Panamá City Local Customs

For better or worse the Panamanians are nice talkative fellows who readily provide the traveller with the latest in the gossip column. Chances are that they will talk about Mel Gibson's latest exploits, meaning buying prime real estate and thus connect to you, the avid movie buff. Meanwhile he is going to pump his patriotic ego and make you practice your Spanish. What a win-win situation!

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Panamanian traditional women dress, the "Pollera" (see pictures) has become a Panamanian national symbol. Its flowing skirt, abundance of handwork, and ornate jewelry make this dress beautiful, admired and cherished by all Panamanians. Today Pollera is used on special occasions and in festivals.

It normally consists of a blouse or shirt and a two-tiered full skirt. There are many tales related about its origin, but the popular opinion is that it was adapted from a gypsy dress worn in Spain at the time of the conquest of Peru and brought to Panama by the servants of the colonial families. The hairdress is an important part of the pollera and complement the costume.

An handmade pollera takes several months to create and can cost from several hundreds to several thousands of dollars.

Polleras, and the jewels that go with it, are handed down from mother to daughter, from one generation to another, as an heirloom.

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Panama runs on fiestas. There seems to be one somewhere every week. They have fiestas for local historical events, religious holidays and to celebrate a town’s patron saint(s). Check the local papers or the tourist guide for events surrounding your stay. The biggest fiesta in Panama is Carnaval, of course. Every town has a celebration beginning the weekend before and leading up to Ash Wednesday. Probably the most lavish of these is in Los Santos province in the town of Las Tablas. See my Las Tablas pages for a description of this event.

Panama uses the US dollar as its currency. The official name for it is the balboa, but it's exactly the same bill. Panamanian coins are of the same value, size and metal as US coins; both are used. In most of Central America, US dollars are the only currency exchanged. In Panama City, however, you can exchange currencies from almost anywhere in the world at a casa de cambio, due to the city's large international offshore banking industry.
This is what I liked because I didnt have to change any money.

The city has a surprising number of Kuna Indian women who wear their traditional Molas. In most places where you see this it is mostly for tourist consumption. But here the women wear them even away from the tourist areas.

Strangely enough, there are two currencies in Panama: the balboa and the dollar (and American coins). Most likely, you will pay for things in dollars. When you get change, look at them. There might be some hidden balboas in there! A nice sovenuir of your trip to Panama!

Another example of these women in their brightly colored Molas.