Montecristi is an old colonial town located 30 kilometers west of Portoviejo, founded in 1628 and the birthplace of the ex-President Eloy Alfaro.
The town is very famous for its straw and basketware and especially renowned for its high quality Panama hat production (See Arts and Crafts). There are many stores along the main road selling wooden barrels, wickerwork and many others (very cheap). The village of Montecristi has a main Plaza with a Virgin statue (La Virgen de Montecristi) which is worth a visit. Frequent bus service is available to this town from Manta's bus station. The ticket cost is around US$0.25, and takes about 15 minutes.
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