The old weaver remembers having learnt his trade at the age of twelve, more than sixty years ago. He has never stopped since then, and has himself taught his children the secrets he learnt from his father. And so it goes life in this little town in a remote corner of the world. The night is full and the stars have invaded the sky of Pilé. It is fatigue that forces the artisan to call a halt. He covers the hat with a cotton cloth, which will protect it from dust and insects. He is proud of the color of his work: a soft uniform, luminous ivory color, which he hopes will be spotless and without the least imperfection.
He has chosen the straw himself; generally he buys it from María López de Delgado who lives just a few houses from his own. Maria does not do any weaving herself, her role is to treat the straw. She too learned he trade from her mother and will pass it on her children. This straw, the vegetable fibre called “toquilla” in this part of the country, grows at a few hours’ walk from here in this same province of Manabí, though also in the provinces of Guayas and Esmeralda. Its qualities, which are unique, are the result of a hot, damp climate and a coastal soil which is particularly fertile, rich in salt and lime.
