Travel Stories

Not many adventure travel clothes are both chic and practical but with Colombia's sombrero vueltiao, you've got both. Black and white all over, these hats tell the stories of the indigenous Zenú tribes through various weave patterns and custom designs. And although pretty and intricate, these special hats also fold up for easy travel and spring back into life when unfolded making them the ultimate tourist take home treasure.

Creating the sombrero vueltiao

Sombrero vueltiao translates into turned hat in Spanish for the pliability of the accessory and the special construction. Named a national symbol by the Colombian Congress in 2004, this hat has only continued to grow in popularity.Made from caña flecha (a certain local cane that grows along the coast), artisans of the Zenú tribe go through a lengthy month-long process to create these works of art.

First, the cane is cut from its stalk then stripped of its outer layer before being laid out to dry in the sun. This is how the green cane turns into a milky, creamy white. From there, the bleached pieces are then divided into two piles – one that will be dyed black and the other that will be kept cream.

The artisans then take the pile to be dyed and place it in a vat of black mud. The pieces then bake for at least a day. When they take them out of the vat, the fibres take on an inky, natural black hue. Once all fibres are ready, a Zenú artisan then begins braiding intricate designs and pictures using the two different colours until a sombrero vueltiao is formed. Many of these traditional designs are now considered public domain and can be traced back to over 1,000 years.

photo by Haplochromis (via Creative Commons)

The Zenú tribe and hat quality

The members of this local indigenous tribe have been making the sombreros vueltiaos for hundreds of years. Once marked as a "native hat," the appreciation for this accessory has since skyrocketed amongst the ranks.

Today, most of these artisans live in a reservation in Córdoba near the Sinú River with most of their income coming from the production of these sombreros vueltiaos. However, high demand for these hats have led to over-farming of the caña flecha and the tribes are branching out into agriculture to help find ways to keep the plants thriving.

As such, there are various types of sombreros vueltiaos that are available on the market ranging from the more economical to the more extravagant. For instance, a quinciano only uses 15 double-stranded pieces of caña flecha whereas the coveted veintiuno is made up of 21. The higher strand count equals higher cost as the hat becomes more dense allowing less light to stream through.

There are hats available with higher strand counts but it's still yet to be seen whether there is a marked difference in quality as the 21 is the most traditional.

How to buy

As with any souvenir, there are the real deals then there are the fakes. Unfortunately, many street vendors, though illegal, will sell knock-off hats from China to innocent travellers hurting both their local economy and ripping off tourists. One way to know that you have the real deal is to inspect the hat to see if there are any stray strands as originals will not have this; another way is to take a look at the price. An authentic hat should cost around 60,000 to 80,000 Colombian Pesos.

Keep in mind that the traditional sombreros vueltiaos take about a month to produce so the price will reflect this craftsmanship. For extra protection, you can always reach out to your knowledgeable Colombian adventure tour guide who will only take you to reputable vendors and you can be doubly sure that you're flying home with the real deal.