Panorama May edition with Gabriel Barletta

June 12, 2026

Gabriel Barletta

CEO of Panorama de las Américas

Dear readers:

Football euphoria has a unique way of bringing us together: it turns songs into anthems, cities into stages, and an entire country into a single voice. In Panama, we know this well. Ahead of the 2022 World Cup, that passion took shape with the song “Sube la marea,” which accompanied the Panamanian national team in its first World Cup appearance.

With Panama’s new qualification for the World Cup, Copa Airlines, Los Gaitanes, and Star5 launched the “Sube la Marea Remix” project and brought together 19 Panamanian artists to create a sonic and visual portrait of the country. This, our own anthem ahead of football’s biggest stage, surpassed 5 million views in its first month. In our May edition of Panorama de las Américas, we explore how the anthem became not only a tribute to our players, but above all, to our country.

In this new edition, we continue our journey through some of the host cities of the 2026 World Cup. This time, we stop in San Francisco, the Pacific-edge city where innovation and culture set the pace; in Los Angeles, a mosaic of identities where football coexists with iconic beaches and an endlessly creative scene; and in Boston, where summer transforms the city into an open, dynamic space in constant renewal.

Back home, we highlight a destination that represents the purest essence of Panama: Santa Catalina. Where the pavement ends and volcanic sand begins, this small town—first discovered by surfers before the tourism industry—remains authentic, intimate, and deeply connected to nature. Between waves, reefs, and Pacific sunsets, Santa Catalina offers something increasingly rare: time to disconnect and rediscover.

This edition also invites us to look into our past through a fascinating story. We speak with Julia Mayo, the archaeologist who, with intuition, rigor, and perseverance, helped uncover an ancient civilization hidden beneath the plains of Coclé. Discover her compelling personality and see how her work not only rewrites chapters of our history, but also reminds us of the value of exploring what lies beyond the obvious.

Finally, we share great news from Copa Airlines, a Panamanian company that continues to evolve to offer more and better experiences. First, we introduce the expansion of the Stopover program, which now allows passengers to stay in Panama for between one and 15 days at no additional cost to their air ticket. This is, without a doubt, an invitation to transform what was once a routine layover into a full experience.