Isthmus of Panamá: A Land of Interconnections

Among pristine, idyllic beaches strewn with starfish, coconut palms and tropical rainforests that buttress the white-sand beaches is the hidden secret of Panamá: a vibrant, dynamic country that reminds the world of its many interconnections. In a world constantly shrinking from the vast influences of technology, global trade, and modern travel, the simple reminders from nature and the ever-dwindling lush rainforests prove we are more connected, and dependent on each other, than we care to recognize. The developed and the developing worlds need each other.


Uniquely linking two worlds here at the crossroads of the Americas, the narrow Panamá isthmus spans a land full of biodiversity between two tropics. This land bridge between Central and South America, formed several million years ago, illustrates change and evolution at work, whereby horses, deer and squirrels flourished in the North continent, and toucans, hummingbirds, unique rodents (e.g., agoutis, capybaras and tapirs), iguanas and poison dart frogs developed in the south. In fact, Panama's lush Darien region now serves as the last barrier between all but flying bird migrations, including blocking the spread of the North American foot and mouth disease and a South American frog disease that is massacring millions of amphibians. With hundreds of islands and the famous archipelagoes such as Bocas Del Toro and San Blas (Kuna Yala), Panama is an adventurer's Paradise. At times only 25 miles wide, the narrow coastline holds back the Carribean Sea and the Pacific ocean, except the narrow land that holds the modern architectural marvel that is the canal.


Panamá not only teaches us about modern economies, but also Mother Nature and the web of life. Only roughly the size of South Carolina, Panamá boasts over 900 bird species, 218 mammals, including many species of monkeys, 164 amphibians and 226 reptiles! Ocelots, jaguars, and many species of monkeys make this land home along with crocodiles, Pineapples and yucca are farmed along the native coconuts and mangos. Barracuda and sharks patrol the reefs and crystal-clear water above angelfish, parrotfish, puffers, lobster and octupus. Yet with all of the brilliance of the wildlife in Panamá is the awareness that one missing piece often means the collapse of the delicate web of life. Rainforests represent extreme specialization of species, and contrary to popular belief, are highly unstable ecosystems that ebb and flow with time. Remove the frogs and suddenly snakes, birds, insects and an array of species are grossly affected.

Here in the land of interconnections with a healthy ration of Balboas and Panamian cervezas and seco, we found bonds and connections not only with Mili, Julio, Leonard, Sammy, Paco, Martín and the English "boys and girls," but in this land of tranquility, vibrancy and isolation, a newfound appreciation and lesson about how much we really are interrelated. Whether traveling on the close quarters of the "colectivos" (shared taxis) or hitching a ride on a water taxi between the far flung islands, the world, and Panamá, is much closer than we think. Insert a few blackouts, a crazy talking bird (la Lencha), some fruit chichas, fish and patacones, molas, and a lot of sun, and Panamá is a land of interconnections, fun stories and relaxation.

The Panamanians are well aware of a world of links and associations. A rich mix of indigenous and Spanish cultures, 65% of Panameños are mestizo, with sizeable populations of Chinese, Africans and West Indian descendents, such as Jamaicans and Trinidadians, who were brought as laborers to work on the Canal. Indeed, the culturally rich and mestizo population of Panamá know only too well the influence of meddling countries and imperial motives. Dominated and occupied by the Spanish for centuries and later the Americans, Panamá has only recently experienced independence. From the US-supported declaration of independence from Colombia in 1903 to the short-lived war to remove General Manuel Noriega in 1989, the US legacy is strong, with well over 6 other "inteventions" during this period. Indeed, since Panama's early "discovery" by Spanish conquistadors de Bastidas and Columbus, the country's more than a dozen original, indigenous peoples have witnessed many conquerers come and go. Panama city's Old City ruins bear testament to the city's history of ransacking and pillaging by English bucaneers such as Capital Henry Morgan, who made off with entire treasures. Rebuilt as Casco Viejo, and bearing resemblance to Havana, the new walled city prevented attacks due to the tides.


Interest in Panamá only grew internationally with the awareness of its narrow isthmus. The Panama Canal, first only a pipedream by King Charles V, now connects trade routes between Asia, North America and Europe. But the canal, initially constructed by the French, was not always the global, economic crossroads of the world. After French efforts were unsuccessful due to malaria and yellow fever, the United States helped Panamá secure independence from Colombia by gaining broad, sovereign rights over the Canal zone, including military rights. Now 4% of the world's barges, cargoes, and freighters pass through its two sets of locks at Gatún and Miraflores, serving as a major income to the Panamanian economy after return of the canal in 1999. Currently the site of a massive expansion project, new, deeper and larger locks are being built next to the current locks to ensure the future use of the canal, which competes with Egypt's Suez. Costing upwards of $10 billion dollars, the new canal promises to host post-Panamax ships, which are heavier and larger than the current canal limits.

While the American influence is notable and sometimes even palpable (see the American-constructed buildings in Cerro Ancón now used as part of the National Health Ministry), the land of Panamá bears witness to the world full of interconnections. The local currency is the US dollar, commonly referred to as the balboa, Panama's old currency now only made as coins. Over the past 150 years of American influence, the real economic pinch occured. On December 31, 1999, when the United States ceded control of the Panama Canal to the Panameños, 4000 lost their jobs immediately, and the US withdrew, taking up to $350 million in annual income with them. However, even from afar, the United States has not ceased to pressure the Panamanians. The United States is pressing for stricter bank laws in the country due to Americans "hiding" income in Panama to escape gringo taxes. Even money is connected.


Panamá teaches the world about its increasingly specialized and complicated web of relations. Like nature, each of us operates and creates our own niche in a world that is more and more complex. The first farmers, leaf-cutting ants, would perish without the fungus that grows on their underground forests deep below the rain forest floor. Cutting up to 15% of all leaves that grow in the selva, the ants clear paths to bring cut leaves 50% larger than their bodies to their underground lairs. Without the enormous thirst for exotic macaws and capuchin monkeys, the pet trade would not devastate the biodiversity of Panamá. One of the sad realities of wildlife tourism in Panamá is the fact that viewing parrots, sloths, and monkeys is significantly more frequent in the parks in and around Panama city. Faced with few other opportunities, locals eat and sell iguanas, macaws, and other animals to feed the insatiable pet trade in the West. Interior parts of the country have been scoured for these lucrative animals, in which money trickles down the trade to mere dollars for the original pouchers. While Panamá has begun to create more eco-friendly policies, they simply the resources to enforce many of the policies, and rainforests and Panama's biodiversity suffer.

Yet, for all of the human footprints of destruction, the rainforests represent the beauty and resilience of nature. "The only words that ever satisfied me as describing Nature," G. K. Chesteron once commented, "are the terms used in fairy books, 'charm,' 'spell,' 'enchantment.'" Despite an ever-constant stream of sweat trekking through the rainforests of Isla Barro Colorado and the virgin rainforests off of Isla Tigre on the mainland, the quiet intricacies and subtle beauty of the rainforests were simply breathtaking.

One of Panama's indigenous groups has been able to hold the tide against Western influences and a shrinking world of interconnections. The Kuna, well-known due to their distinctive dress among women, occupy the Kuna Yala in the San Blas archipelago. Now granted one of the highest degrees of autonomy in Latin America, they live in protected, shared lands called a comarca. Long studied by anthropologists and photographed by hoarding tourists, the Kuna have imposed land ownership restrictions and passed standard fees for photography. We visited Jesus de Corazon and Nargana after Isla Tigre, which demonstrated why the Kuna are eager to preserve their way of life. Isla Tigre, one of the most traditional islands in the Comarca, still remains mostly without electric, with one generator for tourists. Water is filtrated by a vast array of pipes that passes the water through coral filters. Other more "modern" islands such as Nargana, while without cars and appliances, host street lights and stores among the bamboo, thatch-roofed cabañas.

Until recently (late 1990s), the Kuna bartered mostly with coconuts (their currency), which they trade to the Colombians for raw goods, such as coffee, beads, and potatoes. Collectively set prices and with shared income, one coconut is worth roughly 30 cents. Annually, the Kuna harvest over 30 million coconuts, often on fincas on other islands. Despite over 400 islands in the archipelago, the Kuna live on only a few islands (just 48), owing to their deep sense of community and communalism. Local chiefs serve as advisors on each island's Ibeorkun or gathering house, large bamboo and thatch buildings in which villagers seek counsel. Traditional Kuna belief structure is based on three conccepts: god, nature and the cosmos. Songs and prayers praise the beauty and majest of the wind, the land and the sea, and rich oral traditions persist, often telling about God, Paba Tummat, and the Great Mother, Nan Tummat. Man and nature are considered parts of the same being, so the rules of nature follow human life from birth to death. True happiness and love, therefore, are only experienced within nature. Other traditions exist, such as when terrible Caribbean storms come from the East, or chosanos, one of the three island chiefs or village elders must combat the storm by blowing into conch shells. This call for help summons Paba Tummat, who tries to intervene and dispel the chocosano. If he fails, howling winds, downpours, and a nasty sea sometimes sweep Kuna and their homes out to sea. These storms are noticeable with a purple-black easterly sky, a lack of breeze, and no songbirds!

The mola, or in Kuna, blouse, has long represented the Kuna sense of independence and resistance. With origins in body painting before Spanish colonizers, the mola has evolved to be the symbol of Kuna culture. With geometric designs and images of realistic and imaginery birds, animals and sea creatures, the molas are handmade with bright colors and days or sometimes weeks worth of stitching and cutting to create the intricate patterns. In the early 20th century, when the Panamanian government banned the Kuna language, customs and dress, families continued to send their children to school in the banned molas to protest the government policies. In 1925, Panama granted the Kuna semi-autonomous rule, with local laws and customs persisting, including the mola. Today, 70,000 Kuna, with roughly half living on the islands and half outside the comarca, and tourism is increasingly becoming a part of the way of life.

Panamá, a name derived from an Indian word meaning "many fish," is really the land of many interconnections. From nature to the Panama Canal to a mestizo population, few lands know the niches and relationships quite like the Panameños. From the exotic maracuya to wild mangos to pescado entero and red snapper, Panamá offers a world of excitement for the traveler eager to embrace interconnections.