Travel Guide San Miguel Centro

San Miguel Centro is a community of the central mountain range, located in the corregimiento of Candelario Ovalle, north of Penonomé. The access is not very easy and the comfort is basic, but the travelers who take the time to come here will receive a warm welcome and will discover the fascinating cucuá culture born in the XVII century around the cucuá tree that grows in the region. This tree is also called barrigón in El Copé, poncho in Coclé del Norte, or ñumi in Veraguas. From its bark is extracted a fiber that allows to obtain, after a long process, a textile material. The final result, of great finesse, can be seen in the museums of El Valle or Penonomé. It is a cream colored suit made up of a jacket and pants on which patterns were painted with natural dyes. The outfit is completed by a mask topped with deer antlers, made using the same technique. Today, these outfits are still worn by the men of the village dance group. Every year, the community participates in different folkloric events in the country, such as the parade of the thousand polleras, the Festival de la Mejorana de Guararé, or the Corpus Christi festival in La Villa de Los Santos. There is also an annual festival in March, the Festival Nacional del Cucuá. A good atmosphere with folkloric presentations and traditional games around the trapiche (to extract the juice from the cane), for example...Under the roof of the community house, you will be able to appreciate the different clothes and objects made by the women from the bark of the cucuá tree. They will be happy to teach you their know-how at . The Cucuas are the last ones to work the bark of this tree, formerly very used by the majority of the natives of the western region. Today, to find these trees, it is necessary to penetrate deeper and deeper into the forest. Also, a project of reproduction of the cucua tree and reforestation is in progress.