Aguadulce,
Coclé, Panamá, S.A.
Story by Wendy and Tamara
Photos by Wendywww.uncoverpanama.com
The town of Aguadulce
is located 42 km. southwest of Penonomé, in Coclé Province
map. The main part of this
sizeable town is south of the Interamerican highway. The District of
Aguadulce includes the town of Aguadulce,
El Cristo, El Roble, Pocrí and Barrios Unidos. There are an additional 75
communities or regiments for an estimated combined population in 2008 of 46,473
inhabitants.
Since its lunchtime when we
arrive, we head for a favourite spot, El Jardin de San Juan Restaurante (Plaza 19 de
Octubre, Aguadulce, Tel. 997-2849, open 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., and 6:00 p.m.
to 10:00 p.m.). As we enter, proprietress Nelva Real greets us with her
warm smile. Although the air conditioned inside seating is quite
comfortable, we head for the outside terrace overlooking the lush
courtyard. Tamara has her favourite, Kike’s Corvina, lovely white sea
bass fillets covered in a mushroom sauce with papas puré (mashed potatoes) and
lots of limon (fresh lime - yes, even though it looks orange, its definitely a
lime). A few months back, we managed to persuade Nelva to divulge her
sangria recipe.
On this visit, Nelva
introduces us to her cousin, longtime local resident Mariela Real.
Mariela is a wealth of information and explains some of the history of
Aguadulce. According to Mariela, the original name for Aguadulce (“agua”
water and “dulce” sweet), was Trinidad.
The early Spaniards, working at the nearby port, were happy to discover a
“sweet water” well and took the liberty of renaming Trinidad
to “Aguadulce”. Mariela directed us to the Museo Regional Stella
Sierra, the local museum which displays artifacts, historical painting
and details the history of the local sugar and salt industry. “We must
visit” she tells us, and while we enjoy our lunch, Mariela slips out to the
museo, returning a few minutes later to let us know she has informed them we
will be coming.
A pleasant stroll across the
busy central plaza sits the Museo Regional Stella Sierra (Tues.
to Sat. 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Admission: Adults $1, Retirees $0.75,
Children $0.25 and Groups $5). They were definitely expecting us and
museum guide, Yilka Berrocal, greeted us warmly. Housed in a uniquely
shaped building located on a busy street corner, the structure was built in the
late XIX Century by Italian Eduardo Pedreschi. It has been used as
a meeting hall and, in 1989, a National Post Office. Originally founded
in 1998 as the “Salt and Sugar Museum”, the museo name was changed on July 28,
2005 to the present day Museo Regional Stella Sierra.
On the second floor we find
history depicted in art, the original church organ, indigenous pre-Columbian
artifacts, pottery, and although Yilka has little English and we muddle through
with our sparse Spanish, she manages to explain much of the items displayed.
Many Panamanians fought in the Columbian civil war (1899 – 1903), and guns,
uniforms and swords are displayed from this time. We are also provided a
wonderful view of the central plaza. Opening a window to take a photo, we
are almost blown away by the strong dry season breeze we remember from our
church steeple climb in Natá.
The main floor of the museo
displays a beautiful wall mural depicting the early harvesting of salt, a few
other pieces of artwork and the administrative office of the museo. It’s
the museo’s closing time so we say our goodbyes to Yilka and stroll back to our
vehicle. Next stop, Aguadulce’s port.
Located approximately 10 km.
east of the town we find the tiny port of Aguadulce. Its low tide and not
much is happening so after snapping a couple of photos, we head back.
Driving along this nicely paved road we pass a private shrimp farm and cattle
quietly grazing in the lazy late afternoon sun. It’s been a full
afternoon and time to head home.
Agriculture and aquaculture
are both major contributors to the financial stability of the District of
Aguadulce. Along the Interamerican highway between Natá and Aguadulce,
huge fields of sugarcane blanket both sides of the road. Harvesting
begins in January and can continue into late April. Although machines are
used, much is still harvested by hand. We spot both methods in action and
snap our last photos of the day.
It has been a fabulous day. In just a
few hours we have made a new friend, enjoyed a delicious lunch, had a history
lesson, viewed possibly one of the smallest ports in Panamá and were awed by
the backbreaking manual harvesting of sugarcane.
Thanks for sharing our adventure. Now,
let’s see, where to next?
Related Article: Natá - Explore This Historical Church
With Us
Tamara & Wendy
www.uncoverpanama.com
