Poncho's from Ecuador

We see them more and more, the ponchos!

You can wear ponchos every season. In the colder seasons you can wear it over your clothes for some extra warmth and in the warm seasons they are great for an evening at the beach or park.

History

No one knows exactly when ponchos originated. What we do know for sure is that the poncho is originally a South American piece of clothing, which consists of a rectangular cloth with a hole in the middle through which you can put your head. Ponchos are thousands of years old. Remains of the Paracas tribe have been found that are more than two thousand years old. This means that the ponchos were already used before the year 0!

The poncho was also worn by the Incas, an Indian people from South America who lived from the thirteenth century. The poncho became famous after explorers arrived in South America and set out to explore it. They took the ponchos and other products to Europe and were distributed in this way. Eventually, the wearing of the poncho was banned by the Spanish conquerors. They did this because the poncho would reinforce the cultural identity of the original inhabitants too much.

Ultimately, the ponchos are indispensable. Well-known fashion houses have started experimenting with it, changing its shape and purpose in various ways. We use the poncho as a fashion item, but special rain ponchos have also been developed. Although the shape of the ponchos has changed quite a lot over the years, you can still find classic ponchos in the Netherlands. You can find these classic ponchos at EcuaFina.

Ponchos from Ecuador

Our ponchos are handmade and finished in Ecuador, by small communities living in the Andes Mountains. In Ecuador, the poncho is a traditional piece of clothing. There, the ponchos are often worn during horse riding because the poncho offers a lot of freedom of movement. In addition, the ponchos are often worn against the rain, provided that a hood is attached. The people of Ecuador weave our ponchos on old weaving machines, which they operate by hand. This may cause minor differences in print, color and composition. But in general, the differences are so small that it is almost impossible to see.

Wool ponchos

EcuaFina's ponchos consist of 70% alpaca wool, 20% cotton and 10% acrylic. The alpaca wool ensures that the ponchos are wonderfully warm and soft. This is due to the hollow fibers that make up the wool. Due to the hollow fibers, alpaca wool can better retain air and therefore heat. In addition, the hollow fibers have another plus, because this also gives the fiber a natural glass and it feels softer! Furthermore, alpaca wool is hypoallergenic, which means that the material contains fewer allergens. As a result, people are less likely to have allergic reactions to the wool. The cotton and acrylic provide extra strength during weaving.

Prints, colors & models

We don't have boring ponchos. We prefer to immerse you in South American culture, we do this by bringing the prints and colors from Ecuador to the Netherlands. You can see these prints in the ponchos, but also in our native plaids. To give you a good idea of ​​the ponchos, we list our favorites here!

1. Poncho Maya Black

The Maya poncho is the thickest poncho we have and consists of 70% alpaca wool, 20% cotton and 10% acrylic. This poncho consists of the colors black, red and white and has a cool print. This poncho is named after the Mayan tribe, who used to live in the Yucatán Peninsula of North America. The Maya were relatively highly developed and made important inventions. You may know them from their religious calendar or from the well-known city of Chichén Itzá. The Mayans were known to be vain and love to beautify themselves and that's exactly what this poncho can do to you!

2. Poncho Quitu Red

The Quitu poncho mainly consists of red but also has very beautiful blue, turquoise and cream white details. The print of this poncho contains many triangles. This poncho is named after the indigenous pre-Columbian peoples in Ecuador who founded the capital Quito. The Quitu were an agricultural people and were seen as "pueblo alegre y festivo", which stands for happy and festive people. It is therefore a party to wear this beautiful poncho!

3. Poncho Inca Red

The poncho Inca really brings South American culture to the Netherlands with its beautiful Inca figures that run over the blue, red and cream white color areas of the poncho. This poncho is named after the Inca population, who had a gigantic empire in South America, including Ecuador! You probably know Machi Picchu, a city built by the Incas for their former king. This city is known worldwide and is on the UNESCO heritage list. The Incas believed in gods, including Inti, Mama Quilla, and Pachamama. The beautiful Inca figures on the poncho take you back in time.

4. Poncho Shuar Blue

This beautiful poncho is named after the Shuar, an indigenous people of Ecuador and Peru. These people live in the tropical rainforest between the upper mountains of the Andes and in the tropical rainforests and savannas of the Amazon lowlands. They wear many bright colors in that culture, including blue, which is why this poncho is named after the Shuar people. Our Shuar poncho consists of all different shades of blue and has the same motif as the Cotopaxi blanket. The poncho is easy to combine and is wonderfully soft and warm.

The 4 four ponchos mentioned above all have a rectangular model, but we also have ponchos in a triangular model, namely the Poncho Yellow and the Poncho Blue. The yellow poncho contains many autumnal colors and has yellow fringes and the blue poncho contains brighter colors and has blue fringes. Both are very colorful and certainly enrich your wardrobe! The triangular ponchos are smaller than the rectangular ponchos but both models can be worn by men and women!