PORTOBELO, PANAMA

The strategic and beautiful Bay of Portobelo has a rich and multifaceted history, which brings together both Latin and African cultural traditions. The Spanish moved here after privateer Sir Frances Drake seized and plundered their original settlement of Nombre de Dios in 1597. It is unclear whether the Cimarrones, liberated Africans who fought for and won their freedom, were already living in Portobelo when the Spanish arrived, or if both the Spanish and the Cimarrones moved to Portobelo following Drake’s destruction of Nombre de Dios. Either way, the two cultural groups worked out a peaceful coexistence in Portobelo, and the Cimarrones became free Blacks/free Congos, and living away from the shore in the rainforest. Despite this distinction, Spanish owned African slaves until the early 19th century, many of whom built the fortifications that still stand here. For more information about Portobelo history and culture including an intergenerational oral history project see www.digitalportobelo.org

17th-18th Century Spanish Forts

We visited three sets of ruins in Portobelo Bay. In the town of Portobelo we saw Fuerte Santiago (west) Fuerte de San Jerónimo (central). We anchored near Fuerte de San Fernando in the bay northwest of the town. We took the dinghy to San Fernando and hiked from the Lower to the Upper Battery, and then to the Hilltop Stronghold for great views of the bay. We learned that the Spanish engineers cut blocks of coral to construct the thick walls of these fortresses, since there was not enough stone in the vicinity to build them. Read more about this UNESCO World Heritage Site by clicking here: “Fortifications on the Caribbean Side of Panama: Portobelo-San Lorenzo.”

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Festival de Cristo Negro

Black Christ Festival. When we visited Portobelo, the people were preparing for the Festival de Cristo Negro celebrated annually on October 21st. On Sunday the town was bustling with people, locals enjoying family time outside in parks and the market, and visitors who were arriving for the Festival on the following Thursday. On Monday evening we attended a service in Iglesia de San Felipe and were able to see the life-sized statue of the Black Christ that a fisherman found in a bundle that washed up on a Portobelo shore in the mid-17th century. Miracles have been attributed to this statue that people call “El Nazareno.” The Festival de Cristo Negro attracts pilgrims from around the world, many of whom walk a great distance, some crawling the last mile on their hands and knees. Many locals make space for the visitors in their own homes.

Casade la Cultura Congo

House of CongoCulture The sound of African drumming reached our ears on Saturday night, shortly after we anchored in Portobelo Bay. We learned that it came from the hotel called Casa Congo, which is much more than just a hotel. It is a center for the arts. They host community art and dance workshops and work with the music school next doorEscuelita del Ritmo . This school offers lessons on all instruments for the community children and teens and they travelled recently to Costa Rico to perform. Casa Congo gets the whole community involved in making art that connects to Portobelo’s Latin and African cultural heritage. There are workshops for guests as well.