Eloy, the son of Manuel Alfaro, arrived in Panama at the age of twenty to take over from his father he was an excellent businessman who made his fortune largely from toquillas, which he attempted, though too late, to rename “jipijapas”. He was intelligent, cultivated and strong- willed. He had a passionate nature, a noble heart and yearning for justice. He became the first liberal leader of Ecuador and brought his country through the most massive political, social and educational transformation in its history; he was also twice appointed President of the Republic. To attain his goal, he had to leave the country for many long years, during which he became the patron of the revolutionaries. The led Tom Miller to comment, in this work The Panama Line, during a conversation with Eloy Alfaro’s grandson, Eloy Aviles Alfaro, that “It seems obvious to me that panama hat was responsible for the great liberal revolution in Ecuador”. The generous soul of the future General Eloy Alfaro was not interested exclusively in his own nation: he followed to the letter the testamentary thinking of Simon Bolivar, according to which “America is the motherland”, and helped other South American nations, particularly Cuba, to gain their independence.
Indolent, cheerful, always full of life, the island of Cuba also lives in the shadow of the Panama. Of course there are planters of sugar canes and tobacco, for whom the straw hat is an inescapable necessity. But there is also the style. And Cuba is chic, Cuba likes to party, Cuban men are handsome. So, for over a century, these South Americans of the Caribbean were among Ecuador’s best customers. When, 1895, Eloy Alfaro became president of his country, the effect of his victory spilled over beyond the borders of Ecuador; the cheers resounded as far away as Cuba. The liberalism and extraordinary dynamism of the new president brought new life and intensity to Ecuador. There was a construction, and reform, and hope.
A new railway line was begun. It was to cross the Andes, and so link up the coast and the Sierra, those warring sisters. It was to change everything, but the hats of Cuenca did well out of it. The Guayaquil traffic became heavier as a result; the port relived the great age of cacao and immense haciendas spread out all around the town; these belonged to the rich latifundistas who compromised the country’s oligarchy. Their names were Piedrahita, Manzano, Puga, Carbo, Reyre, Azpiazu, Seminario, Guzman, Rosales and Aguirre. In Los Rios province, less than twenty families provided a living for forty thousand people! But the most impressive property was undoubtedly that of the Ballen family, with its million cacao trees.
