More than 45 Student Delegations Celebrate with Music; Panama Viejo Celebrates its 507th Anniversary.
The traditional parade traveled along the Cincuentenario road from the Morelos statue to the Puente del Rey.
Panama Viejo dressed up this Saturday to commemorate the 507th anniversary of the founding of Panama City with a traditional parade that brought together music, folklore, acrobatics and the pride of those who maintain a strong bond with this community. The activity began at 9:00 am at the Morelos statue pictured below, on the Cincuentenario road, and extended to the Puente del Rey sector.
Throughout the route, more than 45 student delegations, 11 independent bands, and one international band performed. “Very good. Well-pronounced, well-executed, lots of folklore, dedication from the young people, and above all, emotion,” expressed one of the attendees. “Very colorful, very beautiful, very fitting,” stated another person who attended the parade. The celebration also included cartoon characters for the children and a gymnastics tableau pictured below in which the students showed off their physical skills.
Pride in Their Roots
Rodolfo Rodríguez, representative of the area, highlighted the historical importance of Panama Viejo and the participation of the community in the anniversary. “We are very happy to be celebrating from here, from the Panama Viejo neighborhood, our monument. This important site is celebrating its 507th anniversary today,” Rodríguez said. For those born or raised in Panama Viejo, the parade also represented an opportunity to recognize their roots and show another side of the community. “I am proud, from the bottom of my heart, to be from the Panamá La Vieja neighborhood. It’s a very humble neighborhood, but it’s resilient. Only bad things come out of it. We have professionals who have come from the Panamá Viejo neighborhood,” said another resident. Another citizen expressed, “We are honoring our roots. We were born here. We’ve moved away and are now professionals, but we always believe in our roots.”
A Mural Made with More than 80,000 Bottle Caps
During the day, attendees also took the opportunity to take photos next to the recently inaugurated mural made with more than 80,000 plastic bottle caps. The work combines elements of the history of Old Panama with a message about environmental protection. “Everything recycled is so beautiful. We have to take care of our environment because Panama’s gold is green,” said one of the visitors.
