Handcrafts

Only Mexico rivals Panama in the variety and creativeness of native handicrafts.
Panama's living Indian tribes and other native artisans create high quality handicrafts.

WHERE TO FIND THEM

Large selections of Panamanian handicrafts can be found in two places in Panama City. The closest location are the Gran Morrison stores with branches near most downtown hotels. Here you will find everything from the famous framed "molas," to t-shirts, ceramics and woodwork. Just ask your concierge where the nearest Gran Morrison is. Chances are it is within walking distance. If not, it's a short taxi ride.

Another location, is the Balboa Artisans market which offers the possibility of bargaining and a more "get-close-to-the-natives" setting. Lodged in an historical building in the former American Canal Zone, the market offers a great variety of handicrafts and you'll get to know a different Panama than is normally seen in Panama's business district.

To get there, just tell one of Panama's trusty taxi drivers to take you to "la antigua YMCA en Balboa" or show him this article. It's a 15 minute drive from downtown and the taxi ride will be about $2.00.

If you are getting out of Panama City, there is an artisans market in El Valle that is especially big on Sundays when the Indians come into town to sell their wares.

TYPES OF PANAMANIAN HANDICRAFTS

Molas
"Molas" are Panama's most famous handicraft. They are colorful, intricate, multi-leveled appliqué fabric panel designs made by the Kuna Indian women of the San Blas Islands. They made them originally for their blouses. You can buy molas loose, framed or as decorativ part of a shirt, blouse or bag.

Embera Indian Baskets
Also recommended are the tightly woven baskets of the Embera Indians. Many are exported to Europe and the US, but here you can purchase them starting at $10. The baskets are made of palm materials of the nahuala bush and the chunga tree. They take anywhere from days to months to weave. All the dyes used for coloring the baskets are natural extracts from the tropical fruits and trees of the rainforest. (Similar baskets by the Navajo Indians in the US cost a small fortune.)

Tagua Nuts
Another unusual, fascinating handicraft are tagua nuts carved into tiny figurines, often of the native wildlife. Tagua nuts are hard ivory-colored nuts. At the turn of the century, before plastic was invented, these nuts were imported to the US and Europe to be made into buttons.

You will also find a selection clever carvings cleverly from materials like soapstone and a tropical hardwood called cocobolo.

Huacas and Colonial Era Jewelry
If you want to bring home a very special memento, it is possible to purchase high quality "huacas"- jewelry items that are replicas of the golden figures placed in pre-Conquest Indian burial sites. No one knows the exact meaning of these objects, but they surely had some kind of mystical significance. Your hotel jewelry store will have them and you can find a complete selection at Reprosa, a jewelry store specializing in such reproductions adjacent to Plaza Obarrio on Samuel Lewis St. Reprosa also has beautiful reproductions of Spanish colonial jewelry.