by J. Robertson Miller Few people know about this or have seen it. The geographical center of Panamá is located at a small triangular park in Penonomé, located 143 km west of Panamá City. Called Parque 8 de diecembre, its name almost bigger than the site it sits on. It is on Calle Manuel…
by J Robertson Miller, 3 Feb 2023 Professor Danae led us on a visit to this small museum honoring the history of the Afroantillian community. It is located on Calle 24 Este and Avenida Justo Arosemana across from the Metro station 5 de Mayo. This wooden structure began life as the Christian Mission Chapel in…
Photos from La Noche de Los Cocuyos by Danae Brugaiati Boussounis, 2019, used with permission Copies of this and her other books available from her at Spanish Panama Language School. By J Robertson Miller, 2023 December The inverted question mark and the inverted exclamation mark are unique to the Spanish language. A few non-Spanish languages,…
by J Robertson Miller, 2024 Banco Nacíonal recently reopened their museum to display artifacts and showcase their history. The museum is housed in a lovely house that was built in 1925. They have maintained the architectural beauty of the house. Jairo Pacheco met us on arrival and ushered us into the climate-controlled interior. The…
June 25 2023 Panama has people from many nations who celebrate their national origins. Today it is the Italians’ day to show off their culture and foods. The event was held at the Instituto Italiano Enrico Fermi school, a school uniting two cultures and teacheing three languages (Spanish, Italian and English). There was something for…
Students sometimes ask about places to visit. The Bahai’i Temple combines a unique building with photo-op scenery and, if you wish, the opportunity, only if you are interested, to learn about this faith. Many locals don’t know the temple exists and even some tour guides will have to search their location apps. When you see…
June 17 2023 This was an opportunity to see some of the lesser known works of Pablo Picasso (1881-1973). The exhibition was organized by FUNIBER (Fundacion Universitaria iberoamericana) to mark the 50th anniversary of Pablo Picasso’s death. Because the pictures are owned by Spain the flags of Spain and the European Union are on display,…
August 17-21, 2022 Books galore plus music and dances. So much to see and hear. People of all ages enjoying themselves, buying books, reading to children, and, in the food court, visiting with friends over coffee and pastries. On entry, we were given a schedule of events with times and places. There was something for…
text and photos by J Robertson Miller 2021 November 30 Panama is a cultural cross road where traditions of many peoples are celebrated. The Day of the Dead is a Mexican tradition celebrated on November 1 and 2. It originated as a mixture of the Catholic All Souls Day, All Saints’ Day and various customs…
June 7 2021 Students ask about things to do beyond churches and museums. Consider an island trip. We boarded the catamaran which took us to the island. Birds flew close to the boat hunting for fish in the boat’s wake, seemingly oblivious to the rain. As we arrived, the rain stopped and we got our…
