Page 67 - The Rough Guide to Panama (Travel Guide)

Central Panama City Panama City 65
in English, provide a sharp reminder of the harsh working and living conditions of 1
black, “silver roll” Canal workers, which contrasted acutely with the privileges of white
American “gold roll” employees, in the days of the Canal Zone. The museum also helps
organize the annual Afro-Antillean Fair that takes place during Carnaval at the Centro
de Convenciones ATLAPA (see p.85).

Plaza Belisario Porras
Av Perú, between C 33 and C 34 • MLa Lotería
Plaza Belisario Porras honours the country’s three-time president and founding father.
Amid the neatly trimmed flowerbeds rises a vast monument in which Porras cuts a
dashing figure, overlooked by splendidly restored government buildings and the
balustraded Spanish Embassy.
Basílica de Don Bosco
Daily 6am–6pm • Free • MLa Lotería
With your back to the Belisario Porras monument, looking up Calle Ecuador to
Avenida Central, you can spy the rose window of the neo-Romanesque Basílica de Don
Bosco, built in the 1950s. As well as being pleasantly airy with some lovely stained
glass, the place is a glittering blue mass of modern mosaics, crafted in Italy and brought
to Panama for the centennial celebrations.

Bella Vista, El Cangrejo and Marbella
The neighbouring areas of Bella Vista, Marbella and El Cangrejo form the financial
and commercial core of Panama City – what is often nebulously referred to as the Área
Bancaria. BELLA VISTA, either side of Calle 50, once a leafy barrio brimming with
1930s colonial mansions, has all but been taken over by modern high-rise buildings.
To the north on Vía España stands the incongruous twentieth-century neo-Gothic
wedding cake of the Iglesia del Carmen. Particularly impressive when illuminated
at night, the stained-glass windows along the aisles depict tropical flowers, while
those higher up in the nave relate tales from the Old and New Testaments. The
neo-Byzantine mosaic altarpiece also grabs your attention.
The church marks the beginning of EL CANGREJO, home to many of Panama City’s
classier hotels and restaurants, as well as upmarket stores and shopping centres.
This, and the adjacent areas of Bella Vista and MARBELLA, are among the city’s
nightlife zones.

Avenida Balboa and the Cinta Costera
The sweeping arc of Avenida Balboa, which connects the city’s historic heartland, Casco
Viejo, to its symbols of industrial progress, Punta Paitilla, now forms part of the Cinta
Costera. The aim of this multimillion-dollar land reclamation project was to ease traffic
congestion by constructing a parallel dual carriageway alongside a promenade complete
with trees, benches and leisure facilities. Although the project has delivered more
concrete than the green spaces that were originally promised, it has marginally
improved the traffic flow, and its jogging path and cycleway are well used by residents
(see box, p.66). The Cinta Costera is also the focus of Panama City’s Carnavales, which,
outside the Azuero, are the country’s most extravagant.
Mercado de Mariscos
Southern end of the Cinta Costera • Mon–Sat 6am–6pm; closed first Mon of the month for fumigation • MCinco de Mayo
The distinctive blue-roofed Mercado de Mariscos is a fabulous place to wander around.
All shapes and sizes of seafood are on sale, some waving their antennae at you from
tanks. You can observe the comings and goings from a table upstairs at the Restaurante

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