For years Miami has been the shopping paradise for Latinos across the globe and Panamanians have been no different. However, over time, Panama City has begun to rival Miami as a popular vacation and luxury shopping spot for Latin Americans. One aspect of this commercial bonanza has been the development of new, modern shopping malls in the city which have upgraded local commerce.

In the 1970’s and 1980’s local entrepreneurs established the first shopping malls in Panama.  By the mid 1990’s two larger commercial plazas were established, Los Pueblos and Plaza Carolina. The new millennium painted a promising scenario: Panama had a new government, total control over the Canal, an influx of foreign capital and businessmen which helped foster an environment of economic stability and growth.

The first retail group to seize this new opportunity was the creator of the Los Pueblos project.  This group set out to build a more ambitious project in Albrook Mall, located adjacent to the Gran Terminal bus station. This would be the first indoor mall in Panama, with central air conditioning a food court, movie theaters and plenty of popular retail stores.

The Colombian mall tycoon, Pedro Gomez, shortly thereafter began his now popular MultiCentro project, located right on Balboa Avenue in the prestigious Marbella neighborhood. With four levels, a casino, a five star hotel and exclusive products, Multicentro marked Panama’s entry into the world of “modern shopping centers.”  More recently Grupo Roble, a development company responsible for some of Central America’s largest malls, opened the Multiplaza Pacific mall.  Multiplaza set itself apart by attracting more internationally renowned stores and brand names that had previously been known to Latinos only in Miami. 

So today before going to the Sunshine State to fulfill your designer shopping needs, check out one of Panama’s great retail locations.  You are sure to find everything that you are looking for at more reasonable prices, and best of all, at a location less than 20 minutes away from your hotel, cruise ship or your Panama City home.  Enjoy!

Written by Daigitza Forde

As I write this article it is the 23^rd of July, 2008 which means we are right in the middle of the low season here in Panama. What is the low season you ask? In one simple word, “rain.”  They don’t call it tropical rain forest for nothing.  This tropical country needs plenty of rain (not the least of which is to power the Panama Canal) and we are getting plenty of it. However, it is still an interesting time for consumers and tourists alike to come down for a visit.  One of the biggest advantages are the prices.  Hotel and tour prices are a fraction of what they will be during the Christmas and New Years holidays and the 5 months to follow.  An interesting side note is that even during the rainy season, the mornings are almost always beautiful.

The low season takes place from the end of May to about the middle of November.  Some hotels (though fewer each year as Panama continues to grow as a tourist destination) even shut down for several weeks to clean, repair and prep for the high season. Also, many vacation destinations and tour providers take advantage of this “down time” to promote their services to Panamanian residents themselves, often offering great deals and incentives to get out and explore a bit. This is a great advantage that Panamanians have to get to know their country and, ironically, it also coincides with dates of mid-year and national holidays.

Though the best months to visit Panama are November-May, it’s never a bad time to stop by at the “Crossroad of the World.”

Written By : Letsi Fonseca

For many of those who might not know, Panama is known as a multicultural nation.  All these different cultures have enriched our country in different ways, and these different cultures in Panama have also adopted many of the Panamanian traditions. 

It all began in Panama when Rodrigo de Batistas discovered our lands in 1501 and with him started to arrive the Spaniards known as the Conquistadors, including Vasco Nunez de Balboa who discovered the Pacific Ocean in Darien.  The Spaniards also made their way to our treasures through the Chagres river and El Camino de Cruces which was one of the 1^st roads built in this country. The Camino de Cruces Trail eventually became the route that Henry Morgan used to sack Panama City in 1671.

It was back then that Panama was influenced with Spanish traditions and cultures, making Panamanians strongly believe in the Catholicism and the Spanish language.   In 1821 we gained our independence from Spain and we united to La Gran Colombia. In 1855 the Panama Canal Railroad, the first railway of the Americas, started to be frequently used by Americans to cross from the East to West due to the “Gold Rush” in California. This was then when the Americans started little by little influencing the country. 

In 1878 Ferdinand de Lesseps started with the construction of the Panama Canal, bringing with him people from all over the world to be part of the investing and construction of the Panama Canal.  After his failure with two different companies, the Americans took over for the construction of the Panama Canal in 1904.  This was a great year for Panama because they had just gained their independence the year before in 1903 from Colombia.  Along with the Americans, came the Greeks, the Hindus, more Spaniards, the Chinese, the Jewish, Italians and the afro Antilles. All these different people came to work for the Canal, and many others came looking for new and better opportunities, all contributing to the wonderful variety of different cultures, nationalities, and races that you can now find in Panama.  All of us that come from different backgrounds, cultures, races, and nations that have been here for more than 2 generations are most proud to be part of this multicultural nation and our now first and foremost, Panamanians.

By Lucy R

Santa María la Antigua, located in the province of Darién, Republic of Panama. Santa María la Antigua used to be a settlement of Darién, founded in 1519 by Spaniard Vasco Nuñez de Balboa on the Atlantic Coast in an area that is now on the border between Panama and Colombia (Darién National Park). When Spanish explorer Pedrarias Dávila founded Panama City in the year 1519, Santa María del Darién was promptly abandoned. This area was also part of the Scottish attempt of colonization known in history as the Darién Scheme.

By Rob Rivera

San Miguelito is a district of the province of Panama, Republic of Panama. It is important to note that San Miguelito is the only district in Panama (the province) that does not have a capital city, but it is also one of the most notable districts in the province. One of the country’s largest shopping malls, Los Pueblos, is located in the district of San Miguelito, and many notable athletes have lived in the area throughout the decades.

By Rob Rivera

Isla Iguana is the site of the Isla Iguana Wildlife Refuge, a wildlife reserve that spans 58 acres and is located roughly 5km off the Los Santos Province, part of the Republic of Panama. The U.S. Army used Isla Iguana as a bombing range during World War II and, as a result, many dormant mines and bombs were left on the site. All of them, including two 1000lb bombs clustered in the surrounding coral reef, had to be detonated in order to comply with the reversion of these previously U.S.-operated territories in the late 1990’s. Now it’s the home of exotic fauna and flora, including various species of frigates and sea turtles.

By Rob Rivera

Cirilo Guainora is the capital of the indigenous province of Emberá, part of the Republic of Panama. The comarca, as it is more commonly known as, was created taking territory from the Chepigana and Pinogana districts in the province of Darién, with an area of 4,384km2. There is an estimated population 8,246 as of the last census made in the area in the year 2000. The comarca is divided into 2 districts: Sambú and Cémaco.

Chichica is the capital city of the Ngöble-Buglé indigenous territory, part of the Republic of Panama. Ngoble-Buglé is a protected indigenous county located in the province of Panama. It was formed late in the 20^th century. The comarca’s, or “county” if you will, is composed of 169,130 indigenous townsfolk, mostly of the Guaymí tribe which itself is made up of Ngöble and Buglé groups. Each one of these groups speaks its own dialect (Ngabere and Buglere, respectively).

By Rob Rivera

The town of Chagres is located in the Colón province of the republic of Panama, with a natural harbor that is admittedly very difficult to get to (it has a varying depth of 1-10 feet!). Discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1502 during one of his travels, The Chagres sea port filled the void left by the decline of Portobelo as an attractive harbor for ships in the 18^th century, and was instrumental to the Gold Rush in 1849.

By Rob Rivera

A community located in Panama City, capital of the Republic of Panama, is composed of people of West-Indian and Creole heritage who moved mostly from Jamaica, Barbados and other islands in the Antilles around the time of the Panama Canal construction. This is, arguably, the birthplace of Panamanian patuá dialect, also referred to as Río Abajo Creole. This form of speech can be heard in other places such as the Bocas del Toro and Colón provinces.

By Rob Rivera