Las Tablas, the capital of La Villa de Los Santos, is located on the Azuero Peninsula, a few kilometers away from the Gulf of Panama. Las Tablas is a renowned center of Panamanian folklorism, including the art, culture, music, architecture, and literature of the country. The city has a fine church and a museum exclusively dedicated to a local statesman, the only person to have served three terms as the President of Panama, Belisario Porras. The city is known for a lively annual carnival and for its combined patron-saint and Pollera festival, a scintillating event involving a religious ceremony, medieval merrymaking, and a beauty contest.
Attractions
The city is famous for a fine church and a beautiful museum. Features of both these places are described below.
Iglesia Santa Librada
This baroque-style church is one of the major tourist attractions in the city. The church features a beautiful gold-leaf altar made of cedar wood, and its walls and base give the taste of the local art and culture. The church suffered through a major earthquake in 1802, and also a fire in 1958. Its cedar wood-made altar was renovated in 2001.
Museo Belisario Porras
This museum in Las Tablas is the former home of a local statesman, Belisario Porras, who served three terms as the Panamanian President between 1912 and 1924. He is credited with a lot of infrastructural development in the country, the opening of the Panama Canal being the biggest achievement under his administration. The museum contains numerous artifacts based on his life and serves as a monument to the achievements of this decorated man.
Festivals and Events
The capital city of Los Santos is most famous for its carnivals and festivities. The major yearly events include:
The Carnaval
It is the most recognizable event in Panama. It is a four-day event that ends on Ash Wednesday. During the event, people divide themselves into two groups called ‘Tunas’, one Tuna representing the upper street, and the other representing the lower street. The competition starts after both groups elect their queens. Each day, members parade in street clothes and sing songs poking fun at the rival group. The groups try to unsettle each other by tossing tinted water, blue dye, and even shaving cream at each other. The parades are followed by plentiful fireworks, festive dances, street performances, and a large dancing party until the early hours of the morning. These are by far the best days in the city.
Fiesta de la Pollera
Since 1957, the Fiesta de la Pollera festival, part of the four-day Fiestas Petronales de Santa Librada festival, is celebrated every year on July 22nd. The event features a parade of young women modeling the traditional costumes who are judged on their grace and the authenticity and intricateness of their costume design.
Places to Stay and Eat
Las Tablas offers two of the best staying options in the country:
Hotel Piamonte
This hotel is located just steps away from Belisario Porras Park and museum, and just half a mile from the church. The hotel offers forty-four guestrooms with free Wi-Fi, LCD TVs, separate bathtubs and showers. A restaurant, bar, and lounge are also featured at this venue.
Hotel Don Jesus
Another hotel named Don Jesus is located just a 10-minute walk from the Iglesia Santa Librada and the Peninsula de Azuero. Guestrooms offer ceiling fans, landlines, and TVs, but don’t have ACs, which are honestly not required. Guests also receive free Wi-Fi and a free self-parking space. Apart from this, the hotel also features a terrace and a lovely garden for visitors.
Some of the best eating points in the city are:
Restaurante El Caseron
An international restaurant in the city emphasizes seafood, grills, and pizzas. It offers a beautiful, covered terrace for people to enjoy food and soothing Panamanian evenings together. It is one of the more comfortable venues for a sit-down meal in the city.
Los Portales
Featuring a colonial-style building, this low-key spot emphasizes grilled meat and local Panamanian dishes. It is famous for serving a delicious farm-style breakfast.
Boquitas Caseras
This café is a famous snack point in the city offering marinated meatballs, potato salad, and empanadas, the perfect hunger fix for people taking a break for a few minutes.
Guarare
This small town in the Los Santos Province is located on the Carretera Nacional between Chitre and Las Tablas. The place is famous for its folklore and music. The ‘Mejorana’ music festival celebrated here in September every year is the largest folkloric festival in Panama, attracting thousands of local and international tourists.
Famous Sights in Guarare
Academia de Costumbres Y Tradiciones Gabriel Villarreal
The Academy of Customs and Traditions Gabriel Villarreal is an arts center cum training center for young and budding artists, training them in various skills, including local instruments, folk songs, and dance forms. Visitors are always welcome to watch the proceedings of the center. It is located in the Melo building to the west of the church.
Museo Manual F Zarate
This museum set in the former home of F Zarate is a famous introduction to Guarare’s festivities. It contains traditional costumes, devil masks, and other folkloric items on display. Cultural performances take place on Monday and Friday afternoons.
Festival
The Mejorana festival celebrated here is the main folkloric event in Panama. During September, hundreds of delegations from all over the country visit Guarare to participate in the festival. These delegations show their dance and native musical expressions. The event has taken place within the framework of the Patron Saint of the Virgen de las Mercedes, in the month of September every year since 1949.
Places to Stay
Guarare doesn’t fall short on options with respect to accommodations. The best options available here include the La Casa del Puerto Apartment and the Residencial la Mejorana Hotel.
La Enea
This village renowned for producing the finest ‘Polleras’ in the Republic of Panama is situated 4 km north of Guarare. The importance of Pollera has evolved over the years. From being the routine attire of the Spanish lower class during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, Pollera is today a national costume, distinguished by its charming beauty and elegance. It a completely handmade outfit and a traditional assortment of jewelry worn with Pollera can cost up to $10,000 USD.
Conclusion
The above discussion highlights Las Tablas, the capital of the Los Santos Province and important areas surrounding it. It can be concluded that Las Tablas is symbolic of Panamanian culture and traditions, and has immense significance as far as the folkloric festivities and events in Panama are concerned. The area hosts the best events in the country, including the Carnaval and Mejorana festivals, which render an everlasting experience. This place is a must-visit for travel-holics all over the world.
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