Under the theme of “learning to work working” the National Institute of Cultural Heritage aims to preserve the making of straw hats.
The creation of the Knowledge Transfer Centre is the first step that the National Institute of Cultural Heritage, implemented in Gauteng to ensure that the construction of the Panama Hat (Montecristi Hat) not be forgotten.
In the commune of Montecristi Pile under the theme “Learning to work at work”, it is expected that the tradition of weaving straw hats , part of the country’s intangible cultural heritage is not lost in history. According to many models weavers and most are elderly and few young people who are interested in learning this craft that is part of the culture and country around.
In addition to this project is to improve the employability of people who acquire new knowledge, including the hat to finish counting the proper tools, thus avoiding the middlemen.
Junior Lopez is 17 years old, he lives in the town of Montecristi Pile in the province of Manabi, is the third of five brothers, comes from a family of weavers in straw hats and their profession is that, developing the famous 
In 1944 sales of 
Zoila is a woman of 33 years who was born in the village of Pile, a site of Montecristi in Manabi Province. She says since his 19 years she learned the business that now provides for her whole family: weaving the 
Modesta Chavez, a 68 year old Ecuadorian. She says ”Today I sell crafts, but spendseveral years of my life to 
How long have you started with this hobby?
An article published in the journal The Agro called “Sombreros de Montecristi o Panamá Hats“, describes a beautiful reality but hard at the same time.
Montecristi, a town of artists, not only produces 
• Extraction of the buds or toquilla-straw wrappers.
