Trip to Panama

One of the joys of travel is seeing local arts and handicrafts of the region you are visiting. The standard of Panamanian handicrafts is exceptional and very distinctive. The indigenous Indians, who make these fine crafts for a living, live in the Comarcas of Kuna Yal, Ngobe Bugle and Bocas del Toro. Their products are sold throughout Panama at craft shops and markets. A fine selection can be found at El Valle, Boquete and in Panama Viejo. Trips can also be organized to visit the Indians. This may involve traveling into Darien along tracks, then a 3 hour horseback ride to a river. The Indians arrive in dugout canoes and sell their wares direct. Certainly a trip like this makes the souvenirs far more personal, and captures the whole experience, making treasured memories of a long-forgotten vacation.

Besides the obvious Panama hat, the most common items are “Molas”. These are beautiful highly colorful cloth pictures of birds, flowers etc of reverse appliqué. They are made by layering cloths, each of a single color, and then cutting through the layers to reveal the color required for the cut out. The edges are then sewn down with the tiniest of stitches, to create an appliqué effect. Details are then embroidered on to leaves etc to make a highly original panel of colorful cloth pictures.

The native Kuna Indians incorporate these panels into their traditional dress and make a stunning sight. A Mola can be purchased for around $170-$300 depending upon size and quality. Some haggling is expected when buying direct from the Indians, so be prepared. Considering the time taken to cut and stitch this ancient craft, this represents a fairly low rate per hour, and the tradition is slowly dying out, or being machine made for faster, cheaper production. The Mola can then be made into a bedcover, or mounted and hung as a beautiful picture.

The Indians are also renowned for their baskets or “Canastas”. The word basket does not really do justice to these incredible creations. Made entirely of natural products and dyes, the end result is a woven bowl or basket, built up by fine weaving to 10mm or more thickness. The weaving is so dense that the baskets actually hold water. The weaving incorporates colorful diamonds and other geometric shapes and the baskets can be many shapes, more like vases than actual baskets. These handicrafts can take up to a year to make and consequently the price of $1000-$3000 for a fine piece reflects the many hours of work.

One final unique souvenir to Panama is the Tagua carvings. The tagua nut is fairly large and smooth and is used to carve beautiful native animals, fish and birds including hummingbirds, golden frogs and parrots. The finished carvings are colored and have a perfectly smooth satin finish. Again quality demands a higher price, but simple tagua carvings start around $25.

Wherever you go, enjoy appreciating the ancient craft and talents of the indigenous Indians and local people, and remember that buying one or more of these gifts helps to keep these ancient skills alive.