THE AZUERO PENINSULA

The Azuero Peninsula is a paradoxical place. It’s a heavily settled, terribly deforested land where wilderness has largely been supplanted by farms. In some places erosion has transformed forest into wasteland. Yet it still feels isolated from modern Panama, frozen in an idyllic past, and there’s lots of charm and natural beauty left. It’s a land both much beloved and much abused.

The Azuero is inevitably called Panama’s “heartland,” a designation that tends to exclude the country’s widely scattered indigenous populations, not to mention, for instance, those of African descent. If asked, many of these peoples would say their hearts belong to other parts of Panama.

Still, the peninsula occupies an important, almost mythological, place in the Panamanian psyche. It is the wellspring of Panama’s favorite folkloric traditions, many of which originated in Spain but have taken on a uniquely Panamanian form—often thanks, ironically enough, to borrowings from the above-mentioned indigenous and African peoples.

Beautiful traditional clothing, such as the stunning pollera, and handicrafts, such as ceramics based on pre-Colombian designs, originated and are still made on the Azuero. The same is true of some important musical and literary traditions. Even Panama’s national drink, the sugarcane liquor known as seco, is made here. Traces of Spanish-colonial Panama—rows of houses with red-tile roofs and ornate ironwork, centuries-old churches overlooking quiet plazas—are easy to find, especially in well-preserved little towns such as Parita and Pedasí.

Most of all, the Azuero is known for its festivals. It has the biggest and best in the country, from all-night bacchanals to sober religious rituals. At the top of the heap is Carnaval, held during the four days leading up to Ash Wednesday. No Latin American country outside of Brazil is more passionate about Carnaval than Panama, and no part of Panama is more passionate about it than the Azuero.

For all the affection the Azuero inspires among Panamanians, most who live outside the peninsula know it only as a place to come for festivals. It usually flies below the radar of foreign visitors altogether. But those who want a taste of an older, more stately Panama should consider a visit. In some places, it’s as though the 20th century never happened.

The Azuero is large enough to be shared by three provinces. The nearly landlocked Herrera province, Panama’s smallest, is to the north; Los Santos to the southeast has an extensive coastline ringing the eastern and southern sides of the peninsula; and huge Veraguas, the only province with a Caribbean and Pacific coast, dips into the Azuero on its western side.

The hilly southwestern tip of the Azuero is the least developed, with a few patches of unspoiled wilderness left. These are extremely hard to get to, which is why they’re still lovely. The accessible lowland areas are now mostly farm country.

Slash-and-burn agriculture and logging have been more extensive in the Azuero than in any other part of Panama, and the inevitable result has been both dramatic and sad. Deforestation has turned some parts of this region into barren desert.

The east coast of the Azuero, as well as a strip of coast in Coclé province to the north, is known as the arco seco (dry arc), because of its lack of rainfall. While good news for sunbathers, that scarcity is bad news for the environment, showing the effects of creeping desertification.

The east-coast beaches resemble those within a couple of hours of Panama City, minus 30 years of development. They’re easy to get to—in some cases, visitors can drive on good roads right up to the beach—yet for dozens of kilometers at a stretch there’s little sign of human habitation. No condo towers here. At least, not yet.

As with the beaches closer to Panama City, don’t expect pure white sand. In fact, the beaches here tend to be even darker. But those who don’t mind brown, gray, and in some cases black sand will have no trouble finding a deserted seaside paradise. The beaches are wide and long, often backed by rugged cliffs and facing rolling surf. Their waters are filled with big fish and, in some places, extensive coral. Isla Cañas, off the south coast of the Azuero, is the most important nesting spot for sea turtles on Panama’s Pacific coast: Tens of thousands lay their eggs there each year.

The interior of the peninsula is taken up mostly by farmland, cattle pasture, and towns. There are few facilities for visitors, but visiting this heart of the “heartland” is like stepping back in time.

La Catedral de San Juan Bautista: Chitré’s cathedral, at the heart of this cozy provincial town, has an understated elegance that’s rare in Panama. (read more)

Museo de Herrera: Housed in a quaint Spanish-colonial building in Chitré, this little museum attempts to document the history of the central provinces from 2400 B.C. to the present. (read more)

La Arena: An entire town devoted to making ceramics with pre-Colombian designs that are eternally popular around the country. (read more)

Parita: Visiting this immaculately preserved Spanish-colonial town is like stepping through a time portal to the Azuero of a hundred years ago. (read more)

Iglesia de San Atanasio: Notable for its ornate, 18th-century interior, this church is the best-preserved bit of the historically important town of La Villa de Los Santos. (read more)