Western Palm Leaf Straw Hat

Woven in the Santa Cruz del Quiché region of Guatemala, this stylish straw hat is exquisitely hand braided with palm leaves.  The braided construction creates a hat that is extra durable, provides sun protection for your everyday activities, and is beautifully well-crafted.

The crown is adorned with a removable alpaca and sheep wool woven intention band that represents the Andean Quechuan symbol for calling in more intuition and trust into your daily life.

Available in sizes Small (Size 7, 56 cm, 22"), Large (Size  7 1/4, 58 cm, 22 7/8") and X-Large (Size 7 1/2, 60 cm, 23 5/8").  Refer to measuring instructions in size chart.

• Materials: Palm Leaf Straw, Wool
• Handcrafted in Guatemala & Peru
  
• Ships from Venice Beach, California

About The Artisans

The Santa Cruz del Quiché region of Guatemala belongs to the Kʼicheʼ culture who are indigenous peoples descending from the Maya. The Kʼicheʼ language is one of dozens of Mayan languages that still exist today in Guatemala. The meaning of the word Kʼicheʼ is "many trees" and when translated into the neighboring Nahuatl language is Cuauhtēmallān which is the origin of the word Guatemala.

The art of making palm hats has been passed down for centuries within families of hat maestros. The K’iche are passionate about this art form and very proud of displaying their craft to the world, because it blends all of the things that inspire them most; traditional K’iche art, the environment, and working together as a family. The art of Hat making has bettered the quality of life of many artisan families from this region in Guatemala. This type of craftsmanship is not just reserved for the women, but is a shared art form between parents, husbands and wives, their children and multiple generations of family members who all work together as an entrepreneurial team. Everyone in the business is considered an equal and has helped change the idea of gender roles within their communities. Mostly men have been the designated hat shapers and tailors and the women have been responsible for the weaving designs and braiding of the palm leaves.