My name is Panama - IPAT's Tourism Commercial

     The video that I post was Panama’s first tourism commercial that I remember. It was created to promote the tourism for the Miss Universe beauty pageant in 1986, celebrated on July in Panama City.
     I remember at that time, the responsible authority for tourism in Panama was IPAT (Panamanian Tourism Institute), today, ATP (Panama’s Tourism Authority), and the government was under the dictatorship of General Manuel Antonio Noriega.
     "My name is Panama" or "Mi nombre es Panama" was the promotional slogan of tourism which is now a trademark that sells Panamanians items such as molas, woven on clothing; cartoons alluding to Panamanian folklore and culture, and printed on t-shirts in multiple colors; and national handicrafts http://www.mynameispanama.com/.

     Venezuelan contestant Barbara Palacios Teyde, in her response to the jury at the Miss Universe in 1986 said: "We must highlight the great work that Panamanians do when they have foreign people in their land, as in our case, we, the misses of this pageant. I think it should be emphasized at all times that they not only have beautiful lands, but the Panamanians are people, beautiful people, who always offer a lot of warmth. I think that is very precisely that slogan that says: My name is Panama!!!”

Atlas Ads: a Panamanian Beer.

     Atlas is one of the most recognized and consumed beer in the country, and its logo appears at events such as carnivals, fairs, musical events and on the walls of store retailers around the country, such as advertising and sponsorship.

     My purpose of this post is not to advertise the product and assess its quality and taste. I wish to highlight of their commercial advertisements folklore, culture, landscape and the melting pot of races of our country during the last thirty years. Not only is the beer, is the country, Panama.

     The main objective is to know the landscape of Panama and its people. Remember that the first videos presented were made in the 80s and the last are the most current. Before each set of videos I put the lyric of them in English so you can understand what each group of video wants to transmit. Enjoy them.

Cerveza Atlas: "Así es mi país" (This is my country) ((1985-1986).

This is my country
and so are my people,

first people who love and feel ...

This is my country

and so are my people, people who work and enjoy.

This is my country

and this is my first people, people who enjoy the present.
This is my country

and this is my people, people who love and feel...

Cerveza Atlas: "Así es mi país" (This is my country) ((1986-1987). Other version.

This is my country
And so are the things we like

Because we like them...

And so are my people

People who enjoy the present...

Who know sure what they feel

These things we like always

These things we like always.

Cerveza Atlas: "Así es mi gente" (This is my people) (1989).

These are the people, the people of Panama.
What joy that good, drink the Atlas their beer.

Take life with joy, always drink your Atlas very cold.

These are the people with Atlas to enjoy.

Here and there, and throughout Panama.

These are the people, the people of Panama.

What joy that good, they drink the Atlas their beer.

People are happy, the people are friendly.

As our people like no other.

These are the people with Atlas to enjoy.

Here and there, and throughout Panama.
These are the people, the people of Panama.
What joy that good, they drink the Atlas their beer.
The people of Panama, here and there, drink Atlas.

Cerveza Atlas: "Yo soy el sabor" (I'm the flavor) ((1991-1992-1993) Salsa rithm.

I‘m of this land,

and I have the happy flavor of my people.

My soul is golden, sun caress

And the white foam of my beaches

comes from inside me ...

I'm city and fields

from color neighborhood

I'm first, I'm the flavor

Atlas: I'm first

Atlas: I'm the flavor. Bis.

Cerveza Atlas: "Nuestra gente, nuestra cerveza" (Our People, Our beer) (2009).

We are that happy land

We are really Panamanians.

We’re going foward, we enjoy today.

And It’s one and our, what a great beer,

made with our rithm.

Pure Panamanian, it’s Atlas the flavor.

We first, we have flavor

Atlas, we are first

Atlas, we are the flavor.

Aladdin The Musical.

     From April 8th to May 9th, 2010, Disney’s Aladdin The Musical was stage on “El Teatro en Círculo”. The costumes and props were among the details that most attention.
     The musical was live, and the songs performed by Panamanian artists, highlighting those who have participated in Mega Projects on TV like Rafael Moreno (Vive La Música, fourth season), as Aladdin and Anne Lorain Lanier (Latin American Idol, third season ), as Princess Jasmine. Of course, we have to highlight the work of other actors and dancers on stage, male and female choirs, as well as all the work behind the scenes.
     Andres Morales, belonging to the cast of the TV show "La Cáscara", was The Genie of the magic lamp . I think this was the ideal role for him, because he has the versatility to imitate people and personality like "The Genie".

     I am glad that we are growing Broadway-style musical here in Panama, with Panamanian artists, musicians and professionals.

Laffit Pincay Jr.

     Laffit Pincay Jr. was born on December 29, 1946 in Panama City. He is considered the biggest Panamanian horse-racing pride. "The Corsair", as he is known since he arrived in the U.S. tracks, is a member of the American Horse Racing Hall of Fame, as well as in Panama.
     He made his debut on March 22, 1964, and won his first victory on March 28, 1964, with the same horse that debuted named "Huelen". The same year he won his first main event, "Clásico Independencia de Estados Unidos" with the horse “Alucinado II."
     Since 1965, he has been riding on the Presidente Remon racetrack in Panama City, he managed to enter to the elite group of riders who win over 200 races in a year, topping the statistics of riders with 249 victories in 696 opportunities.
     In Panama, he completed 1,395 rides, winning 449 races, 298 seconds, 216 thirds, 180 fourth places, and 258 times out of silver.
     In 1966, Pincay Jr. was hired by Fred W. Hooper, a prominent horseman, to ride and compete in races that were held in the United States. His first victory was on July 1, 1966, riding the horse "Teacher's Art", owned by Hooper, at Arlington Park in Chicago.
     His success in the United States can be summarized as follows: He set a record for most wins in a year by imposing 380 horses in 1971; He was inducted into the National Museum of Horse Racing and Hall of Fame in 1975 at 29 years old; He leaded all sums earned in the United States in seven times (1970 -1974, 1979, 1985), the horses that he rode generated revenues of $ 203 million; He won five times the "Eclipse Award”, top honor of American horse racing (1971, 1973, 1974, 1979 and 1985), more than any other rider in history; He got his win 8,834 on December 11, 1999 with "Nip Iris" in Hollywood to become the new leader among the riders in the world with the most wins in history, dethroning American rider Bill Showmaker who held a mark of 8,833 wins in his retirement in 1990.
     In 1980, Laffit Pincay Jr. was hired to ride the Mexican specimen “Pikotazo” at the “XIII Clásico Internacional del Caribe”, winning the race.
     He won four races of the U.S. Triple Crown: the Kentucky Derby "with" Swale "in 1984, the" Belmont Stakes” three times consecutive with "Conquistador Cielo" (1982), "Caveat" (1983) and "Swale "(1984).
     Laffit Pincay Jr. also won seven races of the millionaire series called "Breeders Cup": Classic for 3 million dollars with "Skywalker" in 1986, the "Distaff" twice, "Bayakoa" in 1989-90, the "Juvenile", three times with "Tasso" (1985), "Capote" (1986) and "Is It True" (1988) and "Juvenile Fillies" with "Phone Chatter” in 1993.
     On February 13, 2002, with the success of "STAGE PLAYER" in the second race of the day, the number of wins of Pincay Jr. reached the 9,300 dreamed goal victories.

     On April 29, 2003, almost 39 years after that first success, the Panamanian rider announced his retirement from the profession due to a physical injury caused in an accident while attending a horse race.

Sancocho - Chicken Soup.

     Sancocho is a typical Panamanian chicken soup seasoned with yams, onions, cilantro, oregano, garlic, pepper, and salt. Its origin is in the Azuero Peninsula, to be precise in Los Santos Province. There are other ways depending on the region of the country where it is prepared. In some places other ingredients such as corn, squash, cassava and “otoe” are added . You can also find beef soup (Chiriquí Province) or fish soup (Colon Province).
     The soup is one of the most representative dishes of the Panamanian cuisine, and it is usually accompanied with a bowl of white rice. It's the dish that can not be missed on the restaurant menu in the country, and its low cost and taste is one of mayor demand.
     This revitalizing soup can be taken at lunch, at dinner after a hard day at work, and after a carousal to recover energy. In many country parties the soup is served between 2:00 a.m. and 3:00 a.m. for those who want to replenish their energies.
     Top “sancochos” are slowly being cooked first to smooth chicken meat, and afterwards so that the yam is tender and so it disolves, making the soup acquire a thick consistency.
     In the Interior, it is prepared in a large pot and stove with wood, giving the soup a smoky special taste. This type of Sancocho can be found in “fondas” (small restaurants) in the Interior during festivals, regional fairs and during Carnival.

     The soup has healing properties, it contains nutrients and vitamins, which can help to reduce cold symptoms. People make the soup when they have flu, an upset stomach or after a long night of alcohol consumption.

     On August 16th, 2003 and to celebrate the Centenary of the Republic, the world's largest Sancocho, called "The Centennial Sancocho” was made.

     To do this we had to compile a special stainless steel pot with its respective lid, as well as designing the stove (burners), how to hold it, the instruments of server and mix , using for the latter wooden oars, all which was a Guinness Record.

     The preparation of the Centennial Sancocho began at 5:30 am and ended at 11:00 a.m. People immediately proceeded to serve the soup in cups. The cost of each cup was $ 0.25, and the funds raised were donated to Hospital del Niño (Children’s Hospital), a public hospital.

     Some important Guinness Record data:

Pot size: 2.00 meters high and 3.00 meters in diameter.
Chicken and yam Quantity: 3.0 tons (3,000.00 kg.).
Onion Quantity: 1500.00 pounds (680.38 kg.).

Garlic Quantity: 80.00 pounds (36.28 kg.).

Cilantro Quantity: 60.00 pounds (27.21 kg.).

Oregano Quantity: 10.00 pounds (4.53 kg.).
Pepper Quantity: 5.00 pounds (2.26 kg.).

Salt Quantity: 80.00 pounds (36.28 kg.).

Water volume: 2033.00 gallons (9,148.50 liters).

Heat of the burners Gas: BTU 4,000.000.00.

Number of cups served: 21,365.00 dishes approximately of 12 ounces each.

Cost per cup: $ 0.25.

Number of Volunteers: over 300.

Urban Photography Festival 2010.

     The first Panama’s Urban Photography Festival took place from March 11th to 14th, 2010, and the event was inside of Santo Domingo Church’s dilapidated structures where you can find the famous “Arco Chato” (Flat Bow).

     The event was promoted by the Casco Antiguo de Panama Office, to collect the photographic works of professionals, amateurs, and enthusiasts, highlighting the art, historic places, how people live in the streets every day, people, buildings and houses, food and folklore of Panama, among other things.
     All who wanted to exhibit their work could do for free, as the entrance.
     To participate in the competition you had to register and pay a cost depending on the category and professional level. Fifteen categories were awarded, with total on prizes of about $ 6,500.
     I visited the exhibition one day and I post some photos of the Festival. The day that I visited the exhibition were exposed only a few photos. Every day, different photos were exposed with its author, being spread all photos of participants and non participants during the four days of the event.

La Pinta and La Santa María, tow artificial islands on Panama Bay.

     The Mexican company ICA (“Ingenieros Civiles Asociados”) will build during 2010 two artificial islands in front of Panama City, on Panama Bay, with an investment of U.S.$ 140 million, where 138 exclusive residences will be built to become the " most exclusive and elegant mixed-use community of the city”.

     Initially the project consisted of three islands: La Pinta, La Niña and La Santa Maria, as the names of the three saling ships of Christopher Columbus. But for environmental reasons it was decided to remove La Niña island from the project.

     The two islands will be located 150 meters from the coast, over the sole real estate area known as Punta Pacifica. La Santamaria will have 10.3 hectares of land where 72 lots will be distributed to residences and La Pinta will distribute 8.8 hectares for 66 lots. The total hectares of land is 19.1, equivalent to 5 baseball stadiums. The lots will vary between 800 and 1800 square meters and will be sold between U.S.$1500 and U.S.$5000 per square meter. The cost of the residences is not included.

     The construction of the islands consists of dredging for about five months for each island to extract marine mud in order to place it on barges and then move to specific "environmental unaffected” sites in the sea. The project also includes the construction of a seawall with rocks up to two tons and then continue with the filling with various materials including sand, stone and basalt rock. In total, it will need four billion cubic meters of materials, which is equivalent to the size of two pyramids of Egypt.

     The project has all the requirements to prevent environmental and ecological damage, and will be built with high tech.

     The residences will be finished between 2011 and 2013, according to the construction company.

"Flor del Espíritu Santo" - Dove Orchid.

     The “Flor del Espíritu Santo” (Holy Spirit flower) was declared national flowerof the Republic of Panama on October 21th, 1980.

     The plant is known scientifically as "Peristeria Elata” and it is of the gender of “Peristeria” which is the group of plants belonging to the orchid family (Orchidaceae) whose common name in English is" Dove Orchid "(“Orquídea Paloma” in Spanish) or" “Holy Ghost Orchid". The common name of this genus comes from the Greek word "Peristerion" which means "dove".

     The plant consists of globose pseudobulbs up to 12 inches high, four leaves that reach up to 1 meter. The flower stalk comes out from the base of the bulb with a length between 1 to 1.8 meters and can produce a total of 4 to 12 flowers. Each flower has petals of a deep ivory, adorned in the center of the flower with a well-defined dove with outstretched wings, stained or painted purple, and anther and pistil yellow. The flowers’ fragrance is nice and intense.

     Annually, the plant flowers between the months of July to October if the bulb is mature or reach their optimum size. If the plant is young, you must have patience in its flowering until the bulb reaches maturity. It grows best at altitudes between sea level and 800 meters. In the wild, growing on large trees in the forest, very aerated soils with organic matter and rich in humus. It may also be found in low shrubs, small areas on the upper slopes, and sometimes on the roadside.

     The Holy Spirit flower is a very rare and beautiful flower, exotic for nationals and foreigners. For this reason, it should encourage its growth throughout the Panamenian territory.

Panama - Van Halen.

     "Panama" is the most popular song of Van Halen’s 1984 album. On the web are some speculations about why the name of this song. Here I mention a few.

  

     The song was written about a stripper named "Panama", which David Lee Roth, Van Halen singer and song writer, met at a presentation in Arizona. The critics accused him of writing songs about hard partying, sex and race cars.
     Another is that the song is about a car that Roth saw race in Las Vegas and the name of the car was Panama.
     Despite all these assertions or theories, the name of Panama has a common origin, the country. The word has its origins of the Indians village called "Hanama" and the Spanish colonizers knew as Panama.
     Any person, object or place named Panama, has its origin of its name on this country.

Panama Viejo - Old Panama.

    “Panama La Vieja” or “Panama Viejo” (Old Panama) is the name of the architectural vestiges of the first and oldest Monumental Historic Spanish city's on land that exists today. It was founded on the American Pacific coast on August 15, 1519 by Pedro Arias de Àvila (Pedrarias), commissioned by the Spanish Crown to establish a city that was the starting point for the conquest of North and South America. Pedrarias was the first governor of the city and on September 15, 1521, Panama received by royal decree the title of City and Coat of Arms granted by Charles I of Spain.

   The city received the name “Panama” because it was seated on an Indians’ fishing village that was called Panama, and in their dialect the word means abundance of fish and butterflies, and a green, leafy tree with the same name.

     For its strategic location, Panama La Vieja became an important port through which much gold and silver came from Peru and other places in America to Spain, and was also the port that received the goods coming from Spain to the colonized territories.

     The city was sacked in 1671 by English pirates, led by Henry Morgan. They reached the coast of Panama from the Atlantic and crossed the isthmus to reach the city. They didn’t arrive in their boats as the tales and stories tell. In addition, pirates would have had to go to Cape Horn, Argentina, and navigate the entire Pacific coast of South America to Panama. And if they did, they could not have landed directly in the port city protected by mangroves and a shallow coast.

     By safety of the inhabitants and city’s properties, Don Juan Perez de Guzman ordered the evacuation of the city and ordered to fire powder deposits causing a huge explosion and burning throughout the city. The city was abandoned by its inhabitants leaving their dilapidated structures and these being forgotten. The city was moved a few miles further west, and it is what we know today as “Casco Antiguo de la Ciudad de Panama” (Panama Old Town). In another post I will tell you all about it.
     Currently, the place is an archaeological site managed by Patronato de Panama Viejo (PPV). The administration has been responsible for preserving the structures still standing that can be enjoyed by future Panamanians and tourists.

     The tower of the Cathedral is one of the structures that is striking and is a symbol and image of the country abroad. In the interior of the tower was built a spiral staircase where you can see in each level until the belfry the growth of Panama City through each of its windows.

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