Presenting the Queen of Calle Arriba de Las Tablas for the 2026 Carnival

(In the context of Panamanian culture, “murga” refers to a musical genre and street performance tradition associated with the Carnival season, particularly in the central provinces.)  (In the context of Panamanian culture, “tuna” refers to a group of university students, often dressed in traditional attire, who perform music and sing serenades, and roamed the streets playing music in exchange for coins or food.)

The wait is over.  The Calle Arriba de Las Tablas Society revealed the name of the queen who will lead the “tuna” group popularly known as “The University of Carnival” in 2026.  The young lady who will wear the 71st crown of Calle Arriba de Las Tablas is Ana Isabel Carrizo Castillo, who was presented to the members and supporters of her group on the night of Tuesday, April 8, to the sound of the murga and the explosion of fireworks. According to a statement issued by the organization, Ana Isabel is 23 years old and holds a degree in performing arts with interpretation and a master’s degree in musical theater from the University School of Arts in Madrid, Spain.

Ana Isabel is the daughter of doctors Gustavo Carrizo and Sasha Nubia Castillo Chanis. She is also the granddaughter of Germán Castillo Sierra and the distinguished Nuvia Chanis de Castillo, and the great-granddaughter of Temístocles Chanis and the late Fidedigna Ballesteros, better known as “La Linda Ballesteros,” a woman of poise and elegance from La Palma de Las Tablas. From her, Ana Isabel inherited the haughty bearing and beauty that distinguishes the women of La Palma de Las Tablas, according to the statement issued by the Calle Arriba de Las Tablas Society.

Tulip number 71 of the Tulip Palace is a direct heir to a lineage of queens who have exalted the history of Calle Arriba with sovereigns such as: Raquel Belinda Broce Castillo (1968), Doris Broce Castillo (1976) and Rosario Mayela García Chanis (2016).  “The name Ana Isabel Carrizo Castillo is pronounced with pride because it represents the perfect balance of lineage, commitment, and the joyful spirit of Carnival. Because in every heartbeat, we hear the echo of generations who have loved Calle Arriba with their souls, and because within it flourishes, luminous and firm, the queen who guards the call of her tuna,” expressed the Calle Arriba Society of Las Tablas.