Day 28 - Panamas

February 13th, 2009

Excuse the long post, but we have done a lot in the past week, and had little Internet access. It is mostly pictures, so will be an easy read, and to make things even more pleasant I've uploaded our favorite driving track by Alejandro Fernandez to listen to :)

So we went in search of something different, and boy did we find it! We were aiming for a small town on the border of Campache and Yucatan called Becal, where we had heard Panama hats were made. Turns out the Panama hat given it's name only because they are exported far & wide through the port of Panama, but originate from this area of Mexico. This sounded like an interesting photographic subject to explore, so off we went.

En-route we decided to take a break to explore some caves. The entrance way and main cave was impressive, used in Millenia past by the ancient Mayan people as a source of water, since dried out to reveal a large cavernous space. Then the power died; all lights in the cave ceased. We were keen to carry on with our own torches, but were ushered out by the employees. Having only spent a few minutes inside, and denied the rest of the caverns Lukas arranged for a refund.

The cave entrance surrounded by encroaching jungle.

We arrived in Bacal; a small backwater place where we struggled to find the only hotel in town. Updated visual journey map. We found a guide before the car had come to a stop, who offered to take us around town and get a close-up look at the fabrication process of the Panama hats. This was the foot-in-the-door we were looking for, and following an entertaining lunch in what was apparently the only restaurant in town (someone's front room) we set off exploring the town.

The dining room of our hosts cooking us lunch. Brilliant!

We learned the hats are made from the leaf of a plant that is grown all over this region, the leaves are stripped into the desired width of fiber with nothing more than a pin, then left to dry in the sun.

The plant from which the leaves are harvested.

Credit: Lukas

Once dried the fibers are taken into caves dug into the ground in back-gardens, where the moisture in the air allows the fibers to become pliable. Here they are flattened into shape and the weaving begins.

The weaving process. Their fingers move so fast it's hard for the eye to keep up.

Credit: Lukas

Seeing these people perform a rapid dance with their fingers as the hats begin to take shape is mesmerizing. It's a skill that can only be mastered with time, a skill these people have been passing down for many generations. The hat is started at the top, and molded around a wooden template, then bent with a shell to form the rim. Once complete, the rim is finished, and the hat is taken outside to fully dry out when the shape sets indefinitely.

The caves in which the hats are produced.

Credit: Lukas

There are different qualities of hats available; the more economical ones that take a day to complete, and the finest weave can take 3 weeks to complete a single hat!

The only thing we found more mesmerizing than the process, was the people themselves. THE loveliest people we have encountered in Mexico to date, mostly Mayan in descent (some still speak it), these people were willing to accept us into their homes, and sit with them for hours as they explained to us the processes and traditions of their trade. It was difficult to get them to accept anything for their time and sharing of knowledge, but we felt compelled and honored to. We visited 7 or 8 different homes and caves over 2 days where the hats are produced (a third of the adult population here is involved with Panama production). Some of the people we'd encountered had been sent to places all over the world to demonstrate their skills!

Us boys trying out the hats for size.

Credit: Lukas

Being a hat man, I bought myself a hat, and am amazed at it's resilience. They taught me a little trick why by you wet your palm, and with a few rapid movements, can fold the hat into a compact form allowing it to be stored safety without being damaged. It can remain like this for weeks, and then it just pops back out into it's original shape. Many more amazing images of the hat weaving process in Lukas' gallery.

Following out time in Becal, we felt chuffed we'd achieved something, and so decided to treat ourselves with some coast time. So we headed to the nearest beach, Celestún. Updated visual journey map. A town surrounded by a lagoon inside a wetland wildlife reserve, home to vast flocks of flamingos. After a beach afternoon, and the following morning at a resort down the road playing pool, we took a boat tour around the lagoon to go bird watching. The scene was set with a dramatic sky and war afternoon light, but unfortunately the dramatic sky meant a long an heavy rainstorm that completely soaked everyone on-board. Despite this we did see a lot of Flamingos, who didn't seem to mind the rain as much.

Flamingos in the lagoon.

Credit: Lukas

Following this we ventured to a jungle surrounded pond with crystal-clear waters produced from a natural spring where we swam to cool off.

Chilling in the jungle by the lagoon.

Credit: Lukas

Petr 3 has been with u the whole way, and we've been taking good care of him. He didn't fancy a hat himself, but we did find him a temporary body.

Petr 3 and his temporary body.