Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Just 6km northwest of downtown Chitré, the colonial town of Parita is one of those hid-
den gems that travelers love to stumble across. Founded in 1558 and named after the de-
parted Ngöbe-Buglé chief, Parita is full of 18th-century colonial structures. Buildings
have thick walls and solid beams, red-tiled roofs and sweeping arcades. Despite its his-
toric core, Parita is known to few outside the Península de Azuero, so it's unlikely that
you will see any tourists here, Panamanian or otherwise.
Parita follows a grid pattern. As you come to intersections near the town's center
(which is about 500m from the Carretera Nacional) and glance both ways, you'll see
buildings that look much the same as they have for centuries.
The
church
in Parita is the only one in Panama that has its steeple located directly
over its entrance rather than over a corner of the structure. This is very unusual as bell
towers are always extremely heavy, and therefore are generally built on pillars that rest
upon a massive foundation. In fact, it is a major curiosity to the residents of Parita that
the steeple hasn't collapsed upon the entryway. Although the church was completed in
1723, you'll never see a Parita resident loitering near the entrance.
Beside the church is a grassy square in which cattle-roping demonstrations are held
from August 3 to 7, during the town's patron-saint festivities.
Two doors down from the southeastern corner of Parita's church, a
workshop
special-
izes in the restoration of altars - it is the only such restoration center in the country. The
artisans working here, Macario José Rodriguez and José Sergio Lopez, have been restor-
ing the altars of Panama's colonial churches since the 1970s. Both men speak some Eng-
lish and they are very friendly - chances are they'll let you take a look around.
One of the country's top mask-makers is
Dario López
( 974-2933)
. To visit his
home workshop, return to the Carretera Nacional and find the service station near the
turnoff. Darido's house is about 100m northwest of the gas station, on the opposite side.
Visitors can identify his home by the masks hanging beside his front door. Darido has
been making colorful masks for folkloric dancers since the 1960s. While he continues to
make masks and satin costumes worn by dirty-devil dancers, these days most are expor-
ted to the USA and to Europe. In the shop they typically cost between US$20 and
US$80, with some small masks under US$10.
There are no lodgings in Parita, but downtown Chitré is just 10km away. A taxi ride
from Parque Union to Parita shouldn't cost you more than US$5, and there are several
buses an hour that won't cost you more than US$1.
