Sígsig is not on the list of typical tourist destinations in Ecuador. But this place has potential. Not only that it is located in a stunning Ecuadorean highland landscape, has important archeological sites and one of the most charming populations in the Andes. Sígsig also is a centre of Panama hat production. Nearly every woman in Sígsig knows how to weave hats. They can do it blindfolded and even while walking in a busy street and having a chat with someone at the same time. Many women weave hats while doing another job like selling fruits in the market.

I asked several women if they were proud of their art or if it was just hard work for them. They replied that this work allows them to contribute to the family income and for that they were grateful, but other than that it was hard work that breaks their hands and backs. Many of these women dream of emigrating to New York.

Sígsig county is one of the areas of Ecuador with the highest number of migrants to the United States. When we asked our landlady if every now and then somebody of her acquaintances left for the States, she replied astonished: “Every now and then? Daily! Daily, I hear of somebody who has left to search his luck in the States. And I will go too. I applied for a visa several times, but without success so far. It’s not that I don’t love this place. But our daily life is too hard. We have enough to eat, we have clothes, we have a place to stay. But we have to dedicate all our time to maintain this very basic living standard. I have to spend all day in this shop waiting for customers. When I sell something, I earn cents, just enough to survive.”