Chapter · Ecuador · Today
The hat that is not Panamanian
What is woven, what is paid with, and what is protected
The Panama hat is woven in Ecuador, and its name points to a country that had nothing to do with it. It is a good way in to the rest: an economy that gave up its own currency in 2000, and a text from 2008 that grants rights to nature itself. This path looks at the country as it is now, from UNESCO, the IMF and the constitution.
Context first
A lesson to read before the others, to set the scene.
- The place
- The era
- The people
The lessons in this chapter
- 1The hat that is not PanamanianThe Panama hat is Ecuadorian: toquilla palm fibre, listed by UNESCO in 2012 under its real name. A single hat takes from one day to eight months to weave, depending on the fineness.9 min
- 2The year the currency wentIn 1999 Ecuador's GDP fell 8%, the sucre lost 200% of its value, sixteen banks failed and the state defaulted. In March 2000 the country adopted the dollar, and inflation doubled before coming down.10 min
- 3Rights for a forestThe 2008 constitution makes nature a subject of law and lets anyone act in its name. In 2021 the Constitutional Court used it to cancel mining permits covering two thirds of a reserve.10 min
How these lessons are written
Each lesson starts from first-hand sources: Wikisource, Gallica, Persée, archives, museums and institutes. A fact without a source does not get written, and every lesson lists its own as direct links.
The rhythm
A lesson is five minutes of cards and four questions. Those questions then come back the next day, then at 3, 7, 21 and 60 days, and that return is what makes it stick. One a day is enough, and you can do several in a row.