the early 1800s it was typical in Panama, worn by female servants, especially wet nurses ("De Zarate" 5). Later, it was adopted by upper-class women. A "pollera" is made of "cambric" or "fine linen" (Baker 177). It is white, and is usually about 13 yards of material. The original "pollera" consists of a