What fine cloth of the Incas is still in demand?
By Chelsie Vandaveer
March 28, 2002
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The toquilla or jipi-japa (Carludovica palmata Ruiz & Pavón) [car lu do' vi ka pal ma' ta] is a palm-like plant native to Central and northern South America. The leaves arise from the ground on petioles (leaf stems) up to 3 meters long. The palmate (fan-shaped) blade can measure a meter across.
The toquilla [toe key' ya] is monoecious having both staminate (male) and pistillate (female) flowers densely arranged on the same spadix. The flowers attract weevils for the first day they are open. The weevils pollinate the flowers, then mate and lay their eggs. The seeds and the weevil eggs develop together on the spadix.
The leaves of the toquilla are the material from which Panama hats are woven. Spanish chroniclers first recorded Incas weaving hats and cloth of toquilla in 1630. It is said that in the late 1700s, King Charles IV of Spain ordered bolts of the fine toquilla cloth for his queen. The toquilla was named Carludovica from Carlos Ludovic, the king's given name.
No one is sure how Panama hats were misnamed. Some say the hats were purchased for workers building the Panama canal, other stories say the hats were shipped from Ecuador through Panama to the Eastern U.S. and Europe.
The design is attributed to Francisco Delago who lived in the Manabi district of Ecuador in the 1700s. Delago's design has stood the test of time. The finest Panamas look like silk; the weaving is not apparent until the hat is held up to the light. Legends say the greatest weavers work only by moonlight or on cloudy days and hand the art down from father to son.
The Garden Composer has a beautiful photograph of the toquilla. To view the photograph, click on the link:
http://www.gardencomposer.com/showlarge-g.html?n302075a.jpg 
The Hat Site has wonderful and entertaining history of the Panama hat. To learn more about these unique hats, click on the link:
http://www.thehatsite.com/panama.html
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