It would not be El Valle without the emblematic golden frogs. The symbol lives on, but the amphibians almost didn’t. An outbreak of chytrid fungus infection nearly made the whole lineage go extinct but some scientists have made and are making a valiant effo0rt to bring the golden frogs back from the brink.
On a misty Thursday morning in El Valle
photos and captions by Eric Jackson
Fish baskets, but not only. There are people who find ways to make these woven split-bamboo baskets decorative, but people find even more ways to use the things.
In Panama you should wear a hat to at least partially block the sun and rain. There are several varieties here but the Panamanian genre is far from fully represented in this vendor’s corner. If it’s a gorra — a baseball hat — Panama is this county of New York Yankees fans. You need to go elsewhere to get a Coclé Leña Roja or Detroit Tigers hat.
Don’t be so stereotypical as to equate molas with all there is to Panamanian indigenous art. this Guna applique and mostly reverse applique needlework is one of the symbols of our nation.
Gotta be shod. While warm weather invites barefooting, you can pick up infections that way. Panamanian footwear is nothing nearly so sinister at the Colombian stuff.
See, if you want to play along with the band but you’re not THAT sophisticated of an instrumentalist.
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