Azuero is a peninsula in southern Panama and is proudly called by Panamanians as the heart of their culture and tradition. While the exterior regions of Azuero are coastal towns lined with long beautiful beaches, the inner parts are rural villages focused on agriculture and cattle farming.
Interior Azuero retains a strong colonial flavor to date. The culture and traditions follow a time from centuries ago. While you are here, make sure to try the chiricanos, which is a pre-Columbian dish made from a bold combination of coconut, ground corn, and honey, and sugar-packed in a banana leaf and roasted.
This part of Azuero is unexplored and unknown to many visitors. Nevertheless, its colonial charm has been thoroughly appreciated by the tourists who have stumbled here by chance.
Pese
Pese is a small farming village located about 25 km away from Chitre. The only place of interest in this town is Varela Hermanos, the biggest distillery in Panama that produces seco, an alcoholic drink made from sugarcane. The distillery is open only during the harvest season from January to March. If you are planning a visit during that time, make sure you book tours for the distillery in advance. There are four different tours available, and they all include tastings. Apart from seco, Ron Abuelo, a popular rum is also produced.
Pese is a beautiful collage of shades of green. All over the village, there are vast stretches of agricultural land. You can see sugarcane fields everywhere; the sugarcane from here is used in the distillery. There are no hotels or stays in Pese, so you can plan for a day trip.
Apart from the distillery, the reenactment of the Passion of Christ during Good Friday celebrations is lauded.
Ocu
Ocu is a small sleepy town in interior Azuero that hosts the best festivals in Panama. The large cathedral of Ocu forms a major part of the town square. On Sundays, the town square is packed with people socializing after church. It is lovely to see people still coming out and having a good time in this decade. We don’t see such gatherings in big cities. Here, you can buy Ocu’s version of the Panama hat called ‘sombreros ocueños’. Festival Nacional del Manito Ocueño and Feria De San Sebastian are the grandest festivals celebrated here. These occasions feature folk dances and performances that reflect the roots of Panamanian culture.
Los Pozos
Los Pozos is a small agricultural town that is famous for its music and clothing. A traditional form of music called ‘tipico’ is enjoyed by the locals here and is usually accompanied by a dance. The people have a unique style of greeting called ‘grito’, which sounds similar to a howl. It was initially used to call out to one another while working amidst the tall grass and has continued even now to greet each other while passing on the street.
Macaracas
Macaracas is a sleepy town with no tourist attractions, but it puts up a splendid annual performance of the Magi. Fiesta de Los Reyes Magos, as it is known, is a drama performance of the Magi or Three Wise Men on January 6 every year to celebrate the Epiphany. Over forty actors, young and old, take part in this two-hour enactment. It also includes a parade of a unique style of carts. The performance takes place outdoors.
Parita
If you wish to know what Panama looked like during colonial rule, just take a trip to Parita. This charming village has streets lined with tall, narrow buildings that have a pretty front decorated with natural climbers and flowers. This village is a lesser-known place, and as such, you will not find many visitors here and can enjoy the town all by yourself. The Iglesia de Santo Domingo de Guzmán is a beautiful 18th-century cathedral built in the baroque style. An interesting aspect of this church is the location of its bell tower; it is directly above the entrance instead of in the usual corner. Parita is also home to Dario Lopez, one of Panama’s revered mask makers. His masks are beautifully scary and colorful, and are used in cultural performances and costumes.
La Arena
La Arena is a small village near Chitre and is renowned for its pottery. You can get the best pottery in Panama here. Once you enter the village, you will find streets lined with shops and vendors hawking prices. You can choose from a wide variety of cups, mugs, plates, bowls, pots, and decorative pieces. You can find a strong reflection of native pre-Colombian styles in these products, which you can take home as memories.
Apart from pottery, La Arena is renowned for its bread; all of Panama enjoys the bread made here. You can stop at one of the bakeries, called ‘panaderias’, to try the bread, pastries, and cookies.
Corpus Christi
Corpus Christi is the quintessential Panamanian festival that takes place sixty days after Good Friday. The traditional processions of the festival involve the cross being carried across the streets and a masquerade of men dressed up as devils, to symbolize evil; they chase people all over the streets. Throughout the festival, people dress up, drink, dance, and parade all over town. On the closing day of the festival, the Great Devil is chased out of the church by the good devils to symbolize the victory of good over evil. The performances are very dramatic and will leave you with a lasting impression.
Festival de la Mejorana
A colorful and breathtaking event, this festival takes place in late September in the Guarare district. Dance groups from all over the country and even other Latin American countries come here annually for this fiesta. You can witness a fusion of folk dances at these parades. Devil dances are very common and thousands flock here to witness the performances. The music, costumes, and dances display the rich culture of these ethnic groups. Similar to other festivals here, it includes a queen and a coronation. Fireworks are set off at different stages during the festival.
Stay And Food
Interior Azuero is often overlooked by tourists, and as such, there are very few accommodations here. It is best to put up in Chitre, where there are plenty of stays to choose from. You can find eateries, but they mostly serve typical native food. It will be a good chance for you to try out the local cuisine.
Nearby Attractions
- Chitre: A beautiful colonial town with a quaint church and museum rich in history.
- Isla Iguana: The most Caribbean island ever is home to white sandy beaches, clear turquoise waters, and a colorful underwater world.
- Isla Canas: Nesting grounds for Olive Ridley turtles; you can also find four other species of turtles here.
- Playa Venao: The best beach in Panama for surfing and has an amazing nightlife.
What’s Nearby?
