Handwoven in the Santa Cruz del Quiché region of Guatemala, this stylish straw hat is exquisitely hand-braided with eco-friendly palm leaves by K'iche' artisans, who have passed down this craft for generations as a cherished family tradition. This unisex Straw Spanish Hat is designed in the traditional Bolero style and its expertly woven construction provides full sun protection, along with exceptional durability and breathability A removable woven intention crown band is included, handwoven by Quechuan artisans. More than just a cultural symbol, it serves as a distinct fashion statement, enhancing the hat's unique character. Designed with intricate Andean patterns, each band represents aspirations such as gratitude, protection, intuition, or strength. Choose one that complements your color preference or aligns with your personal journey, allowing you to customize your look with meaning. The model images showcase the VITALITY Intention Band featuring the Andean Quechuan symbol for calling vitality into your life. The hat image showcases the RESILIENCE Intention Band, featuring the Andean Quechuan symbol for calling resilience into your life - strength in the face of adversity Wearing this hat supports: Sustainability: crafted from natural, eco-friendly materials, supporting environmental responsibility. Cultural Preservation: each purchase helps sustain traditional K'iche' craftsmanship, ensuring these time-honored arts continue for future generations. Artisan Empowerment: your support contributes to the economic growth and well-being of indigenous artisans, fostering thriving communities in the Santa Cruz del Quiché region. Available in sizes Small (Size 7, 56 cm, 22"), Medium (Size 7 1/8", 57 cm, 22 1/4"), Large (Size 7 1/4, 58 cm, 22 7/8") and X-Large (Size 7 1/2, 60 cm, 23 5/8"). Refer to measuring instructions in size chart. Materials: Palm Leaf Straw, Wool 4" Brim Handcrafted in Guatemala & Peru Ships from Venice Beach, California Artisan-set shipping charges included at checkout Choose An Intention Band Intention hat bands are removable accessories designed to personalize your hat while embodying specific aspirations or qualities. Each band is intricately woven with patterns that symbolize various intentions, allowing you to choose one that resonates with your personal journey. For example, the Gratitude Intention Hat Band represents thankfulness, while the Protection Intention Hat Band symbolizes safeguarding and security. By selecting an intention band that aligns with your aspirations, you can infuse your hat with deeper meaning and reflect your unique path. One selection is included with each hat purchase. Please refer to intention band images below and make your selection to the right. WEAR YOUR INTENTION Each one of our Andeana intention bands tell their own story and have their own meaning. Handcrafted textiles that embody culture and tradition, they are yours to wear with intention. Which intention will you choose to wear on your custom Andeana Hat? HAPPINESS - Ayni You are calling in more happiness, gratitude, and reciprocity into your life. To the Quechua people, the idea of "happiness" is when there is reciprocated energy in nature and the universe. "Ayni", meaning "today for you, tomorrow for me," suggests that giving comes before receiving. This colorful, dotted pattern represents the gathering of energy and living beings that work together to become a unified whole. RESILIENCE - Rapi You are calling resilience into your life. Rapi means Coca Leaf in Quechua, which is the most resilient plant being able to grow at extreme high altitudes. The leaf of the coca can be chewed or brewed into a tea to help the people in the Andes mountains combat the symptoms of altitude sickness. The symbol of the coca leaf represents strength and courage in the face of adversity and hardships PURPOSE - Mayu You are calling your destiny or purpose into your life. Mayu means River in Quechua and the Quechua people always find a way to describe ideas in their language metaphorically through nature. Just as a river always flows in one direction yet at times changing course as it ends up at its final destination, so does a person when they pursue their truth path. Let this intention guide you in the right direction. VITALITY - yaku You are calling vitality into your life. Yaku means Water in Quechua, which is the source of life. This diamond design represents lakes. When there is something depicted inside of the diamond it means the lake is healthy and strong. This intention calls in physical health for the body and mental well-being for the mind and spirit. Health is Wealth. CONNECTION - Sacha You are calling in more meaningful and spiritual connections into your life. Sacha means tree or forest in Quechua. This design of branches that are often used as a border for larger textiles represents the Tree of Life which is the source connects all three layers of Heaven, Earth, and the Underworld. Connect with what you need in all areas of life. BALANCE- Puma Claw You are calling balance and equilibrium into your life. The animal Puma, in Quechua, represented Kay Pacha, or the God of the Middle World (Earth). The symbol of the puma claw shows the importance of being grounded in the earthly world that's inhabited by living beings. It's a symbol of equilibrium and encouraging balance in your day-to-day life. LOVE - Munay You are calling love into your life. Munay means Love in Quechua, this X O design is one of the first patterns that girls will learn from their mothers at a young age to weave when being taught the ancient Incan weaving designs. Perhaps inspired by Ayahuasca and plant medicine, the Quechua believe that this pattern is the fabric of the universe and what all matter is made from. Essentially, this design represents "universal love." This intention strengthens family love, soulmate love and most importantly, self-love. PROTECTON - Nawi You are calling protection and good luck into your life. Nawi means Eye in Quechua. This "evil eye" pattern protects the textile and wearer by "reflecting" bad energy away, allowing a change of fortune and luck to enter in. The "Evil Eye" symbol is one of the only symbols that spans across all cultures, oceans, and religions, reaching as far as the Incan empire. Wear this intention when faced with adversity or uncertainty to give you strength, confidence, positive energy and protection. COMMITMENT - TACLLA You are calling perseverance and commitment into your life. Taclla means plow in Quechua and the Quechua people use this foot plow to turn the soil so they can sow the seeds and plant for their future crops. Before they use the plow, they believe in honoring Pachamama, or Mother Earth so that she will in turn gift them with a bountiful harvest. This band literally and figuratively represents the idea of "Reaping what you sow" and putting in the commitment. ABUNDANCE - Tika You are calling in abundance into your life. Tika means Potato Flower in Quechua. This design shows the importance of potatoes to the Andes and its people. When you plant and nurture a seed, it will continue to grow and give you more than what you started with. The Andean people believe that if you respect or pay homage to the earth, it will reward you abundantly. By wearing this intention you will be reminded that abundance is all around you and you will look at the world in a new perspective. POWER - Apu You are calling in more spiritual strength into your life. Apu can mean both "God" or "mountain" in Quechua. This design of the mountain skyline of the Sacred Valley is a powerful symbol. The Incas believed that the mountains have a spirit that is alive. In Peruvian mythology, the Andes Mountains rise up from the human world toward the spiritual realm giving the Incas a connection to the most powerful gods in the heavens. To them, spirituality was the strongest and ultimate power a human could have WISDOM - Chaska You are calling wisdom into your life and the ability to connect with the universe to learn spiritual truths. "Chaska" means star in Quechua and in the Andean tradition the stars were almost a mirror of their life on Earth, with many of the same animals and items represented. The Inca were the only culture to believe that all of the constellations were formed by the dark spaces between the stars, not the stars themselves. You will be reminded to gain wisdom from your life experiences and learn from the ancient knowledge of our ancestors. SURRENDER - Saqey You are calling in Surrender, release, and liberation into your life and letting go of things that do not serve you anymore. "Saq'ey" means "Leave it Behind" in Quechua and it is symbolized by the serpent or zig-zag pattern. In the Inca culture, the serpent, or Ukhu Pacha, is the God of the Underworld. Rather than representing death, the snake was a symbol of rebirth, transformation, immortality, and healing. Just like a snake sheds its unwanted skin to start fresh, we need to shed our old beliefs and thought patterns and to find peace within to continue growing. The Inca believed the serpent represented eternity and the continual renewal of life. FLOURISH - Wayta You are calling in Prosperity, success, and growth into your life. "Wayta" meaning "flowers" in Quechua is represented by the the famous embroidered flower motif popular with the Wari artisans in the Ayacucho region. Ayacucho has a long history of socio-political violence from Colonial times to the Guerrilla insurgency in the 1980's. During times of conflict, the women of Ayacucho became the main bread-winners of their families through selling their embroidery. Now in peacetime, they have introduced more vivid, blooming flower designs as a sign of the rebirth of a city that was once destroyed and representing the joy of new flourishing times. GRATITUDE - Kintus You are calling Gratitude into your life. "K'intus" means a "bouquet" or the coming together of an offering that shamans bundle together with coca leaves, flowers, or fava beans as an offering to Pachamama. In ancient Quechua, Pachamama has been revered as the spirit of Mother Earth. It is she who harvests the land so that farmers can grow crops for their survival, brings the rains, and has the power to sustain or destroy life on Earth. An offering to Pachamama is a kind of reciprocity between the material and spiritual world that reminds us to be grateful for everything we have been given; remembering to give back what we have already taken from the Earth. HONOR - kuychi You are calling in honor and luck into your life. K'uychi means Rainbow in Quechua and according to Inca mythology, Manco Capac, the mythical founder of the Inca Empire, considered the rainbow a sacred and fortunate sign that the world would not be destroyed by water. The Cusqueño flag is a rainbow and is a tribute to their heritage and their founder. Quechua populations make up about 40% of the people in Peru and over the years they have experienced great discrimination, but their deep respect for their culture, spirituality, values and lifestyle has always prevailed. Honoring one's heritage is the greatest form of respect. This intention can also act as a reminder of being proud of oneself and their identity. It's a vital part of leading a healthy and happy life. CONSCIOUS - pacha You are calling in consciousness and energy flow into your daily life. The spiral design is an important symbol in Inca mythology representing equilibrium. The spiral is an ancient symbol of unity, wholeness and completion and it represents the never-ending cycle of life and a path to the Creator. "Pacha Mama" or Mother Earth is represented by the symbol of the Spiral, which serves as a representation of the movement of the energy of Earth and the Universe. With everything originating from the centre and expanding outwards, the Spiral serves as a valuable model for the transformation and growth of human consciousness. Pacha also refers to a specific moment in time, encouraging its wearer to be conscious of the present moment. Be conscious of the now, the present moment you are in. INTUITION - Kojo You are calling in more intuition and trust into your daily life. The square woven design to the Maya represents the Four cardinal Directions (North, South, East, and West) the stages of life (birth, youth, elder, death), the seasons of the year (Spring, Summer, Winter, Fall), the Aspects of life (spiritual, emotional, intellectual, physical), and the Elements of nature (Earth, Fire, Wind and Water). The Maya civilization had four cardinal directions – and a fifth element for the center of these directions representing other dimensions. The square pattern repeated 5 times represents this 5th unknown dimension. Believing in this quadrant of core principles will create a strong foundation for all of your spiritual and earthly notions, which will help solidify core belief systems in your life. UNITY - Inlak'ech You are calling in "unity" and "respect for all beings" into your life. Inlak'ech, which in Mayan means "You are my other me", represents the concept of the universe as a great unity where everything is related. In Mayan culture, we do not exist as separate entities, we exist from our belonging and relationship with the community and with everything that surrounds us. Not just individuals, but plants, animals, the winds, and the spirits are united and nothing exists without the relationship to the other. That is why any action of one affects the other. Just as the night does not exist without the day, everything is connected and we have to hold a deep respect for how we are all part of a whole. Each color woven into this intention band represents the diversity of all living things that are different, yet are all woven together. TRANSFORMATION - Chakana You are calling in "transformation" and personal evolution into your life. In Quechua, "Chakana" translates to "bridge" or "crossing over." The shape of the Chakana, or Inca Cross, is the most important Inca symbols and represents the Southern Cross constellation. The stair-steps between the four cardinal points each represent a stage of emotional, cognitive, and spiritual development: (Love, awareness, Passion, and Productivity). The center of the Inca Cross is the portal to the unknown representing achievement of spiritual wisdom and the awakening of our higher consciousness. The three step design also represents the three realms of spirituality (past-underworld, present-material world, future-God). Thus, the Chakana is a symbol of the collective unconscious which was an Incan map for complete spiritual development. About The Artisans The Santa Cruz del Quiché region of Guatemala belongs to the K'iche' culture who are indigenous peoples descending from the Maya. The K'iche' language is one of dozens of Mayan languages that still exist today in Guatemala. The meaning of the word K'iche' is "many trees" and when translated into the neighboring Nahuatl language is Cuauhtēmallān which is the origin of the word Guatemala. The art of making palm hats has been passed down for centuries within families of hat maestros. The K'iche are passionate about this art form and very proud of displaying their craft to the world, because it blends all of the things that inspire them most; traditional K'iche art, the environment, and working together as a family. The art of Hat making has bettered the quality of life of many artisan families from this region in Guatemala. This type of craftsmanship is not just reserved for the women, but is a shared art form between parents, husbands and wives, their children and multiple generations of family members who all work together as an entrepreneurial team. Everyone in the business is considered an equal and has helped change the idea of gender roles within their communities. Mostly men have been the designated hat shapers and tailors and the women have been responsible for the weaving designs and braiding of the palm leaves.
