Many times during the year we are asked what we do to keep busy during our retirement here in Panama. The truth is that we do not know how we ever had time to hold down jobs. We find ourselves amazed nearly every evening by the miraculous sunsets and every day seems to have an agenda of its own. Jen has been working remotely a little on the side by the wonderful power of the internet, and I have been doing a little writing aside from the blog. Later in this post I will share an excerpt from my book which is about 90 percent complete, but has yet to be delivered to the editor. I hope you will all find it interesting and provide me with permission to contact you, once it is published, to let you know how to get your hands on a copy.
We continue to have occasional guests and this past week we entertained Jen’s brother and his lovely wife. Their stay was much too short, but we managed to take them on a couple of great adventures. We have recently taken a wonderful trip to spend some time with some of my family in Florida. We found Florida to be cold by our standards having spent the better part of the last two years here in Panama. We spent the entire ten day trip wearing long pants and both of us came home with colds. I know we have mentioned it before, but Panama is a great place to explore from. In less than a month we will be traveling to Israel, Jordan, Greece, and Turkey where we will explore the holy lands and further our understanding of our Christian heritage. Shortly after our return, we have a vacation planned to connect with friends from the States in the Dominican Republic and in May we will be taking an item off our bucket list by visiting Machu Picchu. I hope to be able to share our adventures on Facebook and future blog posts.
Our adventure to Florida started with our flight into Miami where we rented a car and traveled up through alligator alley and the everglades to our final destination in Punta Gorda. My dad and sister live in the resort community there and have a life similar to ours in that many snowbirds spend half the year there and the rest of the year elsewhere. As great as the area is, I still could not imagine retirement anywhere that does not provide summer activities all year long. Our goal was to find never ending summer and we did that in Panama. I often find myself complaining about the drivers here in Panama, but frankly they are just as bad in Florida. The other huge factor for us is the cost of living. We would not have near the lifestyle in Florida that we have in Panama. We wanted to live where the month runs out before the money and Panama is working well for us. It was nice for us to visit because we needed to upgrade our cell phones and do a little shopping in addition to spending time with family and friends. There are things that we just cannot find readily available in Panama that we like to shop for while we are Stateside. We do shop from Panama on Amazon Prime, however we have to pay for the additional shipping from Miami to our home here. Panama does not have mail service and everything we have sent goes to a box in Coronado. Some people are bothered by not getting mail, however it has not been a problem for us at all. It was unbelievable how much junk was in our mailbox every day. Our daughter gets our important correspondence and forwards it on in an email. We pay our bills on-line like the majority of people living overseas. We also had the chance to meet some friends from our old church in Michigan who winter in Florida, and caught up with our good friends from here that are spending some time with his mother there. We returned from Florida on the day before the Super Bowl which was being played in Miami. It made our return interesting, with all the crazy football fans descending on the town.
It was only about five days after our return that Jen’s brother and his wife came to visit. We managed to take them to El Valle de Anton. Our first stop was the trailhead for India Dormida and the Piedra Pintada or “the painted rocks,” which are petroglyphs, going up to the India Dormida. This was an adventure that Jen and I had yet to do, and we all found it amazing. We hired a guide and he lead us first to the petroglyphs and on to several amazing falls before reaching the top. The hike is a bit difficult but well worth the effort. I recommend that only accomplished hikers take the trail all the way to the top and beyond. We stopped short of the top which was approximately 1 hour. Once at the top our guide explained that one would be able to see the rim of the volcano and the Sleeping Princess from a very different perspective. On the hike back down we came across a guy carrying a bunch of concrete blocks up the mountain. Our guide explained that his family had purchased property in the jungle on the back side of the mountain. The real estate there is much less expensive, but difficult to access. He was bringing the blocks to the building site of their new home. Subsequently we also passed a young girl who was carrying one block and an older woman who carried groceries.
The petroglyphs are pictured above. Our guide told us that the painted rocks were believed to be a map painted by natives for others that would be coming after them. After we left there we continued up the road a bit to el Macho. Jen and I took the easy hike to the waterfalls while Deb and Bill took in the experience by zip-line. We concluded the experience at El Valle by having a light lunch and visiting the market.
We also celebrated their anniversary at our favorite restaurant, relaxed on the beach, and at the pool. We concluded their stay with a couple of great adventures in Panama City. Our favorite guide Marc Vargas gave us a great walking tour of Casco Viejo which ended at a great rooftop venue where we enjoyed dinner and drinks while we watched the sunset. We found it quite amazing how far the restoration of Casco Viejo has come over the past couple of years.
The Cathedral of San Jose is one place that visitors should not miss. The golden alter was saved from the pirates when the priest covered it in tar to hide it from them. The Cathedral also has a wonderful recreation of Jerusalem depicting the nativity. We also visited the Panama Canal at the Mira Flores Locks and the Bio Diversity Museum. The Bio Diversity Museum was my inspiration for a chapter of my book. I am proud to share this chapter which is straight out of the rough draft and unedited.
The Panama Museum of Biodiversity Puente de Vida (“Bridge of Life”) is a portal to the richest and most diverse ecosphere on earth. It was designed by internationally renowned architect, Frank Gehry. It is located at the end of the Amador Causeway in Panama City, facing the Pacific Ocean at the entrance of the Panama Canal. The museum inspires as it educates about biodiversity – a complex but essential vision of life that is both a leading-edge scientific theory and a tool to protect our most precious ecological resources.
A visit to the museum is a must for visitors and residents in Panama. We have visited there three times now and each visit is a special experience. From the air the beautiful building is designed to look like a bird in flight. The first stop on the tour through the museum is a look at the animals that we share this land with. The animals are ranked on a wall as to their existence and some are now extinct. There are others that are only maintained in captivity. The golden toad is one of these creatures. It was thought to only exist in the dense unexplored jungle. Now there is belief that the toads are only still here in zoos and aquariums. The tour continues to a wonderful 360-degree film that challenges all your senses. It even plays on the floor. The film depicts the wonderful nature in Panama, including panoramic views of mountains, rivers, jungle, and oceans. As we continue, we learn how the land mass of Panama was created forming a connection between South and North America. Volcanos created what is called an isthmus between the two continents. The resulting land bridge allowed migration of many species of animals in both directions. It also caused a change in the biology of both the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. By blocking the flow of water between the two bodies of water two distinct oceans with different chemistries were created. This natural phenomenon caused the waters of the Pacific to warm and the Atlantic waters to remain colder. As we move along through the museum, we enter an area full of life size cast animals. This exhibit is very cool. It shows the animals in the size and magnitude in which they migrated from one continent to the other. Many we recognize as they are still here while many are now extinct. Much of what I have learned about the immergence of the isthmus of Panama, I learned from the exhibits at the Bio-Diversity Museum. The Great Biotic Interchange or the movement of plants and animals between North to South America began many millions of years ago. Many of the plants and animals found in Panama today have origins in North America while others have origins in South America. Panama continues to bridge the two continents providing annual migration routes for millions of birds. Other animals spread north or south through Panama due to environmental changes caused by humans. Humans first appeared in Africa approximately 120,000 years ago. They migrated to Europe, Asia and Australia between 30,000 and 50,000 years ago. The last continent to have human population was the Americas, somewhere between 15,000 and 20,000 years ago. The first Americans are believed to have come from Asia, with groups arriving at different times from different parts of Asia. Evidence shows that they were primarily hunter-gatherers living in low population densities. These various groups made various uses of resources in the different regions of the Americas. Panama’s environment began to change soon after the arrival of humans. Forests were burned to improve hunting and overhunting may have caused the extinction of some of the largest species of animals. Climate change played a part in the extinction of the largest animals by 10,000 BC, but it is believed that intensive hunting hastened much of the extinction. It is believed that humans inhabited Panama before 11,500 BC, but the earliest reliable evidence of Paleoindians dates to 11,500 BC. They were hunter-gatherers, but little is known about earlier inhabitants. It is thought that those early inhabitants lived along the coastal areas now submerged following the ice caps melting during the last ice age. Before the ice caps started to melt the sea-level was much lower causing the isthmus to be twice as wide as it is today. When humans arrived in Panama, they likely found many species of large animals which included giant sloths, glyptodonts, horses, and mastodonts. Most of these were extinct thousands of years ago including horses. The horses were later reintroduced to the isthmus by the Spanish around 1500 AD. The Paleoindians were constantly moving in search of game and food. They lived in most areas of the isthmus, but their communities were small, and evidence of their population has been found in a few rare sites. As the ice age ended there were big changes on the isthmus. The melting of the ice caps caused changes to the shape of the land as the sea level rose. The climate became warmer and wetter which transformed vegetation. People were forced to find new ways to survive in the new climate. By 6000 BC Panama’s coastlines were close to where they now exist. The warm wet climate caused the forests to spread in the lowlands while the cool-climate plants retreated to the highlands. People arriving to the Americas found many plants that were new to them. Through experimentation they found that many of these new plants provided good sources of food, medicine, and other uses. In Panama, wild fruits such as palm nuts, nance, and mamey provided adequate food sources. By 5000 BC inhabitants were beginning to grow arrowroot tubers, squash, and other food plants. They also grew gourds which were used to make containers. Maize originated in southeastern Mexico and spread along with cassava, chilis, and other crops through Panama into South America by 4,000 BC. Many of these crops remain important today. Farming was important to the region. People learned to improve crop yields by selecting the most productive varieties for their area. This agriculture provided a main diet rich in starch. The people of Panama also depended on hunting and fishing to add fat and protein to their diets. People developed tools to clear forest for farming and pottery to store and prepare food. People in Panama made simple pottery by 3500 BC. Eventually pottery became a sophisticated art form used to express ideas about religion and culture. Monagrillo pottery was crudely fired and rarely decorated. Later this pottery was fired with more care using special clays. Pots were polished, covered with fine clay and decorated or painted.
Ornaments made of gold, precious stones, bone, shell, and teeth from rare animals like sperm whales and jaguars provided ways for the rich and powerful to show off their status. After AD 700 artistic gold work found in Panama was made locally. The people of Panama learned gold crafting from South American artisans. Gold ornaments were an indication of status. As the population of the isthmus grew, families with rich land and other resources obtained status by trading prestigious items, crops and goods or by hosting feasts. Wealthy elites, headed by chiefs, gained dominance over territories that were called chiefdoms. The most productive land became occupied causing conflicts between neighboring communities which led to warfare. Leaders acquired stature by their success in battle. Barriles was the most important ceremonial center of the Gran Chiriqui chiefdoms. Statues and crafted stones found there were likely erected between AD 200 and AD 1000. The Gran Chiriqui had settled most of the western Pacific slope including the fertile highlands. Later villages were established in the Caribbean lowlands. An eruption of the Baru Volcano around AD 1000 may have caused them to abandon some of the highland valleys. The villages in the lowlands of both slopes thrived until the Spanish arrived. Sitio Conte and El Cano were two sites believed to have formed a single ceremonial and political center. Rich and powerful men were found buried here between AD 700 and AD 1000. These men were buried with exceptional numbers of crafted artifacts at both sites. A ceremonial site with natural columns built of basalt, carved stone pillars topped by human and animal carvings, and small stone animal idols was found at El Cano. Stunning artifacts made by the early Panamanians featured the nature that surrounded them as well as their beliefs about it. This art reflects a time when human imagination and the nature of the area enjoyed rich, rewarding independence. The isthmus between the continents natural barriers made it difficult for local travel. The high mountains and deep valleys extending the entire length of it created a distinct diversification of local cultures. By 1500 Panama was occupied by small chiefdoms. The first explorers and colonists from Europe provided us with a picture of what these societies were like. Where the populations were densest people lived in villages of up to a few hundred people. These villages consisted of small houses that had grass or palm-frond roofs, walls made of cane, and clay floors. Each village usually had a meeting house, an open space for gathering, and a mortuary where embalmed bodies of the dead were kept. People grew crops such as maize, cassava, sweet potatoes, and squash near the village. They hunted deer, peccaries, armadillos, iguanas, and large rodents nearby. Fishing was important along the coasts and estuaries. They fished with nets and traps as well as collecting shellfish and crabs. Food and goods were exchanged in market centers. Panamanian societies of the early 1500’s was medium in size and complexity compared to others in the Americas. Each village often had a different language from the next making communication difficult. Panama’s modern indigenous peoples have descended from groups who have lived on the isthmus for thousands of years. They have likely been here since the first humans arrived. Evidence by means of genetics and linguistics show no signs of recent migrations into Panama from afar. Despite modern upheaval and change, there is a fundamental continuity between ancient societies and those groups who still live in Panama today.
When Columbus arrived in 1492 the two worlds collided. The people of the Americas had been isolated for nearly 15,000 years from the other continents. The technologies agriculture, and societies were very different from the rest of the world. Panama was like the rest of the Americas when the upheaval of the arrival of Europeans brought drastic changes. The native people were decimated by warfare and foreign diseases; they were displaced by European colonists and their African slaves. New domestic plants and animals were brought in, transforming the landscape. The Spanish occupation of the South American mainland began in 1510. Settlements in Columbia to the east appeared in just a few years, with the Spanish exploring much of the region and subjugating many of the indigenous people. By 1519 Panama City on the Pacific coast was founded by governor Pedrarias Davila. A system of roads was constructed shifting the focus of Spanish settlement from the Caribbean port of Nombre de Dios to the Pacific slope. The arrival of Europeans caused death and destruction of the native people. The indigenous cultures were shattered by warfare, enslavement, and disease-causing catastrophic loss of life. By 1550 the native people were nearly gone from large areas where most of the Spanish were settling, especially the Pacific coast. Today more than 70% of Panama’s population is of mixed ancestry. The Spanish colonists were mostly men who came without families. These men took native women as partners. The people born of these relationships were called mestizos and they soon became much of the population in many areas. Where slaves were common many people were born with a partial African heritage. Spanish colonists, subjugated Indians, and African slaves living together gave rise to a new people and culture. In the remote regions unconquered natives fiercely maintained their independence and escaped slaves found freedom. The Spanish imposed their language and the Catholic faith where they controlled the areas. New styles of architecture and urban organization sprang up. Towns were built on a plaza with a church at the center surrounded by public buildings and homes. A few of the native societies escaped the Spanish domination by retreating to remote jungles and mountains. One group of indigenous people, the Miskitos, originating from northern Central America, frequently raided Panama during the colonial era. The declining native population was causing need for a new source of labor. Large numbers of African slaves began to be imported to the Americas in 1518. These slaves were more resistant to disease than the native laborers. By the late 1500’s these people outnumbered the colonists and subjugated Indians in Panama City and Portobelo along with all the neighboring areas. The Spanish began bringing domestic animals like horses, cattle, donkeys, goats, pigs, chickens, turkeys, guinea fowl and domestic ducks along with domestic plants from around the world to Panama. With the integration of these into the local agriculture Panama’s landscape was transformed. Cattle ranching spread across the country. Today traditional meals in Panama contain crops that originated from around the world. Another important product of Panama during the colonial era was gold. The Spanish built gold mines in Veraguas and Darien. These mines were constantly attacked by hostile Indians forcing the Spanish to abandon mines in some of the remote areas. Shortly after Balboa first crossed the isthmus in 1513, permanent trade routes were established between the oceans. In the 500 years since, Panama has been a global crossroads for people, goods, and ideas. This has shaped history for Panama as well as the rest of the world. One member of Balboa’s expedition, Francisco Pizarro later led campaigns against the Indians of Panama. In 1524 he began making explorations down the coast of South America. These explorations eventually culminated in the conquer of the Inca Empire. The Inca Empire was one of the largest and richest in the world. South American gold and silver were transported to Spain by way of Panama. Around 60% of the gold and silver from the Americas came from South America through Panama. It was shipped from western South America to Panama City. It was then carried across the isthmus to Caribbean ports where it was put on ships for transport to Europe. These riches passing through Panama began attracting the attention of English, French, and Dutch pirates. These pirates were often assisted by Indians or escaped slaves. They raided Spanish shipping towns and mines from late in the 1500’s until early in the 1700’s. In 1699 Scotland tried to colonize Darien, which resulted in a disaster. They were attempting to establish a trade route to the far east. The effort was poorly planned and failed due to disease, lack of food, and attacks by the Spanish. Almost none of the colonists survived to return to Scotland. The failed endeavor nearly bankrupted Scotland, resulting in their union with England in 1707. The route across Panama was short but difficult and dangerous. The trip by mule and canoe took several days and many did not survive due to tropical disease. In 1849 the California gold rush brought a flood of new travelers prompting the construction of the first railroad to connect the Atlantic and Pacific.
Since 1900 Panama has continued to see radical changes. The Panama Canal made the isthmus even more important to world commerce. Soaring population and rapid development threatened the natural wealth of Panama. The 20th century brought rapidly growing population to the rural areas of Panama. Small farmers were pushed to colonize new areas of forest. By 1950, aided by new roads, most of the western slope of the Pacific was deforested by small farmers, due to growing rural populations. The agricultural frontier continues to advance on the Caribbean slope and in the Darien jungle. Large-scale commercial agriculture began to dominate parts of Panama. Cattle ranching and plantation agriculture expanded for local consumption and export. Today nearly two thirds of Panama’s population live in or near Panama City due to a lack of rural jobs and opportunities. The construction of the Panama Canal was one of the largest alterations to the natural world ever taken on by humans. A large part of the construction was successful in part by working in partnership with nature. The tropical forests and the water they provide are critical for the function of the canal. The first attempt to construct the canal by the French failed due to disease and worker mortality. It was later completed by the Americans in 1914. New medical knowledge helped to control disease and reduced mortality among workers. The United States returned administration of the Panama Canal to the people of Panama in 1999. About 5% of the worlds trade passes through the canal every year.
Escalating population and development continue to threaten Panama’s rich natural and cultural heritage. Progressive innovative strategies are constantly needed to preserve the rich legacy of “The Bridge of Life” for future generations. Natural resources must be preserved and sustained for the continued benefit of us all. Air and water quality are threatened by expanding development. Using these resources wisely and employing cleaner technology will ensure future health and well-being. Panama is increasingly becoming interlinked with the rest of the planet with the globalization of trade. This globalization will put new demands on Panama’s resources and global climate change will jeopardize its natural environments. The true wealth of Panama is its natural and cultural heritage. Its complex history has helped to create an extraordinary cultural variety. Celebrating this diversity will be instrumental in preserving it for future generations.
I was able to take much of the history presented in this chapter from gallery exhibits at the museum. I encourage all visitors to spend a half day at the museum at a minimum. New, recently opened exhibits have beautiful aquariums that show the diverse differences between the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean.
The book is one of the most difficult projects of my life. I am still at battle with myself as to the sanity of trying to publish with so many other books of its type in the market. It would be great to hear your thoughts. It is loosely based on our blog and chronicles our journey to retire in Panama and many of our subsequent adventures. In the very near future I will be looking for help with the name and cover art. I would be greatly honored to gather your email addresses and comments by clicking on the “leave a reply” area below. As always, it helps us if you will like and share our blog with others who may find it interesting.
Blessings,
Greg and Jen
