Intro

There’s a saying in Mexico: “Where there are Mexicans, there are sombreros.”

In other words sombreros hold a very important place in the hearts of Mexicans!

2 typical types of Mexican sombrero hats

There are two typical types of Mexican sombrero hats. One type is a wide-brimmed, pointed hat woven from palm leaves or other plants. In rural Mexico, you can often see farmers wearing such hats while working, as they provide sun protection and are lightweight and cool.

The sombrero hats that tourists buy at tourist attractions are the other type, with pointed tops , and some are even painted in the red, white, and green colors of the Mexican flag, with the word “Mexico” written on the wide brim.

In Mexican craft markets, besides various Mexican sombreros, there are also woolen hats as big as drumheads that can be hung on the wall as decorations.

A straw hat is a token of love

The Mexican sombrero is not only beautiful , but also associated with the world-famous Mexican sombrero dance, which is Mexico’s national dance .

At the end of the dance, the woman picks up the hat the man threw on the ground, symbolizing acceptance of his advances. Now, the straw hat has become a token of love among young people.

Every day, many bands performing Mexican folk arts gather in Mexico City’s famous Plaza de Calibadi. The band members, dressed in traditional costumes called “charo” embroidered with gold and silver threads and wearing wide-brimmed hats, attract customers with their music and dance.

The straw hat is a national symbol

The wide-brimmed sombrero has become a symbol of the Mexican nation. At every World Cup, they always wear their traditional sombrero with its large brim and carry instruments that can produce tremendous noise. Mexican fans most often wear the wide-brimmed tricolor sombrero, a symbol of their country .

The Olympic Stadium in Mexico City , which hosted the opening and closing ceremonies of the 1968 Olympics, is oval-shaped, which Mexicans believe was inspired by the shape of a Mexican sombrero.

When Mexico hosted the ninth World Cup in 1970 , the mascot chosen by the organizers, “Juanito,” was a little boy wearing a Mexican sombrero and a football jersey as shown below.