Latin Roots #7

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COLOMBIA

COLOMBIA Colombia, oficialmente la República de Colombia, es un país situado al noroeste de Sudamérica. Colombia esta bordeado al este con Venezuela y Brasil, al sur con Ecuador y Perú y al norte con el Mar Caribe, al noroeste con Panamá, y al este con el Océano Pacífico. Colombia tiene costas marítimas que limitan con Jamaica, Haití, República Dominicana, Nicaragua y Costa Rica. Colombia es la 26ava nación más grande del mundo y la cuarta más grande en Sudamérica. Tiene la 29ava población más grande en el mundo, y es el tercer país hispanohablante del mundo después de México y España.

Etimología La palabra «Colombia» viene del nombre de Cristóbal Colón (o sea Christopher Columbus). Fue creada por el revolucionario Francisco de Miranda en referencia al Nuevo Mundo, especialmente los territorios y colonias portuguesas y españolas. EL nombre luego fue adoptado en 1819, de los territorios que conformaron el Virreinato de Nueva Granada.

Era Precolombina Aproximadamente 10,000 AC, sociedades cazadoras existían en lo que hoy es Bogotá, sociedades que se relacionaban con otras culturas como las del valle de Río Magdalena. Empezando en el primer milenio, los grupos de amerindios desarrollaron un sistema político de «Cacicazgos» con una pirámide estructural de poder encabezada por los caciques. Dentro de Colombia, las dos culturas con el sistema de cacicazgo eran los Tayronas de la región caribeña, y los Muiscas en las alturas alrededor de Bogotá, ambos provenientes de la familia Chibcha. La gente muisca era considerados poseedores de un sistema política bien desarrollada, después de los Incas.

Descubrimiento español, conquista y colonización Exploradores españoles hicieron la primera exploración al litoral caribeño en 1949 liderados por Rodrigo de Bastidas. Colón navegó cerca del Caribe en 1502. En 1508, Vasco Núñez de Balboa empezó la conquista del territorio a

Felicidades Colombia Cristo Redentor, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil

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COLOMBIA Colombia, oficially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in northwestern South America. Colombia is bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the northwest by Panama; and to the west by the Pacific Ocean. Colombia also shares maritime borders with Jamaica, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica. Colombia is the 26th largest nation in the world and the fourth largest in South America. It has the 29th largest population in the world and the second largest in South America, after Brazil. Colombia has the third largest Spanish-speaking population in the world after Mexico and Spain.

Etymology The word «Colombia» comes from the name of Christopher Columbus (Spanish: Cristóbal Colón). It was conceived by the revolutionary Francisco de Miranda as a reference to all the New World, but especially to those territories and colonies under Spanish and Portuguese rule.

The name was later adopted by the Republic of Colombia of 1819, formed out of the territories of the old Viceroyalty of New Granada (modern day Colombia, Panama, Venezuela and Ecuador).

In 1830, when Venezuela and Ecuador broke away, the Cundinamarca region that remained became a new country — the Republic of New Granada. In 1858 New Granada officially changed its name to the Grenadine Confederation, then in 1863 the United States of Colombia, before finally adopting its present name — the Republic of Colombia — in 1886.

Pre-Columbian era Approximately 10,000 BC, hunter-gatherer societies existed near presentday Bogotá (at «El Abra» and «Tequendama») which traded with one another and with cultures living in the Magdalena River Valley. Beginning in the first millennium BC, groups of Amerindians developed the political system of «cacicazgos» with a pyramidal structure of power headed by caciques. Within Colombia, the two cultures with the most complex cacicazgo systems were the Tayronas in the Caribbean Region, and the Muiscas in the highlands around Bogotá, both of which were of the Chibcha language family. The Muisca people are considered to have had one of the most developed political systems in South America, after the Incas.

Spanish discovery, conquest, and colonization Spanish explorers made the first exploration of the Caribbean littoral in 1499 led by Rodrigo de Bastidas. Christopher Columbus navigated near the Caribbean in 1502. In 1508, Vasco Nuñez de Balboa started the conquest of the territory through the region of Urabá. In 1513, he was the first European to discover the Pacific Ocean which he called Mar del Sur (or «Sea of the South») and which in fact would bring the Spaniards to Peru and Chile. The territory’s main population was made up of hundreds of tribes of the Chibchan and Carib, currently known as the Caribbean people, whom the Spaniards conquered through warfare and

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través de la región de Urabá. En 1513, fue el primer europeo en descubrir el Océano Pacifico al que el llamo Mar del Sur, el que en efecto los conduciría hasta Perú y Chile. La mayoría de la población era Chibcha y Carib, actualmente conocidos como caribeños, a quienes los españoles conquistaron a través de trueques y alianzas.

En el siglo XVI, los europeos empezaron a traer esclavos de Africa.

Independence Day Desde principios del periodo de la conquista y colonización, existieron muchos movimientos de rebelión contra la corona española. Siguiendo a la independencia de Haití en 1810, siguió la independencia colombiana donde Simón Bolívar se convirtió en el primer Presidente de Colombia, y Francisco de Paula Santander el vicepresidente.

Turismo Por muchos años, conflictos internos armados detuvieron a los turistas de visitar Colombia. No obstante, en los últimos años, los turistas se han incrementado, gracias a las medidas de seguridad del presidente Álvaro Uribe, que ha incrementado el refuerzo militar y policial a través de todo el país y obligado a grupos rebeldes a dejar las ciudades grandes, carreteras y sitios turísticos. Visitas extranjeras se registraron en 0.5 millones en 2003 a 1.3 millones de turistas en 2007. Ellos esperan recibir 2,650,000 turistas para este año.

Atracciones turísticas populares incluyen el distrito histórico de Candelaria en central Bogotá, las ciudades coloniales de Santa Fe de Antioquia, Popayán, Villa de Leyva y Santa Cruz de Mompox, Catedral de las Lajas y la Catedral de Zipaquirá. Los turistas están embelesados con el Festival de las Flores de Medellín, el carnaval de Barranquilla, el Carnaval de Negros y Blancos en Pasto y el Festival Iberoamericano de Teatro en Bogotá. Cruceros de ensueño hacen paradas en Cartagena y Santa Marta.

La gran variedad en geografía, flora y fauna en Colombia les permite desarrollar una industria ecoturística, concentrada en parques nacionales. Destinos ecoturísticos incluyen toda la costa caribeña.

Grupos Etnicos La mayoría de la población es mestiza (58%), o de una mezcla con españoles y amerindios. Solo el 20% de la población es de descendientes europeos (españoles, italianos, portugueses o alemanes), 14% de mulatos (mezcla entre europeo y africano), 4% de negros, 3% de zambos (mezcla de amerindios y africanos). Amerindios puros solo existen en el 1%. La mayoría de la población habla español, pero hay un total de 101 lenguas etnológicas en Colombia, 80 que son todavía habladas. La mayoría de ellas pertenecen a los chichas, arawak y Cariban.

Cultura Colombia tiene una variedad grande de influencias culturales. Nativos americanos, españoles, europeos, africanos así como influencias latinoamericanos están presentes en Colombia. Migración urbana, globalización y otros aspectos, políticos y cambios económicos.

Como una herencia de la era colonial, Colombia hereda una profunda fe católica con tradiciones que unen a su sociedad multicultural. Tiene muchas celebraciones y festivales durante el año, relacionados a su fervor religioso. No obstante, si existen otras influencias espirituales.

La mezcla de diferentes tradiciones étnicas se refleja en la música y danza. Los géneros mas conocidos son cumbia y vallenato, el último fuertemente influenciado por la cultura pop. Un poderoso elemento unificador en Colombia es la televisión. Una de sus telenovelas famosas Betty La Fea, ha ganado éxito internacional en muchas versiones para EEUU, México y otros.

Colombia tiene pasión por el fútbol. La selección nacional es símbolo de unidad y orgullo nacional, se han exportado muchos famosos jugadores, como Freddy Rincón, Ramiro, Carlos Valderrama, Iván Ramiro Córdoba y Faustino Asprilla. Otros colombianos atletas son Juan Pablo Montoya de Fórmula 1, Edgar Rentería de Baseball.

Famosos colombianos, uno ganador del Premio Nobel como Gabriel García Márquez, el artista Fernando Botero, los escritores Fernando

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Vallejo, Laura Restrepo, Álvaro Mutis y James Cañón, los músicos Shakira, Juanes, Carlos Vives y Juan GarciaHerreros, actores como Catalina Sandimo Moreno, John Leguizamo, Catherine Siachoque y Sofia Vergara.

La Cocina Colombiana Desarrollado de tradiciones europeas, la cocina española, italiana y francesa han influenciado a la gastronomía colombiana, así como también la de los vecinos latinoamericanos como México y Caribe.

A pesar que no existe un plato nacional, se puede decir que la arepa y el sancocho son considerados excelentes candidatos, así como la bandeja paisa, ajiaco, la lechona Tolimense, el mote de queso, y el chuchuco.

La fritanga es una serie de platos que van unidos a una parrilla. Incluye carne y pollo asado, orejas de puerco,

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pierna de cordero, costillas y morcilla, chorizo, longaniza, intestinos, acompañados con pequeñas papas y arepas hechos de maíz.

La Bandeja Paisa, tradicional de la región paisa, tiene arroz blanco, frijoles rojos, carne morcilla, chicharrón, arepas, aguacate y un huevo frito.

El Sancocho, es popular de la región del Valle del Cauca. Combina vegetales y pescado con yuca, maíz, y rodajas de banana.

Bebidas colombianas como: Agua de Panela hecha de una especia de azúcar en agua caliente, con jugo de limón. Común añadirle un poco de queso para que se derrita.

El Aguardiente es una bebida alcohólica de caña de azúcar. Usada en fiestas colombianas.

El Guarapo es hecho de varias frutas que maceran alrededor de 2 meses.

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alliances, while resulting disease such as smallpox, and the conquest and ethnic cleansing itself caused a demographic reduction among the indigenous. In the sixteenth century, Europeans began to bring slaves from Africa.

Independence Day Since the beginning of the periods of Conquest and Colonization, there were several rebel movements under Spanish rule, most of them either being crushed or remaining too weak to change the overall situation. The last one which sought outright independence from Spain sprang up around 1810, following the independence of St. Domingue in 1804 (present day Haiti), who provided a non-negligible degree of support to the eventual leaders of this rebellion: Simón Bolívar and Francisco de Paula Santander.

Simón Bolívar had become the first President of Colombia, and Francisco de Paula Santander was Vice President; when Simón Bolívar stepped down, Santander became the second President of Colombia. The rebellion finally succeeded in 1819 when the territory of the Viceroyalty of New Granada became the Republic of Colombia organized as a union of Ecuador, Colombia and Venezuela (Panama was then an integral part of Colombia).

Tourism For many years serious internal armed conflict deterred tourists from visiting Colombia, with official travel advisories warning against travel to the country. However in recent years numbers have risen sharply, thanks to improvements in security resulting from President Álvaro Uribe’s «democratic security» strategy, which has included significant increases in military strength and police presence throughout the country and pushed rebel groups further away from the major cities, highways and tourist sites likely to attract international visitors.

Foreign tourist visits were predicted to have risen from 0.5 million in 2003 to 1.3 million in 2007, while Lonely Planet picked Colombia as one of their top ten world destinations for 2006. The improvements in the country’s security were recognized in November 2008 with a revision of the travel advice on Colombia issued by the British Foreign Office.

Colombia Minister for Industry, Trade and Tourism Luis Guillermo Plata said his country had receive 2,348,948 visitors in 2008. He is expecting 2,650,000 tourists for 2009.

Popular tourist attractions include the historic Candelaria district of central Bogotá, the walled city and beaches of Cartagena, the colonial

towns of Santa Fe de Antioquia, Popayan, Villa de Leyva and Santa Cruz de Mompox, and the Las Lajas Cathedral and the Salt Cathedral of Zipaquirá. Tourists are also drawn to Colombia’s numerous festivals, including Medellín’s Festival of the Flowers, the Barranquilla Carnival, the Carnival of Blacks and Whites in Pasto and the Ibero-American Theater Festival in Bogotá.

Meanwhile, because of the improved security, Caribbean cruise ships now stop at Cartagena and Santa Marta.

The great variety in geography, flora and fauna across Colombia has also resulted in the development of an ecotourist industry, concentrated in the country’s national parks. Popular ecotourist destinations include: along the Caribbean coast, the Tayrona National Natural Park in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountain range and Cabo de la Vela on the tip of the Guajira Peninsula; the Nevado del Ruiz volcano, the Cocora valley and the Tatacoa Desert in the central Andean region; Amacayacu National Park in the Amazon River basin; and the Pacific islands of Malpelo and Gorgona. Colombia is home to seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Ethnic groups The census data in Colombia does not record ethnicity, other than that of those identifying themselves as members of particular minority ethnic groups, so overall percentages are essentially estimates from other sources and can vary from one to another.

According to the CIA World Factbook, the majority of the population (58%) is mestizo, or of mixed European and Amerindian ancestry. 20% is of European ancestry only (predominantly of Spanish, with some Italian, Portuguese and German ancestry), 14% mulatto (of mixed European and black African ancestry), 4% of black African ancestry only, and 3% zambo (of mixed Amerindian and black African ancestry).

Pure indigenous Amerindians comprise only 1% of the population. The overwhelming majority of Colombians speak Spanish (see also Colombian Spanish), but in total 101 languages are listed for Colombia in the Ethnologue database, of which 80 are spoken today as living languages. Most of these belong to the Chibchan, Arawak and Cariban linguistic families. The Quechua language, spoken by descendants of the Inca empire, has also extended northwards into Colombia, mainly in urban centers of the southern

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achieved success, including Formula 1 Racing’s Juan Pablo Montoya, Major League Baseball’s Edgar Rentería and Orlando Cabrera, and the PGA Tour’s Camilo Villegas.

Other famous Colombians include the Nobel Prize winning author Gabriel Garcia Marquez, the artist Fernando Botero, the writers Fernando Vallejo, Laura Restrepo, Álvaro Mutis and James Cañón, the musicians Shakira, Juanes, Carlos Vives and Juan Garcia-Herreros, and the actors Catalina Sandino Moreno, John Leguizamo, Catherine Siachoque and Sofia Vergara.

El escritor colombiano Gabriel García Márquez

highlands. There are currently about 500,000 speakers of indigenous languages.

Culture Colombia lies at the crossroads of Latin America and the broader American continent, and as such has been marked by a wide range of cultural influences. Native American, Spanish and other European, African, American, Caribbean, and Middle Eastern influences, as well as other Latin American cultural influences, are all present in Colombia’s modern culture.

Urban migration, industrialization, globalization, and other political, social and economic changes have also left an impression.

An inheritance from the colonial era, Colombia remains a deeply Roman Catholic country and maintains a large base of Catholic traditions which provide a point of unity for its multicultural society. Colombia has many celebrations and festivals throughout the year, and the majority are rooted in these Catholic religious traditions. However, many are also

infused with a diverse range of other influences.

The mixing of various different ethnic traditions is reflected in Colombia’s music and dance. The most wellknown Colombian genres are cumbia and vallenato, the latter now strongly influenced by global pop culture. A powerful and unifying cultural medium in Colombia is television. Most famously, the telenovela Betty La Fea has gained international success through localized versions in the United States, Mexico, and elsewhere. Television has also played a role in the development of the local film industry.

As in many Latin American countries, Colombians have a passion for football. The Colombian national football team is seen as a symbol of unity and national pride, though local clubs also inspire fierce loyalty and sometimes-violent rivalries. Colombia has «exported» many famous players, such as Freddy Rincon, Carlos Valderrama, Iván Ramiro Córdoba, and Faustino Asprilla. Other Colombian athletes have also

The cuisine of Colombia Developed mainly from the food traditions of European countries.

Spanish, Italian and French culinary influences can all be seen in Colombian cooking. The cuisine of neighboring Latin American countries, Mexico, the United States and the Caribbean, as well as the cooking traditions of the country’s indigenous inhabitants, have all influenced Colombian food.

Many national symbols, both objects and themes, have arisen from Colombia’s diverse cultural traditions and aim to represent what Colombia, and the Colombian people, have in common. Cultural expressions in Colombia are promoted by the government through the Ministry of Culture.

Colombian food is characterized by its blending of European cuisine with aspects of African and indigenous cuisine.

Even though there is no consensus as to which one dish can be considered the true «national dish,» the arepa and sancocho can be considered excellent candidates.

Other well-known regional dishes include the bandeja paisa, ajiaco, the lechona Tolimense, the mote de queso, and cuchuco.

Fritanga is a set of dishes that can be likened to barbecue. It is enjoyed throughout the entire country.

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Fritanga usually includes grilled beef and chicken, pigs feet, leg of lamb, ribs, and sausage such as morcilla, chorizo, longaniza, and chunchullo (fried cow intestines) accompanied by mini potatoes and arepas made of choclo (sweet corn).

Staples of the Colombian diet include tubers such as potatoes and cassava, along with meat such as beef, chicken, pork, or fish. Grains such as corn and rice are widely consumed.

The plantain is an important element of the Colombian diet, as are vegetables such as onion, garlic, pepper, and tomato. Legumes such as beans, peas, and lentils are eaten very frequently.

A myriad of fruit species grow in Colombia, and many fruits considered «exotic» commonly grow in Colombian forests and in the countryside. The climate and geography favor a great variety of crops, as well as a great variety of both freshwater and saltwater fish. ·Bandeja Paisa, a traditional dish from the Paisa region, consists of white rice, red beans, ground beef, plantain, dirty rice chorizo (or morcilla), chicharron, arepa, avocado and a fried egg. Along with Ajiaco, the bandeja paisa is considered to be one of the national dishes. ·Sancocho, is a popular soup originating from the Valle del Cauca region. It combines vegetables and poultry or fish with recipes differing from one region to the other, but usually contains yuca, maize, and is frequently eaten with banana slices. ·Ajiaco ·Tamales ·Cuchuco is a thick soup made of wheat, fava beans, potatoes, ribs, peas, from Boyacá. ·Mondongo Colombian beverages like: ·Agua de Panela is made by dissolving panela (a kind of sugarloaf) in hot water. ·Aguardiente is alcoholic drink derived from sugarcane. Aguardiente is a variation of the Spanish alcoholic drink.

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PANAMA Panamá, oficialmente la República de Panamá, es el país de Centroamérica ubicado mas al sur. Bordeado por Costa Rica al noroeste, Colombia al sudeste, Mar Caribe al norte y Oceano Pacifico al sur. La capital es ciudad de Panamá.

Panamá es un centro de negocios internacional, es la cuarta economía más grande en Centroamérica, el país de mayor crecimiento de consumo per capita en Centroamérica.

Etimología Existen muchas teorías acerca del origen del nombre «Panamá». Algunos creen que el nombre es debido a ciertas especies de árboles encontrados en la región. Otros dicen que los primeros expedicionarios que llegaron a las tierras, divisaron muchas mariposas que los indígenas mencionaban en sus lenguas nativas. La mejor de las versiones es la de unos Pescadores mencionando que existía «mucho pescado», palabras que sonaban en su idioma nativo como «panama». Reuniendo todas estas creencias, los panameños creen que la palabra panama significa» abundancia de pescados, árboles y mariposas».

Período Precolombino Los primeros pobladores en Panama eran artesanos, alfareros, asi como la cultura Monagrillo que data del 2500-1700 AC. Las monumentales esculturas monolíticas de Chiriqui es una importante pista de culturas antiguas. Antes de la llegada de los españoles, Panamá estaba habitada por Chibchas, Chocoan y gente de Cueva.

Era de la Conquista Rodrigo de Bastidas, fue el primer explorador del istmo de Panama. Vasco Nunez de Balboa explore la tierra desde el Atlántico al Pacífico confirmando que Panamá era la ruta de acceso a los dos océanos, convirtiéndose asi en un imperio español de comercio y cruce de rutas en el Nuevo Mundo. Plata y oro fueron traídos de Sudamérica, y embarcados en Panamá para la ruta a España. La ruta se conoció como Camino Real.

Cuando Panama fue colonizada, los indígenas sobrevivieron muchas enfermedades, masacres y esclavitud , pronto los amerindios fueron reemplazados por esclavos africanos.

La ruta de Panamá siempre fue vulnerable a ataques piratas (holandeses e ingleses) y de africanos llamados cimarros que vivían en comunas o palenques alrededor del Camino Real en el interior de Panama.

En 1713, el virreynato de Nueva Granada fue creado en respuesta a las amenzas europeas por tomar el territorio. Panamá fue puesta bajo jurisdicción.

Independencia de España Panama alcanzó su independencia como otros países centroamericanos en 1821. Mientras Panamá era de gran importancia histórica para el imperio

Grafitti en Ciudad de Panamá

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Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is the southernmost country of both Central America and, in turn, North America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The capital is Panama City.

Panama is an international business center, and although it is only the fourth largest economy in Central America, after Guatemala, Costa Rica and El Salvador, it is the fastest growing economy and the largest per capita consumer in Central America.

Etimology There are several theories about the origin of the name «Panama».

Some believe that the country was named after a commonly found species of tree. Others believe that the first settlers arrived in Panama in August, when butterflies abound, and that the name means «many butterflies» in indigenous tongue. The best known of these versions is that a village populated by fishermen originally bore the name «Panamá», after a beach nearby, and that this name meant «many fish». Blending all of the above together, Panamanians believe in general that the word Panama means «abundance of fish, trees and butterflies».

This is the official definition given in Social Studies textbooks approved by the Ministry of Education in Panama. Some believe the word Panama comes from the Kuna word «Bannaba» which means «distant» or «far away». Kunas are one of the native tribes of the Latin American nation.

Ultimately, the etymology of the word Panamá is not very clear, but the «abundance of fish, trees and butterflies» theory is the most extended among Panamanians.

Pre-Columbian period The earliest coloms traces of these indigenous peoples include fluted projectile points. Central Panama was home to some of the first potterymaking villages in the Americas, such as the Monagrillo culture dating to about 2500-1700 BC. These evolved into significant populations that are best known through the spectacular burials of the Conte site (dating to c. AD 500-900) and the beautiful polychrome pottery of the Coclé style. The monumental monolithic sculptures at the Barriles (Chiriqui) site were another important clue of the ancient isthmian cultures. Prior to the arrival of Europeans, Panama was widely settled by Chibchan, Chocoan, and Cueva peoples, among whom the largest group were the Cueva (whose specific language affiliation is poorly documented).

There is no accurate knowledge of size of the indigenous population of the isthmus at the time of the European conquest. Estimates range as high as two million people, but more recent studies place that number closer to 200,000. Archeological finds as well as testimonials by early European explorers describe diverse native isthmian groups exhibiting cultural variety and suggesting people already conditioned by regular regional routes of commerce.

Conquest era Rodrigo de Bastidas, sailing westward from Venezuela in 1501 in search of gold, was the first European to explore the isthmus of Panama. A year later, Christopher Columbus visited the isthmus and established a short-lived settlement in the Darien. Vasco Nunez de Balboa’s tortuous trek from the Atlantic to the Pacific in 1513 demonstrated that the Isthmus was, indeed, the path between the seas, and Panama quickly became the crossroads and marketplace of Spain’s empire in the New World.

Gold and silver were brought by ship from South America, hauled across

Transporte Público en ciudad de Panamá

español, las diferencias sociales y económicas eran grandes. Fue entonces que el Grito de la Villa de Los Santos ocurrió. Fue una decisión unilateral de los residentes de Azuero para declarar la separación del gobierno español.

Cultura La cultura de Panamá se deriva de música española junto con el arte y las tradiciones. Se han creado formas híbridas entre la mezcla Africana y nativos americanos con la cultura europea. Por ej, el tamborito es una danza española que fue fusionada con ritmos nativos americanos, temas y movimientos. El folklore local se ha transmitido de generación en generación. Ciudades locales tienen reggae en español, música cubana, colombiana, jazz, blues, salsa, y rock.

Fuera de ciudad de Panamá, festivales regionales toman lugar presentando músicos y bailarines locales. Sus productos tradicionales comprenden desde tallados en madera, máscaras ceremoniales y alfarería.

Turismo El turismo panameño ha crecido en los últimos cinco años. Los turistas que llegaron entre enero y septiembre de 2008 fueron 1.100.000 visitantes.

El índice creció en un 23.1% .La mayoría de los europeos turistas son

españoles, italianos, franceses y británicos.

La ley 8 de Panamá es la mas moderna y comprensiva ley de promoción a la inversión de turismo.

Esta ley incentiva el 100% de exenciones en impuestos para construcción de materiales y equipos turísticos.

Comidas Panama tiene una rica y única cocina.

AL ser un puente entre dos continentes, es bendecido con una inusual variedad de frutas tropicales, vegetales y hierbas usadas en comida típica. Cocina influenciada por España, Africa y nativos americanos. Cilantro es un común sazonador, tenemos platos como el sancocho y comunes ingredientes como maíz, arroz, harina de trigo, plátanos, yuca, carne, pollo y comida de mar como corvina, camarones y langosta.

Playas Panameñas

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Independence from Spain

Construcción colonial en Panamá

the isthmus, and loaded aboard ships for Spain. The route became known as the Camino Real, or Royal Road, although it was more commonly known as Camino de Cruces (Road of the Crosses) because of the abundance of gravesites along the way.

Panama was part of the Spanish empire for 300 years (1538–1821).

From the outset, Panamanian identity was based on a sense of «geographic destiny,» and Panamanian fortunes fluctuated with the geopolitical importance of the isthmus. The colonial experience also spawned Panamanian nationalism as well as a racially complex and highly stratified society, the source of internal conflicts that ran counter to the unifying force of nationalism.

In 1538 the Real Audiencia de Panama was established, initially with jurisdiction from Nicaragua to Cape Horn. A Real Audiencia (royal audiency) was a judicial district that functioned as an appeals court. Each audiencia had oidores (Spanish: hearer, a judge).

Panama was the site of the ill-fated Darien scheme, which set up a Scottish colony in the region in 1698.

This failed for a number of reasons, and the ensuing debt contributed to the union of England and Scotland in 1707.

When Panama was colonized, the indigenous peoples who survived many diseases, massacres and enslavement of the conquest ultimately fled into the forest and nearby islands. Indian slaves were replaced by Africans.

The prosperity enjoyed during the first two centuries (1540-1740) while contributing to colonial growth; the placing of extensive regional judicial authority (Real Audiencia) as part of its jurisdiction; and the pivotal role it played at the height of the Spanish Empire -the first modern global empire- helped define a distinctive sense of autonomy and of regional or national identity within Panama well before the rest of the colonies.

In 1744 Bishop Francisco Javier de Luna Victoria y Castro established the College of San Ignacio de Loyola and on June 3, 1749 founded La Real y Pontificia Universidad de San Javier.

By this time, however, Panama’s importance and influence had become insignificant as Spain’s power dwindled in Europe and advances in navigation technique increasingly permitted to round Cape Horn in order to reach the Pacific.

While the Panama route was short it was also labor intensive and expensive because of the loading and unloading and laden-down trek required to get from the one coast to the other. The Panama route was also vulnerable to attack from pirates (mostly Dutch and English) and from ‘new world’ Africans called cimarrons who had freed themselves from enslavement and lived in communes or palenques around the Camino Real in Panama’s Interior, and on some of the islands off Panama’s Pacific coast. During the last half of the XVIII century and the first half of the XIX migrations to the countryside decreased Panama City’s population and the isthmus’ economy shifted from the tertiary to the primary sector.

In 1713, the viceroyalty of New Granada (northern South America) was created in response to other Europeans trying to take Spanish territory in the Caribbean region. The Isthmus of Panama was placed under its jurisdiction. But the remoteness of Santa Fe de Bogota proved a greater obstacle than the Spanish crown anticipated as the authority of New Granada was contested by the seniority, closer proximity, previous ties to the viceroyalty of Lima and even Panama’s own initiative. This uneasy relationship between Panama and Bogota would persist for a century.

Modern Panamanian history has been shaped by its transisthmian canal, which had been a dream since the beginning of Spanish colonization.

From 1880 to 1890, a French company under Ferdinand de Lesseps attempted unsuccessfully to

Panama joined the independence bandwagon like most of the other Central American countries, in 1821.

While Panama was of great historical importance to the Spanish Empire, the differences in social and economic status between the more liberal area of Azuero, and the much more royalist and conservative area of Veraguas displayed contrasting perspectives. It is, in fact, known that when the Grito de la Villa de Los Santos occurred, Veraguas firmly opposed the motion for independence.

On the other hand, the Panamanian movement for independence can be indirectly attributed to the abolishment of the encomienda system in Azuero, set forth by the Spanish Crown, in 1558 due to repeated protests by

believed that their counterparts were fighting their right to rule, once the peninsulares (peninsular-born) were long gone.

It was, as well, an incredibly brave move on the part of Azuero, which lived in fear of Colonel José de Fábrega, and with good reason: the Colonel was a staunch loyalist, and had the entirety of the isthmus’ military supplies in his hands. They feared quick retaliation and swift retribution against the separatists.

What they had not counted on, however, was the influence of the separatists in the capital. Ever since October 1821, when the former Governor General, Juan de la Cruz Murgeón, left the isthmus on a campaign in Quito and left the Veraguan colonel in charge, the separatists had been slowly converting Fábrega to the separatist side. As such, by November 10,

Canal de Panamá

locals against the mistreatment of the native population. In its stead, a system of medium and smaller-sized landownership was promoted, thus taking away the power from the large landowners and into the hands of medium and small sized proprietors.

The end of the encomienda system in Azuero, however, sparked the conquest of Veraguas in that same year. Under the leadership of Francisco Vázquez, the region of Veraguas passed into Castillan rule in 1558. In the newly conquered region, the old system of encomienda was imposed.

On November 10, 1821, the Grito de La Villa de Los Santos occurred. It was a unilateral decision by the residents of Azuero (without backing from Panama City) to declare their separation from the Spanish Empire.

In both Veraguas and the capital this act was met with disdain, although on differing levels of said emotion. To Veraguas, it was the ultimate act of treason, while to the capital, it was seen as inefficient and irregular, and furthermore forced them to accelerate their plans.

The Grito was an event that shook the isthmus to the core. It was a sign, on the part of the residents of Azuero, of their antagonism towards the independence movement in the capital, who in turn regarded the Azueran movement with contempt, since they (the capital movement)

Fábrega was now a supporter of the independence movement. Soon after the separatist declaration of Los Santos, Fábrega convened every organization in the capital with separatist interests and formally declared the city’s support for independence.

No military repercussions occurred due to the skillful bribing of royalist troops.

Culture The culture of Panama derived from European music, art and traditions that were brought over by the Spanish to Panama. Hegemonic forces have created hybrid forms of this by blending African and Native American culture with European culture. For example, the tamborito is a Spanish dance that was blended with Native American rhythms, themes and dance moves. Dance is a symbol of the diverse cultures that have coupled in Panama. The local folklore can be experienced through a multitude of festivals, dances and traditions that have been handed down from generation to generation. Local cities host live Reggae en Español, Cuban, Reggaeton, Kompa, Colombian, jazz, blues, salsa, reggae and rock performances. Outside of Panama City, regional festivals take place throughout the year featuring local musicians and dancers. Another example of Panama’s blended culture is reflected in the traditional products.