Azuero Festivals

Carnaval is celebrated throughout Panama [1], but those who can get away try to come to the Azuero Peninsula [2] during those four days of partying. The Carnaval celebration in Las Tablas [3], in southeastern Azuero, is the most famous in the country.

For those who don’t mind a madhouse, this is the place to be. Smaller but no less enthusiastic Carnaval celebrations are held in other towns and villages throughout the peninsula.

Another big event is the Festival de Corpus Christi [4], which takes over the tiny town of La Villa de Los Santos [5] for two weeks between May and July every year. Ostensibly an allegory about the triumph of Christ over evil, it’s most notable for its myriad dances, especially those featuring revelers in fiendishly elaborate devil costumes.

Then there’s the Festival Nacional de la Mejorana [6], Panama’s largest folkloric festival, which takes over the sleepy town of Guararé [7] each September. It draws performers and spectators from around the country.

That’s just for starters. Los Santos alone has more religious festivals than any other province in the country.

Dates for some of these festivals change yearly. ATP, Panama [1]’s ministry of tourism, publishes updated lists of festival dates and details each year. Stop by any of the several ATP (ministry of tourism) offices scattered throughout the Azuero. This is one part of the country ATP does a decent job of covering, especially when it comes to the parties.

It sometimes feels as though the entire Azuero Peninsula [2] is dedicated to preserving the past, at least symbolically. This includes maintaining the charming but definitely antiquated custom of the junta de embarre (rough translation: “the mudding meeting”), in which neighbors gather to build a rustic mud home, called a casa de quincha, for newlyweds.

Miniature versions of these are sometimes made during folkloric events. Some tradition-minded music festivals go so far as to ban, by town decree, the use of newfangled instruments—such as the six-string classical guitar.