A country is identified by its landscapes, by its music, by its dances, by its color, by its people and without a doubt by its clothing. Clothing is not only part of a generation or an era, it is also part of a country or region. The Peruvian hat is a clear example of this.

Peru is a country with several regions, with innumerable festivities, it is a country in which its people are a tasty mixture of ingredients and races, each city has its own identity but without losing that mixture of colors and flavors. All this is demonstrated not only in their food, but also in the clothing that belongs to each town and its festivals. Let's get to know a little more about the Peruvian hat and the clothing of Peru.

The costumes of the sierra are characterized by the color of their skirts and their ponchos, especially in the departments of Arequipa, Cusco, Cajamarca, Ayacucho, Puno and among other cities of the sierra, although the styles of the clothing are different there is something that characterizes them equally, they are made of vicuña wool or one of the beautiful auquénidos that our sierra has, to protect themselves from the cold the inhabitants of this area of ​​Peru use the chullo, which is like a wool hat that covers ears. The scissors dancers adorn their costumes with mirrors and embroider their god on the back.

On the coast, their ponchos and skirts are made of cotton, although for the sailor dance cotton was replaced by silk for women. The men's costumes usually wear a hat made of straw to protect themselves from the sun.

In the jungle, men and women of some ethnic groups wear a tunic sewn on the sides and decorated with geometric figures and dyes from the region, this tunic is called cushma.

This has been a brief introduction about the clothing of Peru, but now I want to delve a little deeper into the subject so that you can know what it is about.

Peruvians are great artisans

Peruvians are excellent artisans, their clothes are homemade even now in our 21st century and can be appreciated just as if they were traditional garments used centuries ago. In Peru its people wear ponchos, dresses, blankets, sweaters, layered skirts, tunics, hats, chullos, and other native pieces of clothing. The traditional costume of Peru is very colorful and bright, it is beautiful and very original although the clothing is quite thick. Tourists admire the beauty of handmade clothing and always take a souvenir item from the Peruvian markets, and it's not for less!

A bit of history about Peru

Peru has a long history and it really is a fascinating thing. This country was conquered by the Spanish Empire in the 16th century. The Spanish conquerors influenced the Peruvian culture but its people managed to preserve their own culture with their traditions, customs and beliefs.

One of the main characteristics of this nation is that Peruvians are excellent artisans. Its textile products are estimated in other countries. Every tourist admires the beauty of local handmade clothing and wants to buy something in colorful Peruvian markets.

Peruvian clothing has interesting characteristics such as that it is quite warm (because in the Andes it is cold and they have very changeable weather throughout the year) and it is homemade. The main material to make the garments is alpaca wool. In addition, the garments have geometric patterns and vibrant colors that make them unique and unrepeatable.

Clothing for men in Peru

Men usually wear pieces of clothing in the shape of diamonds, which is the poncho, which has bright colors and is very warm. It is a large piece with an opening in the middle to insert the head. There are many different types (depends on the region) and they are used depending on their purpose. Although there are men who use it daily, it is usual to use it for special events.

It should also be taken into account that men in Peru wear hats with special bands called “centillo”. They are colorful and very festive, although the most popular hat is the chullo. The chullo is a handmade item, knitted, with ear flaps and tassels, it is made of alpaca, llama, vicuña or sheep's wool.

The pants are simple and the sweaters are made of alpaca, llama, or sheep's wool. Jumpers are hot and often feature geometric embellishments and animal print designs.

Clothing for women from Peru

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The main parts of the typical clothing for women in this country are: ponchos, dresses, blankets, skirts, tunics, and hats. Each suit or piece of clothing differs greatly from one region to another, because in this way they can show the peculiarities of each city or town. For example, people can tell if a woman is from a small town or a city by looking at her hat, or if she comes from a rich or poor family.

Women often wear shoulder cloths, which are rectangular pieces of cloth woven by hand. It is a traditional part and this manda is put on the shoulders and immobilized by passing it over the forehead and tying it on the front part of the chest. Women also used to have handmade barrettes called "tupu" or "tupo" and they used to be decorated with precious stones. Today they often use safety pins. The cloths on the shoulders that women wear are called: lliclla, k'eperina, awayu and unkuna and they are differentiated by the following:

Sweaters and jackets are worn under the shoulder cloth. The sweaters are usually synthetic and with a lot of color. The jackets are made of woolen cloth and are called "juyuna" and they usually embellish the woman's body.

Peruvian women's skirts are called “polleras” or “melkkhay” and are cut in a colored band called “puyto”. They are hand woven and made of woolen cloth. They are usually layered and worn, being layered they can look puffy, and of course they are colorful and bright.

Both men and women wear ajotas (shoes made from recycled truck tires) that are made at home and are very cheap.

The Peruvian hat

The Peruvian hat is a custom that has strongly attracted the attention of those who visit the country, since they retain very unique characteristics that powerfully attract the attention of those who admire them. Usually, the characteristic of the hat that is used, the color or the way in which it is made is associated with the economic possibilities, as it is clear, these customs vary in the regions, in addition to the fact that the hats do it in the same way, since these are adapted depending on the needs of the people of the region.

Now we will talk about the most typical hats that can be found in beautiful Peru.

Pirua

These hats are made with palm leaves that are subjected to the strong sun for a long period of time, so that they take on a white coloration, and then proceed to give them the shape of said hat. Peruvian hat is usually adorned with black ribbons.

Its name comes from Pirua, which is where it is most often used due to the beautiful northern coasts.

Ayacucho

It is a Peruvian hat for traditional use, which women usually wear for festival times, it is small and has a small comma. They usually decorate it with flowers or other colorful elements that impact the eye. It is made of sheep's wool.

In Quispillata, young men usually wear it without adornment, or in cold seasons.

Huancavelica

In this place, the typical hats are divided between men and women.

Men will usually be seen wearing hats made of sheep's wool cloth, which are worn on Sundays; for holidays, these are modified where the wing of the forehead will be raised, in addition to being adorned with a flower

The women, on the other hand, wear brown, gray or black hats, which will be made with sheep's wool cloth. Young girls who are single usually adorn these hats with beautiful colorful flowers and in some cases use real flowers.

Junin

Here, the hats that predominate are those with a low crown, which will be made with sheep wool cloth. Which retain a gray, black, light ocher and black color. Which will be adorned with a ribbon that crosses them vertically.

Ancash

Women usually wear hats made of wool and straw, which are decorated with ribbons and these will be sewn into rosettes (ribbons).

Unlike women, men will have hats that can be made with different materials, one of them is wool and straw, the other is prepressed sheep's wool, which can be dyed gray. These will be adorned with multicolored wool laces.

Freedom

In this area that is characterized by large farmers. The hats that will predominate in this will be those that are made with vegetable fiber: The palm, the reed and the toquilla.

Here, the hierarchy can be distinguished, since the one who has power over the workers will usually ride a horse, in addition to wearing an elegant hat with a very wide brim, which will be made with palm.

Moquegua

In the area of ​​Moquegua, the clothing is characterized for being one of the most original and colorful, in this area the hats can be used by both women and men, in which the hats decorated with flowers and cooked with sequins, which will be used in the celebrations.

Peru is a place rich in culture, and with the passage of time its folklore has been diminishing, which has caused the manufacture of its clothing to decrease, but thanks to the customs that are still deeply rooted in its people, these are shared and instructed to the new generations. Without a doubt, Peruvian hats are those that stand out for their originality and beauty.