By J Robertson Miller, 2023 What is called the Panamá hat is actually from Ecuador. Various stories tell how this mis-naming came about. However there is a hat, made in Panamá, called the Pintao hat or the sombrero pintada. Only a few hundred artisans practice the craft of making these hats. In 2017, UNESCO declared…
by J. Robertson Miller, 2023 Panamá City is multicultural. Throughout the year various groups hold festivals to showcase their foods and cultures. In March, the Greek community held its fiesta at the Greek Orthodox Church. It was a fundraiser so there was a small entrance fee. Everything was decorated in the traditional blue and white…
text and photos by J Robertson Miller 2023 April 19 Professors Victoria and Danae led students from our school to the Ministry of Culture to practice Spanish comprehension and experience the presentation of a newly published book. The event was held in a large room with large windows. Glass doors opened onto a balcony that…
text and photos by J Robertson Miller July 11 2022 My friends from Spanish Panama & I visited the Jardines del Bonsai at the Parque Natural Metropolitano in the heart of Panama City. Impressive plants that have been nurtured over many years, if not decades. We met and enjoyed our visit with the owner, Senor…
text and photos by J Robertson Miller 2023 May 7 We are lucky that we visited the ruins of the original Panama City in 2023 rather than in 1671. That was the year Henry Morgan and his ruthless crew attacked and destroyed the city. A horrendous time. The pirates were cruel, engaging in the usual…
text and photos by J Robertson Miller 2022 Dec 16 Some students ask about the plants and animals of Panama. There are several places worth visiting. Close to the city, on the Amador, is the Smithsonian’s Punta Culebra Nature Center which has reopened to the public since the pandemic. As you wander around the area…
text & photos by J Robertson Miller 2023 May 10 Many of our students want to experience Panamanian food and culture. They want to know of interesting places to eat and there are many in the country. The oldest cafe in Panama City is located on the edge of Casco Viejo, facing Santa Ana Park.…
text and photos by J Robertson Miller November 4 is the Panamanian Flag day, a national holiday. It is one of a series of holidays called Fiestas Patrias. To see the largest flag in the country, look at the flag flown on Ancon hill. It doesn’t look very big when you see it from the…
text and photos by J Robertson Miller 2023 April 18 After meeting at the Ministry of Culture, we rode with Dr. Aleyda De Gracia to the Parlatino which is the Latin American Parliament, in Amador. Professor Danae, from our school, had accepted the invitation to present a new book titled Prisma Marino. Its author, His…
text and photos by J Robertson Miller 2023 May 9 If you have the chance, go to an event at the Anita Villalaz Theater in Casco Viejo. It is a charming and intimate theater, a type now disappearing. It was built between 1931 and 1936. Originally, this neoclassical building was used as the Hearing Room…
