The province
of Chiriquí is celebrating "big time" this month.
for its sesquicentennial. According to a local tradition, the observance
of the province's anniversary is centered in a different district
each year. This year, the big party is in Boquete, which has prepared
a month-long series of activities including parades, folklore shows,
concerts and dance parties.
There
will be activities in each of the town's corregimientos (districts)
each week. The corregimiento of Caldera will be the center of attention
this week (May 5-8), followed by Los Jaramillos, Los Naranjos, Palmira,
and the downtown area of Bajo Boquete, which will be the highlight
of the month-long fiesta.
Once a
sleepy little farming community, Boquete has become a very fashionable
place in recent years. With the establishment of Valle Escondido,
the country's first gated community for foreign retirees, five years
ago, the town has attracted hundreds of expats and retirees from North
America and Europe. Residential projects targeted at foreigners have
opened all over the area which is considered one of the "best
cities in the world for U.S. Retirees," according to the International
Living magazine.
The
valley where present-day Boquete presently lies was inhabited mainly
by Gnobe-Bugle indians until the mid-19th century, when waves of European
immigrants arrived to engage in agricultural activities. One of Panama's
newest cities, Boquete was formally incorporated as a "distrito"
in 1911. From that time onwards, the town has been considered a favorite
resort area among Panamanians due to its year-round cool weather.
The on-going influx of new residents and visitors has promped the
construction of new hotels, restaurants and recreational facilities,
many of which are owned by the new residents themselves. The growth
of Boquete has created an interesting cultural phenomenon, as the
new residents struggle to communicate in Spanish with the native population
in the midst of a "little United Nations".
