Everyone has a good idea of what a sombrero hat is. But attempts to understand the history of the creation of this world-famous hat led to some difficulties. It turns out that the object, which in our understanding has a fairly clear and associative connection with Mexico, is actually of Spanish origin. Only the rich could previously wear classic sombrero hats. The origin of the word “sombrero” is clearly Spanish - which, translated from the root of the word “sombra”, means “shadow”. The word “sombrero” in Spain refers to any hat that has a fairly wide brim. The classic “sombrero” can only be described this way - it is a hat with a very wide brim and a high crown. The brim of such a hat is slightly turned outward and casts a shadow on the neck, head and shoulders of its owner. This type of hat has a cord or ribbon that is usually tied under the chin. Straw sombrero hats were worn by very poor people. Sombrero hats can be very different. What all true sombrero hats have in common is handmade. Peasants and poor people wove them mainly from straw, and very noble people wore “sombreros” made of velvet, felt and felt, which were very richly decorated with magnificent embroidery. The types, patterns and colors of decor used in the manufacture of such hats are completely different. The top of the crown of a sombrero hat can be either slightly pointed and elongated or flat. There are several models of “sombrero” - this is directly related to the traditions of the peoples and the characteristics of the regions that have made this hat their national and state symbol.
The first mentions of the “sombrero” appeared in the 13th century AD - wide-brimmed straw hats were worn by horsemen from Mongolia. And over time, the crowns of Mongolian hats became slightly pointed. As it spread in the regions in which it was present hot climate, the brim of the sombrero hat expanded. Then “sombrero vaquero” appeared - (vaquero) is the Spanish name for shepherds. In the minds of our people, this is an ordinary cowboy hat with a brim that is not very wide and is curved upward on the sides. The sombrero with a flat crown was invented by the Spaniards, who subsequently evolved into the Mexican “sombrero” with a rounded and slightly elongated top. But “vaquero” hats also found their fans and connoisseurs, mainly cowboys.A classic sombrero in our understanding, with a very wide brim, in Mexico itself is called a “sombrero charro”, since they also have a sombrero - any hat that has a brim. There is also a “sombrero vueltiao” - this is the state symbol of Colombia. They are mostly black and white in color (with black edging at the very edge of the brim) and are woven from reed arrows. There is also a “sombrero pintado” - this is the traditional hat of all the inhabitants of Panama. They are also made (woven) by hand, and their quality is determined by the number of turns - the more there are, as well as the thinner the fiber itself, the higher the cost of such a hat. Due to good development trade relations with Mexico, the sombrero also occupies an honorable place in the history of the Philippines. We can say with confidence that today the sombrero hat is a symbol, a tradition, an item bought by a huge number of tourists, and an integral part of the national costume. In general, this is a great thing, natural, light and protects from the hot summer sun. AND modern designers This is not forgotten - in some collections of world-famous designers, the “sombrero” hat is quite successfully used.
For example, in the Moschino collection, which was presented in 2012, there are several suits that are very well complemented by a black sombrero. The fashion house Prada also paid attention to them in its spring-summer collection last year. Sombrero hats look quite organic in outfits from Just Cavalli. Jean Paul Gaultier is sometimes also inspired by hot westerns in Mexico - his sombreros are simply transformed beyond recognition and also go well with evening suits. But still, the main producers of sombrero hats remain a huge number of “folk” craftsmen, and they can be purchased in places where numerous tourists gather. I would also like to note that an entire festival was dedicated to the sombrero hat, which is called the Sombrero Festival and is held annually in February in the USA in the city of Brownsville, Texas. It was founded in 1986, and today approximately forty thousand people visit it every year.
A foreigner visiting Mexico City will most likely be disappointed not to see the locals wearing the same sombreros as in the movies. In this part of the country they are not worn, unless, of course, they are performing on stage or selling these very hats, offering them at hotels to enthusiastic tourists on the cheap, in packs, with a ritual demonstration of good work. Here we roll the hat into a tube, and then we unfold it - and there is not a trace, not a crease. However, on the opposite side of the continent from Mexico City, on the approaches to Tijuana and on the shores of the Gulf of California, the hats are in their rightful place. Here even the police wear sombreros. You see and understand: here it is, the beauty and pride of Mexico.
Costume historians disagree about the origins of the big hat. One thing is known: the Indians had nothing like this. The ancestors of the sombrero sailed from Spain in the 16th century, and then scattered throughout what is now Mexico, settling in different corners and acquiring local features. In a country with such a generous sun, a hat that provides generous coolness in return could not help but take root. After all, the name “sombrero” comes from spanish word sombra, that is, “shadow”.
In the bag
YUCATAN SIMPLE. A straw hat is worn in the Yucatan Peninsula with a white shirt.
YUCATAN WHITE. Thin, made of white palm straw. One of the highest quality in the country.
VERACRUSIAN SIMPLE. Hat from Veracruz, a tropical area of Mexico. Regular straw is not as durable as palm straw, but it is also much cheaper.
VERACRUSSAN WHITE. Finely woven white palm straw protects from the sun and heavy tropical rain.
TAMAULIPAS. Combined with white boots, it gives the outfit in which men dance the Guapango folk dance at fiestas in the state of Tamaulipas.
CHARRO SIMPLE. Emperor Maximilian wore this. Charros wear them at rodeos.
NORTENO, OR NORTH. In the state of Nuevo Leon in such felt hat It is appropriate to perform a local polka accompanied by an accordion at a dance. These are worn by Mexicans who emigrated to the United States.
HARIPEADO. Made from felt, one of the most expensive. A classic hat for a wealthy landowner or military man. Its style has remained unchanged since the 16th century.
GUERRERO. Palm, with a scarlet cord. Historical hat of the southwestern state of Michoacan. Saves from sun and rain.
KOLIMA. Typical of the calm state of Colima, where Spanish traditions are strong.
BIG PEASANT. The main trophy of a tourist. It comes from straw of any quality.
JARABE TAPATIO. During the traditional hat dance, such a sombrero flies to the feet of the chosen one, and she dances on the hat brim.
The hats most likely arrived with the Andalusians, but the Navarreans and Salamancans believe that they were the ones who invented the embroidered sombreros. They say Navarrese bullfighters wore similar ones. In Salamanca there was even a word “charro”, which meant both a suit with a hat and its owner - a cattle breeder and a horseman. But in the Mexican states of San Luis Potosi, Jalisco, Zacatecas and Hidalgo, they still think that the sombrero-charro appeared here, simply falling from the sky onto the heads of cattle breeders. In Mexico, the word “charro” acquired a special meaning - as wide as this country itself. Rich cattle breeder - charro, employee, a sweaty worker with calloused hands, is also a charro. The main thing is to be on horseback. And his suit is a charro, and his sombrero is a charro. Here it is, the image of a horseman: riding pants - because you need to spend a lot of time on horseback, a neckerchief - because without it a gadfly will dig into your neck, a strong jacket, cape or poncho - because you are leaving home for a long time, not knowing when you will return . And a sombrero - to protect yourself from the evil sun and the pouring rain. In Mexico, a man on a horse is still associated with a gentleman of noble Iberian blood, because Indians in general for a long time It was legally prohibited to ride a horse. Charro participated in all clashes with the Indians, in wars small and large, in revolutions and coups: they were always warriors. So a general in a charro uniform could not surprise anyone. It is known that the special corps of rural police, created in 1861 by General Ignacio Zaragoza, adopted the form of a charro, or cattle breeder, as it would sound in Russian.
By that time, Mexican landowners began to richly decorate “cattle breeding” hats with braid, cut glass and semi-precious stones. At the same time, the first sombrero factory opened its doors. And a standard appeared: the diameter of the hat is 45 centimeters, the height is 15. However, both then and now they believe that the owner sets the dimensions: they most of all depend on the width of the shoulders and the viciousness of the local sun.
In any local history museum in Mexico you can see a collection of sombreros. And each hat will have its own story, and each will claim the title of symbol of Mexico: luxurious felt jaripeados, straw guerreros with a scarlet cord from Michoacan, felt ones with thin openwork braid from the northern outskirts, finely woven palm ones from Veracruz, soft silky straws from Ta maulipasa. But the main one in almost any collection will be a charro in the style of Emperor Maximilian of Habsburg. If the owners of the local museum have the impudence, they will certainly tell you that this hat is from the head of the emperor himself. Or at least his general. Maximilian of Habsburg, Archduke of Austria, younger brother of Emperor Franz Joseph, received the crown of Mexico in 1863 with the assistance of Napoleon III. He wanted to be an emperor who delved into all the people's needs and even dressed like the representatives of his people - the charros. When traveling around the country, the emperor, accompanied by horsemen, performed in a costume specially designed by him: a frock coat, tight trousers with silver buttons and a sombrero with a minimum of silver jewelry. Blankets and ponchos, tight-fitting white and black trousers - from a distance the group of horsemen could be mistaken for wealthy cattle breeders.
The suit quickly became fashionable. Both courtiers and musicians of a special rank—mariachi—began to dress this way. Not every Mexican could afford to order their music, so many hired mariachi only twice in their lives - for a wedding and a funeral. Their name comes from the French marriage (pronounced “marriage”), that is, “marriage.” Under Maximilian, musicians replaced simple peasant capes made of cotton and straw sombreros with imperial charros, decorated more richly than the emperor’s: with three strands of silver on wide felt fields, with rich embroidery on the crown. Today's mariachis continue to copy the high model, only the luxurious casting jewelry has been replaced by stamping.
The emperor's reign lasted three years. On the bright morning of June 19, 1867, he was brought to the hill of Las Campanas near Queretaro, wearing his usual sombrero-charro. Maximilian’s last words before being shot were: “May my blood, which is now shed, bring good to this country.” The body was taken to Vienna. The hat and scarf were given to the emperor's family by a Hungarian cook who accompanied the gentleman to Mexico and returned to his homeland after his death.
However, in addition to Maximilian’s hat, there are many sombreros that claim to be the symbol of the country. One way or another, the first thing that tourists who come to Mexico see is not the charros on the heads of the mariachis, but peasant straw hats of enormous diameter and with a high crown, stacked on the strong head of a souvenir dealer. Cheap and exotic. And most importantly, these hats are also part of the national heritage of Mexico. Football raised them to an honorable level. The 1970 and 1986 World Cup mascots Juanito and Pique wore sombreros. Even the capital's snobs put on hats like these two. And some people remembered that the hero of the Mexican Revolution, Pancho Villa, wore the same one. Nowadays, such a hat often appears on the head of “the fastest mouse in Mexico,” the cartoon Speedy Gonzalez, who wears it along with a typical Mexican peasant costume: a white shirt, white pants and a red neckerchief.
All last year, while humanity, in anticipation of the “end of the world” according to the Mayan calendar, was carried away by Mexican motifs, the sombrero, both the rich and the common people, was used by high fashion. Several suits appeared in the Moschino collection, complemented by black sombreros. Just Cavalli models walked the catwalk in distinctive wide-brimmed hats. Jean Paul Gaultier combined them with evening dresses.
The story of the wide-brimmed hat continues. It is an invariable attribute of festivals and holidays. Mexican Matamoros and Texas Brownsville set an example for others: two cities different sides borders celebrate Charro Days and have a Sombrero Festival (after all, Texas was part of the Mexican Empire... as recently as the 19th century). And in Mexico City, a “Mexican-style rodeo” takes place every Sunday morning in Chapultepec Park. Where there is a show, there is a market. And if they offer you to buy a “real, no creases” sombrero - they roll it into a tube and straighten it out again - don’t refuse, take it. Fashionable item. And with history.
A lightweight hat with a wide, slightly rounded soft brim and a crown resembling a truncated cone, which is an obligatory component of the Mexican national costume.
This headdress has become very popular in many countries around the world. Since such a product perfectly protects against sun rays, more often it is used in countries with hot climates.
The original versions of such straw hats were worn by Mongolian riders back in the 13th century. Similar models were found in Europe. They were worn by the Spanish vaqueros (shepherds).
Initially, products of this kind had many similar features to cowboy headdresses, but over time the Spaniards modified them appearance, adding a flat crown. This allowed the sombrero to come as close as possible to its modern look.
Reference! The word "sombrero" most often evokes associations with Mexico, although this country is not the birthplace of this headdress.
In Spain, such a product was a rather expensive wardrobe item. Only wealthy lords were able to afford such a headdress, since at that time sombreros were made from valuable materials. A little later, when they began to use more cheap materials, sombreros have become more accessible.
Big Such hats became widespread in Central America. Straw products remain one of the most popular products to this day.
This headdress has required element — a special cord that is usually tied under the chin. This allows the sombrero to stay on the head in gusts of wind.
The meaning of the word "sombrero"
The word “sombrero,” contrary to popular belief, has Spanish roots. It was the Spaniards who first began to use this type of product to protect the face and shoulders from the burning sun. The name of this hat comes from the Spanish word sombra, which means “shadow”.
In Spain the word “sombrero” is commonly used to describe various wide-brimmed light hats, protecting their owners from wind, dust and direct sunlight.
TO classic version applies model with voluminous fields rounded upward and a high crown resembling a cone.
There are several varieties of such hats:
- sombrero vaquero- a standard cowboy hat with a low crown and a brim turned up at the sides;
- sombrero Charro- a headdress with a high cone-shaped crown and a fairly wide brim;
- sombrero vueltião- the national hat of Colombia, which is one of its symbols (made from reed and distinguished by black and white colors);
- sombrero pintado- traditional headdress of the inhabitants of Panama (natural hat made of thin fiber).
Hats of this kind can be made from various materials: straw, leather, felt, felt, velvet, wool and synthetic fabrics.
The colors also come in a variety of colors. For this purpose, rich colors, contrasting combinations, ethnic patterns, patterns of rhombuses, squares, stripes and other options can be used.
The use of modern sombreros
IN modern world such hats are very popular among tourists, using them as an original beach accessory while relaxing under the scorching sun.
Similar hats often decorated with bows, fringe, ribbons, flowers, feathers and various abstract designs.
Reference! Since 1986, a festival dedicated to this headdress has been organized in the United States in February. Every year this event attracts over 40,000 visitors.
Sombrero is a light and practical headdress that provides reliable protection from the hot rays of the sun. Modern designers do not forget about this, successfully playing with hats of this kind in some of their collections. Recently, such hats have become a current trend in the fashion world.
These hats have a very original design in models from Just Cavalli. Stylish sombreros from Jean-Paul Gaultier harmoniously complement evening dresses(photo). In addition, such a headdress looks great with short dresses, sundresses and tunics. But the main producers of these hats are still folk craftsmen who sell a variety of sombreros in places where tourists gather.
