Who Is Who On Our Streets:The Many Corners For A Hat With No Corners

By Natalie Taylor

We have all heard of the three-cornered hat, but a typical Mexican hat has no corners at all. It has a circular brim meant to shade the head and face from the sun. And we do have plenty of sunshine in San Miguel de Allende—it is one of the sunniest spots in North America—with an average 320 annual sunny days. With mostly clear days all year, the need for a hat is a high priority in our city.

Not to worry, though, several hat-men circulate throughout the Centro, or station themselves around the edges near a city corner, so finding a sombrero here is an easy task. I met two of these itinerant sombrero vendors and learned a bit about their lives and their craft.

On the corner of Mesones and Relox, you will most likely find Santos Rodríguez, who is originally from a small town in the state of Guerrero. His family has been there “de siempre”—forever, and almost all of them dedicate themselves to making bags and baskets woven from palm leaves, and he learned the same trade. His father used to come to San Miguel to sell those hand-made wares, and continues to do so to this day, as does his brother. Santos started coming here with his father as well, but he decided to sell hats instead and he buys them from a wholesaler. He also makes colorful bracelets and hatbands, which he weaves by hand out of palm fibers or leather, and carries in a display case. While we were talking, he placed some of those bands around the crowns of hats. Each of the bracelets or bands takes about an hour to make.

Santos told me he has been married for five years and has two boys; one is five and the other is barely one year old. His wife and children remain in Guerrero because they like being near the extended family. The weather there is cooler, he said, because the town is high in the mountains. His wife came and stayed with him in San Miguel for a while, but living here did not suit her. So he comes here to work and goes back whenever he can to visit them. It’s a long bus trip, about nine hours from San Miguel, but worth it according to Santos. “There is nothing as nice as the embrace of your little children!” he told me.

Another sombrero vendor is Rufino Cortez, and he prefers to walk about Centro wearing his many hats on his head and carrying a display case with bracelets and bands. He is a bit older than Santos and has been doing this work for over twenty years. Rufino is also from Guerrero, where he has a wife and five children whom he visits whenever he can.

Both Santos and Rufino, along with several others, take up spots on the edges of Centro, or walk about hoping to sell a few sombreros. The cost of the hats is 200 pesos for the palm fiber ones and 410 pesos for those made of leather. Rufino told me that with the colder weather coming, the leather hats will be selling better because they provide some warmth. “Especially if you are starting to lose hair, like me,” he said, smiling, removing his cap to show me a bald spot.

I told him this is a good place for that, especially when the snowbird tourists return. He liked my comment and laughed, giving me a thumbs up. Then, as a good salesman, he added, “But the leather hats are also very good when it rains.” There are many other sombrero men in our town; they take turns throughout the day, some taking the morning shift, and others starting in the afternoon. Santos and Rufino were particularly friendly and approachable, willing to stop and talk to me, and take photos without asking if they would be compensated. Of course, they are. I make it a point to pay for their time, but it was gratifying that these street vendors trusted me enough to stop and talk without putting a price before doing so.

If you need a colorful hat, whether for the sun, for the rain, or to cover a bald spot, see if you can find Santos or Rufino and spend some time and money with these friendly local vendors.