Immersive Museum: El Arrabal
Texts and Photos: Javier A. Pinzón
The iconic gazebo in Plaza Santa Ana, built in 1920, was home to some of the period’s most important cultural events: the retretas, or public concerts, offered by the Banda Republicana.
It’s 7:30 a.m. and I’m walking down Panama City’s main street, heading from the 5 de Mayo Station toward my final destina-tion: Plaza de Santa Ana.
This pedestrian street, vibrant with the constant hustle and bustle of people and lined with shops, is the gateway to the popular Santa Ana neighborhood.
Our goal is a tourist visit to what are considered Panama’s less. touristy neighborhoods: Santa Ana and El Chorrillo.
Efrain Guerero, an enthusiastic cultural progtammer, was born and raised in these streets and he is dedicated to presenting his neighborhood as an immersive open-air museum.
To this end, he founded the Movimiento Cultural Identidad in 2022, and since then he has focused on helping tourists discover the richness of his community.
He hopes to transform the neighborhood streets into a place where one can see, touch, and experience the community s true heritage.
Efrain believes it is the people who preserve historical memory by sharing their art and gastronomy and telling stories of the events these streets have seen that have been woven into the history of the nation over the course of hundreds of years.
Our tour begins in Plaza Santa Ana, where Efrain shows us the iconic gazebo in the center of the square. Built in 1920, it was here that Panama’s first lottery was launched and the Banda Republicana offered open-air concerts as part of the cultural entertainment of the times.
The square was also the rallying point for the 1925 Tenant Strike; the protests against high and increasing rents lasted more than thirty days and, according to Efrain, the issue remains relevant almost a century later.
From the square we head to the old French Bazaar, a store frequented in the last century by the ladies of Panamanian society.
Located just a few feet from the most affluent neighborhoods of the time, it was a favorite among high society ladies, who went there to buy fabrics and other fashionable products.
Efrain points out that it was in this bazaar that María Ossa de Amador bought the white cloth used to make Panama’s first flag after the country separated from Colombia, creating a symbol that has remained part of the history of the country.
Our next stop is the El Dorado Theater, founded in 1913,
where we admire the beauty of its Andalusian patio, one of the period’s architectural jewels. Currently undergoing restoration, in its glory days the theater screened European films and presented theatrical performances. We hope it will reopen its doors soon for the public to enjoy.
Founded in 18/6, it is the only café in the world authorized to use the name and logo of the famous drink.
We make our way out and head toward a nearby street, where we met Don Victor. Efrain describes this visit as a “vitamin stop,” since, for more than twenty years, Don Victor has been selling fresh fruit, in front of our next stop, the Coca-Cola Café. Founded in 18/6, it is the only café in the world authorized to use the name and logo of the famous drink. It was also known as “The Nine Gates” for its three side entrances. While most people remember the important visitors to the place, Efrain tells me the story of the kidnapping of Heliodoro Portugal, which occurred at the café’s entrance.
Inside hang old photos and paintings that show how the square has changed over time.
Teatro Variedades
Continuing our tour along Calle C, we arrive at the Teatro Variedades, founded on January 21, 1912, and designed by French architect Paul Chatagnon.
Chatagnon’s penchant for mixing architectural styles is reflected in the theater’s design. In addition to working on the Teatro Variedades, Chatagnon also designed several government buildings in the Colón province.
Efraín shows me an advertisement from 1914 promoting magic and theater performances and points out that the price of admission to the theater was US $8, a considerable sum for the time. With the arrival of modern cinema and figures like Cantinflas, prices dropped to a few cents.
Teatro Variedades, founded in 1912, was designed by French architect Paul Chatagnon and over time became the second most important theater, right behind the Teatro Nacional.
It seems incredible that this theatre is so old it was inaugurated before the opening of the Panama Canal, but this is why the feat of engineering is not represented on the coat of arms hanging on the theater’s façade. Next door stood Panama City’s second fire station.
We move deeper into the neighborhood and arrive at the La Venezolana bakery. Efraín tells me that, despite the bakery’s name, its founder, Manuel Medina, was actually Spanish. Medina came to Panama from Venezuela and married the daughter of the bakery’s original owner, who hailed from the El Santos province.
Confusion over the daughter’s origins led to the establishment becoming known as La Venezolana. According to Efrain, Panama’s famous María cookies originated in this bakery. We step inside for some delicious mamallena bread pudding.
Moving on to a street corner, Efrain shows us an old photograph taken from Cerro Ancón showing the path that connected the hill to the city.
This was the route used by the water carriers to transport water from the Manantial del Rey (King’s Spring), which supplied the city’s water from the 16th
to the 19th century. The point, commonly known as “El Límite,” marks one of the city’s important intersections, where the neighborhoods of Santa Ana, El Chorrillo, and San Felipe converge.
We head for one of the most iconic restaurants in the Santa Ana district: El Gato Negro (The Black Cat), founded in 1954.
The restaurant was famous for its low prices —for just ten cents you could enjoy a full meal
and its well-known clients such as boxer Roberto Durán and General Noriega. The restaurant is now managed by Mr. Noé and the son of the first owner, Jorge Barreiro.
Together, a group of seven hundred year-old cemeteries bring together the history of national heroes, veterans of the Thousand Day War, poets, and famous modern-day athletes.
Next, we cross over to El Chorrillo, a neighborhood whose name comes from a freshwater stream flowing down the slopes of Cerro Ancón.
Despite its long-standing reputation for being dan-gerous, the El Chorrillo neighborhood has been home to many important figures, including poet Héctor M. Collado, activist Olga Cárdenas, boxer Roberto Durán, and soccer player Rommel Fernández.
In Plaza Amador, Efrain points out the way the architecture has changed over time. Where we stand is a limestone house from 1890, masonry work from 1927, and, on the other side of the street, a house with modern block architecture. Efrain warns that “modern distractions”, such as garbage, overhead cables, and sewers, prevent us from appreciating the urban beauty that lives on in these neighborhoods.
Our next stop is a marble workshop dating back to 1913, which operated in the neighborhood for more than fifty years before being moved to the municipality of Arraiján. Many of the mausoleums at the Amador Cemetery were made here, with marble brought from Carrara, Italy.
Along the Calle del’Cementerio Amador, we arrive at the old national post office building and, further on, reach Efrain’s own community, Huerta Sandoval. We stop next to a culvert and, when we hear the sound of running water,
Efrain tells me that this is the ancient spring that once supplied the city with water. Today the water is completely enclosed in a pipeline that runs underneath the community.
Finally, we arrived at what was once the Modelo Prison, demolished in 1996. In front of it is the Wah Kon Ce Chinese Cemetery, established in 1893, where many of the Chinese workers who arrived in Panama during the railroad construction were buried.
Our tour concludes at Totti‘s restaurant, a retired police officer who has been the chef at this place for more than fifteen years. He welcomes us with jazz music and delicious torrejitas de bacalao (cod fritters).
From his establishment, Efraín shows me the old wall that served as a dam and the fountains known as “los llorones” (the weepers), where female water carriers came to collect water.
Café Coca-Cola, founded in 1876, is the only cafe in the world authorized to use the name and typography of the famous soft drink. Inside are old photographs of the surrounding neighborhood.
Seated at Totti’s place, Efraín tells us that, depending on the day and time, the atmosphere of the neighborhood changes: sometimes there is more noise and some days the streets are empty.
If someone is looking for a quiet walk, Monday morning is the best time, but if what you want is to see the neighborhood in its full splendor, the ideal is to come from Friday onwards.
Efraín Guerrero creó el Movimiento Cultural Identidad a través del cual comparte con turistas y visitantes este y otros recorridos por El Arrabal.
Information: +507 6210 2026.
@movimiento_identidad
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