Travel Guide Portobelo

Fifty kilometers from Colón and a hundred from Panama, Portobelo is located in a dream setting at the end of a narrow bay surrounded by lush vegetation. This sleepy little town has some of the most beautiful vestiges of colonial history in the Americas. Like the ruins of Fort San Lorenzo, its 17th and 18th century fortifications have been on UNESCO's World Heritage List since 1980. The population lives from fishing, trade and a little tourism. The bay offers diving spots and beautiful beaches accessible by boat. But this peace is broken every year, on October 21, at the time of the ceremonies of the Cristo Negro in which thousands of pilgrims come from all the country. The wooden statue of a black Christ is said to be the source of many miracles.The other celebrations, such as the carnival and the Festival of the Diablos every two years, are an opportunity to discover the Congos traditions, more than four centuries old, and in particular the theatrical dances inherited from the revolted black slaves who mocked their Spanish masters. Rhythmic by the drums, they last for hours and involve the whole village, with characters who flee and hide as in the time of the cimarrones (the "maroons" as the fugitive slaves were called). They parody the Royal Court by involving the Queen and her husband Jua Dio, or their messenger parajito... A show you won't soon forget!