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Written by Ari Vanook
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Wednesday, November 07 2007 |
Coronado evolved as Panama's first
developed beach town. It sits conveniently about forty five minutes to the West
of Panama City, via the InterAmerican
Highway which, compared to other highways in Central America, pretty much takes the cake in terms of
quality.
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Written by Ari Vanook
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Sunday, November 04 2007 |
It's a neighborhood where deluxe lifestyles of pink champagne
and sleek plasma TVs clash with some of the poorer living conditions in the
country. A district recognized around the world as a World Heritage Site for its
awe-inspiring architecture and rare European-inspired plazas, yet one which simultaneously
plays host to children too poor to even buy shoes for sports, and beggars unembarrassed
to plead even for a nickel.
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Last Updated ( Sunday, November 04 2007 )
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Written by Justin Gould
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Thursday, December 28 2006 |
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Besides diplomats, history buffs, and Panamanians, not many people know what the Torrijos-Carter Treaties are and what they stand for. Excluding the Panamanian Declaration of Independence in 1903, the Torrijos-Carter Treaty is probably the most important document the Panamanian people ever signed. The Torrijos-Carter Treaty is actually made up of two treaties. The first one is called The Treaty Concerning the Permanent Neutrality and Operation of the Panama Canal or otherwise known as the Neutrality Treaty. The other is called the Panama Canal Treaty.
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Last Updated ( Saturday, April 21 2007 )
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Written by Justin Gould
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Wednesday, December 20 2006 |
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When Christopher Columbus sailed his two ships into a bay the Indians called "Caroboro" in 1502, the principal inhabitants of Bocas Del Toro were the Guaymi, Teribe and Bokota indians. He decided to name the large bay he found Admiral Bay or Almirante. Columbus even cleaned his ships in Bocas near island later called careening cay.
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Last Updated ( Saturday, April 21 2007 )
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Written by Justin Gould
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Monday, November 27 2006 |
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Drake had a burning hatred of the Spanish and Catholicism. Part of this hatred was inspired by his father who was an Anglican preacher back in England. The other reason why he disliked the Spanish was that he was betrayed by the them when he was fixing his ships in a port somewhere in Mexico. The authorities in Mexico told him it would be fine if he made repairs in their harbor. Instead they ambushed him and Drake lost several men in the foray.
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Last Updated ( Saturday, April 21 2007 )
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Written by Justin Gould
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Thursday, November 23 2006 |
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The Panamanian economy is a champion of sorts. Unlike other economies that rise and fall and stay down, the Panamanian economy has triumphantly recuperated after stumbling into numerous deep troughs. This ability to stabilize after economic recession is due to the industriousness of Panama's people and its strategic location as an isthmus separating two oceans. In the last 400 hundred years, service related industries tied to transport have always been the most dominant sector of the economy.
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Last Updated ( Monday, May 07 2007 )
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Written by Justin Gould
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Wednesday, November 15 2006 |
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As soon as he hacked his way through the steamy Panama jungle in 1515, Vasco Nunez Balboa strongly addressed the need to the King and Queen of Spain for a road across the Isthmus of Panama that would link the two oceans. He had no clue that the local Indians had beaten him to it thousands of years earlier. The famous El Camino Real, which the Pirate Henry Morgan used to sack Panama City was just an improved version of a trail that had been used by the natives for millennia.
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Last Updated ( Saturday, April 21 2007 )
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Written by Justin Gould
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Monday, November 13 2006 |
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The 1000 days war was a conflict critical to the creation of Panama. If there was no war, Panama would not exist. The war lasted from 1899 and 1902 and was fought between two of the major political parties in Colombia. The factions involved were the political parties Liberal and Conservative. The Conservatives had been in control of Colombia for over 80 years, but the Liberals were eager for their share in the control of Colombia. Note that when we say Colombia in this story we are really referring to Panama, which was just a Colombian territory at that point in time.
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Last Updated ( Saturday, April 21 2007 )
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Written by Justin Gould
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Wednesday, November 08 2006 |
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A little known fact about Panama is that the Scottish once tried to start a colony here on land that is now part of the Comarca de Kuna Yala in November of 1698. The scheme was dreamt up in 1695 when the Scottish Parliament passed an Act for the establishment of a ‘company of Scotland Trading to Africa and the Indies'. This name turned into the better and shorter ‘Darien Company.' It was a huge fundraising attempt with over 400,000 English Pounds raised in Scotland in six months, with the other half being raised in London. Scotland was having financial trouble due to hundreds of years of wars so they needed a new source of income.
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Last Updated ( Saturday, April 21 2007 )
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Written by Justin Gould
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Tuesday, November 07 2006 |
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Nestled in the bay of Panama lies picturesque Isla Taboga, an island about 50 minutes away by boat from Panama City. If you take the ferry you will arive on a long pier. From there you will see a charming village set among narrow romantic streets, a white washed church, and beautiful vistas overlooking the sea. It's close proximity to Panama City makes it a great weekend getaway for people looking to escape city life. If you are lucky enough, you may even see Humpback or Sei whales breaching the surface in exciting displays of bravado while on their migration to and from their feeding zones.
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Last Updated ( Saturday, April 21 2007 )
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Written by Justin Gould
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Wednesday, November 01 2006 |
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There is no doubt that Jewish Panamanians have become a driving force in the economy here. In order to see just how influential the Jewish community has become, just look through the yellow pages and count how many Jewish apellidos you can find next to large companies. This success did not occur overnight.
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Last Updated ( Saturday, April 21 2007 )
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Written by Administrator
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Wednesday, October 25 2006 |
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Out of the seven recognized indigenous tribes of Panama, the Kuna are the most organized and independent. They are also the most recognizable. There is no mistaking a Kuna woman. They wear beautiful and brightly colored tapestries called molas around their waists and wrap colorful beads around their wrists and calves. The beads are called winnis and are supposed to protect them from malicious spirits. Bright red scarves adorn their heads and they usually have a black line running vertically down the length of their nose with a gold ring placed through the septum. As we shall see, the Kuna have a very interesting and colorful history.
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Last Updated ( Saturday, May 05 2007 )
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Written by Administrator
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Friday, October 20 2006 |
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Berthold Seemann was an explorer and naturalist who traveled to the isthmus of Panama in 1849 to take samples of the region's flora and fauna for further study. Along his journey he used a journal to record what he encountered in Panamanian towns in the mid-19th century. The accounts he left behind proved to be an invaluable resource to both amateur and professional historians alike who seek to learn more about the Panama of yesteryear. When this intrepid explorer came to Panama, it was under the jurisdiction of New Granada and had a total population of around 130,000. Many of the observations Seemann made about Panama still hold true today over one hundred and fifty years later.
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Last Updated ( Friday, May 11 2007 )
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Written by Justin Gould
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Wednesday, October 18 2006 |
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In the summer and fall of 1989 the United States had their eyes fixated on the events in eastern Europe which brought an end to the Cold War. At the same time a storm of a different kind was brewing in Panama. Manual Noriega, the dictator who ran the country with his Panama Defense Force was getting out of control and getting wilder by the day. Through his cronies, he had a complete monopoly over the country and had extensive networks within the Medallin drug cartel. As early as 1987 the U.S. Senate asked for the resignation of Manual Noriega, but he didn´t listen. Things got from bad to worse on December 15, 1989 when the National Assembly of Panama declared that a state of war existed between the U.S. and Panama. Service members were harassed and an unarmed marine Lieutenant was killed and his buddy was beaten.
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Last Updated ( Saturday, April 21 2007 )
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Written by Justin Gould
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Wednesday, September 27 2006 |
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For those of you who don't already know, Reaggaeton is now a serious, established musical form that contains drum-machine beats derived from Jamaican dancehall rhythms, as well as some techno and house beats. While five years ago hardly anybody outside the Latino community heard about Reggaeton, now, it's hitting the mainstream in U.S. cities such as Chicago, New York, and Miami.
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Last Updated ( Saturday, April 21 2007 )
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Written by Justin Gould
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Friday, September 15 2006 |
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When I was driving through the mountainous interior of Panama on Madden Road with Dr. Heckadon a few weeks ago, he said, “around here you'll see a lot of Cimarrones.” I said, “Cima-who”? I was quickly informed that the Cimarrones are the direct descendants of escaped Spanish slaves from the first quarter of the 16th century! These Panamanians can trace their roots to the area for over four hundred years! The mountainous region between Panama City and Colon is Cimarrones central and is where their culture is most prevalent.
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Last Updated ( Saturday, April 21 2007 )
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Written by Justin Gould
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Wednesday, September 06 2006 |
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Not many people know the story behind the guy wearing the red cape, blue pants and funny hat on every bottle of Captain Morgan's Rum, probably not even people who love Captain Morgan's. This essay will clear things up for people who thought he was just created as a clever marketing ploy. He actually existed and he was one of the badest dudes to sail the Caribbean. Along with hurricanes and sea monsters, if you were a Spanish captain plying the waters of the Caribbean, an encounter with this guy and his crew would prove to be your worst nightmare.
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Last Updated ( Saturday, April 21 2007 )
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Written by Justin Gould
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Friday, August 18 2006 |
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Throughout the history of the world, man has strived to complete tasks in the fastest possible way and travel is no different. Think of the ever elusive Northwest Passage to Asia or the Silk Road to China. But these routes pail in comparison to the best shortcut in the world: the Panama Canal. It saves 18,000 miles of trans-oceanic travel for San Francisco bound freighters from New York and is hands down one of the greatest engineering feats of all time. But the history of this canal has been a bumpy one frought with many deaths, triumphs, and power struggles. The story all starts when a former pig salesman from Spain named Vasco Nunuz Balboa discovered the Pacific Ocean from the Darien and claimed all of the adjacent land for Spain.
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Last Updated ( Saturday, April 21 2007 )
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Written by Matt Landau
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Saturday, January 14 2006 |
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Early on in history, Panama was densely populated by
indigenous people—among them, the Cuevas and Cocole tribes. In 1501, Spaniard
Rodrigo de Bastidas was the first to spot Panama, and with the help of
Christopher Columbus, they dropped anchor off the Caribbean coast in Portobelo
in 1502. In 1510, Vasco Nunez de Balboa established the first successful colony
and became governor of the region. With this arrival of the Spaniards came
violence and disease which almost completely eradicated Panama's indigenous
population.
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Last Updated ( Saturday, April 21 2007 )
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History 
