A Tour of the Presidential Palace

Last week a group of residences from the Coronado / San Carlos area went on a tour of the Presidential Palace in Casco Antiguo.  Thanks to Mayra Davidson and Sheila Scott. They compiled and sent in all the required information and got a tour date of October 21st at 1:45 PM. Palacio de las Garzas (Heron's Palace), is the official name of the presidential palace and named for the herons that inhabit the entrance of the palace.  Construction of the building was started in 1673, with the addition of a second floor in 1922 and the Official Presidential Residence, on the third floor, was added later.

The elegant 3 story white building is an example of Spanish Colonial architecture and was originally built as the home and offices for the Spanish Governor of Panama. The palace building has had many different occupants during its long history.  It has been a school, a customs building and a bank before becoming the official residence of the President of the Republic of Panama

After entering the palace through the iron gates we are ushered into the grand courtyard, which features a marble fountain and columns, decorated with Mother of Pearl shells. Our guide started our tour by explaining the history of the herons.  In 1922, two white herons were given as a gift to the then President from his friend Poet Ricardo Miro.  There have been as many as 9 herons, representing each of the 9 provinces of Panama.  In 2002, they received the current herons from South Africa.

Next we moved to the Paz Salón, this room is used for mediation meetings and the walls are decorated with paintings from the 1800’s.  The front wall has a beautiful mola made by Nasha, a Kuna Mola Artist.

When we walked to the second floor, we noticed 5 bronze statues made in 1915, by Italian artist Gaetano Olivari, representing 5 different virtues of humanity. Each statue was designed to represent a specific virtue, translated into English they are “Duty, Consistence, Work, Justice and Law.

Then we were shown into a large state-room called the Yellow Hall (Salon Amarillo). This is where the president would greet foreign dignitaries and give national addresses.  There is a gold colored chair (throne) that is accented with gold leaf. We were not allowed to sit on the chair but we could take pictures. The walls are painted with fresco’s depicting different historical events in Panama’s history.  We moved through a set of beautiful wooden doors to the official dining room. The woodwork in this room was magnificent.  The theme of the frescos in this room reflects the value and use of the tamarind plant. The last stop of our tour was by a beautiful tiled fountain from Spain.   It was an interesting tour and gave us more information about the country where we live.

The first step to arrange a tour of El Palaci de las Garzas, (the Presidential Palace) in Casco Antiguo is to send your request to Lcda. Alida Fabrega de Ansin by email gbernal@presidenciagob.pa  and she will forward the information that is required to arrange a tour. The person who organizes the tour should be reasonably fluent in Spanish.  For the tour, they require the full name of each person (as it appears on their passports) along with their nationality and passport numbers. After they have this information, Lcda. Alida Fabrega de Ansin will contact the organizer with the date and time of their tour.