Dress and adornmentLatin America and the Caribbean
Chupalla
The straw hat of the Chilean horseman, worn for the cueca and the rodeo
The chupalla is a straw hat from Chile, worn traditionally by horsemen and by many people in the countryside of Central Chile. It is named after the achupalla, a local bromelia plant once used to make it, and it is often worn when dancing the cueca and at Chilean rodeos.
A chupalla is a straw hat from Chile. Its crown is flat and its rim makes a full circle. Horsemen wear it, and so do many country people in Central Chile. It comes out for the cueca, one of Chile's folk dances, and at Chilean rodeos. The name comes from the achupalla, a local bromelia plant that was once used to weave these hats.
The shape and the straw
A chupalla is flat on top. Its rim is a complete circle, not a curve with a dip at the front. Straw is what it is made from, and the sources name rice straw and wheat straw among the kinds used now. It is described as a horseman's hat, which places it with the working dress of the Chilean countryside. It also appears in the cueca, where dancers often wear it, and at Chilean rodeos.
Where the name comes from
Achupalla is a local name for a bromelia plant. The word chupalla is drawn from it. These hats were once made from that plant, and that is where the name comes from. Today the hats are made from various kinds of straw, among them rice straw and wheat straw. The sources give no date for the first chupalla and do not say when the change to straw happened. They also name no place in Chile as the hat's birthplace.
Wearing it
A chupalla goes on the head. Horsemen wear one, and so do many people who live in the countryside of Central Chile. It is often worn while dancing the cueca, one of Chile's folk dances, and it belongs to the Chilean rodeo as well. There is no ceremony attached to putting it on, no set order of events, and no day set aside for it. It is dress for work, for dancing and for the rodeo.
The phrase in speech
In Chile the words por la chupalla may be heard often, especially from older people. The phrase is an interjection, a short exclamation dropped into a sentence. The sources give its equivalent as the English phrase for Pete's sake. It is not a description of a hat and has nothing to do with buying or wearing one. The expression shows how firmly the chupalla sits in Chilean speech. The sources do not explain how the phrase came about.
How Chupalla is kept
A chupalla is worn on the head. Horsemen put one on, and so do many people in the countryside of Central Chile. It goes with the cueca, the folk dance, where dancers often wear it, and with the Chilean rodeo. Straw is woven to make it, and the finished shape is flat on top with a full circular rim. The sources record no ceremony, no order of steps and no fixed day for wearing it.
When and where
The sources attach the chupalla to no festival, month or weekday. It is worn as the occasion requires: on horseback, in the countryside of Central Chile, while dancing the cueca and at Chilean rodeos.
Chile is where the chupalla belongs, and it is strongest in the countryside of Central Chile, where many people wear one. It also travels with the cueca and with the Chilean rodeo, so it appears wherever those two are held.
What Chupalla means
The chupalla marks the Chilean horseman and country life in Central Chile. Its name keeps a piece of local plant knowledge, because the achupalla, the plant it is named after, was once the material it was made from. The hat has also entered ordinary speech: por la chupalla is an exclamation older Chileans still use.
Questions people ask about Chupalla
What is a chupalla?
It is a straw hat from Chile with a flat top and a rim that forms a perfect circle. It is described as the traditional hat of the Chilean horseman, and many people in rural Central Chile wear one.
Where is it worn?
It is worn in Chile, above all in the countryside of Central Chile, where many people use one. It also comes out when the cueca folk dance is performed and at Chilean rodeos.
What is it made of?
Straw. Rice straw and wheat straw are named among the materials used for chupallas today. In earlier times the hats were made from the achupalla, a local bromelia plant, and the name chupalla comes from that plant.
What does por la chupalla mean?
It is an interjection heard in Chile, especially from older people, and the sources say it is equivalent to the English phrase for Pete's sake. It carries the hat's name, but it is not about hats.
Is there a special day for wearing it?
No. The sources do not tie the chupalla to a festival, a month or a weekday. It is worn when the wearer is on horseback, dancing the cueca or taking part in a Chilean rodeo.
See also
PeinetaA curved decorative comb worn by women beneath a lace mantilla in the Hispanic worldChilote ponchoA thick, striped wool poncho crafted in the cold and rainy Chiloé ArchipelagoZambaA graceful Argentine couple dance of circling steps and fluttering white handkerchiefs
IntiThe Inca sun deity, honoured with temples, offerings and the June festival Inti RaymiGood reading and sources
- Chupalla on WikipediaEncyclopedia
- More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos and video
- Wikidata recordOpen data
The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Chupalla", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence, and from its Wikidata record (CC0). EveryParampara rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.
It may contain mistakes. Traditions differ from one family, village and community to the next, and the people who keep them know them best. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-09.
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