| Normally a laid-back rural town, Las Tablas, capital of | | | | Calidonia. Because Spanish colonization was so strong |
| Panama's Los Santos province, awakened with the | | | | in the region, the Los Santos province was and still is |
| vengeance of a true fiestero this year. Massive floats | | | | strongly Christian - so much so, that when the religious |
| the size of coast guard cutters, carrying trumpeting | | | | denominations disagreed about which patron saint to |
| bands and towering, brightly colored paper-maché | | | | celebrate, the riff divided the town into those from |
| figures, maneuvered through the throng of | | | | Calle Arriba and those from Calle Abajo. |
| carnival-goers. The stunning local Las Tablas queens, | | | | The La Placita region of Los Tablas soon became the |
| adorned in painstakingly hand-stitched pollera gowns, | | | | headquarters for Calle Arriba; and Barrio de Punta |
| feather headdresses and golden crowns, rhythmically | | | | Fogon, Calle Abajo's. The two sections of town began |
| gyrated their hips to the beat of the bongos. Fire | | | | gathering the prettiest girls, parading them, while singing |
| hoses from second-story balconies sprayed down on | | | | their insults to the opposing group. Finally priests |
| the dancing crowd of Calle Abajo, while everyone | | | | intervened, calling their latter-day verbal slams |
| excitedly chanted "Get up, get up, Calle Abajo!". | | | | blasphemous under the banner of religious celebrations. |
| Whether you were rooting for Calle Abajo | | | | Still, Calle Abajo and Calle Arriba kept up their rivalry, |
| (downtown) or Calle Arriba (uptown), it seemed as | | | | having their festivities coincide with those of the |
| though costumes, feathers, and fluorescent lights were | | | | European carnival. |
| the only things one needed to keep going strong | | | | The calles began officially electing their respective |
| through the night. | | | | queens around 1950, setting the stage for the |
| Las Tablas is arguably the best town in which to | | | | modern-day Carnival, celebrations filled with such pride |
| experience Panama's infamous Carnival celebration, | | | | a rule about families had to be created. It states that if |
| though every town in Los Santos has its own unique | | | | the mother of the family is from Calle Arriba and the |
| celebration. Indeed, it is the region's strong cultural | | | | father, from Calle Abajo, their children are considered |
| identity and rich folkloric tradition that have marked it as | | | | from Calle Arriba, and vice versa. There are very few |
| Panama's next hotspot. | | | | exceptions to this rule. |
| "We chose this area in large part because of its | | | | Nowadays, floats traversing the massive crowd of the |
| wonderful heritage and authentic character," marks | | | | Las Tablas Carnival sport professional sponsorship, |
| Daniel Rudasevski of Andromeda Ocean Estates, a | | | | fireworks rival those of the US Super Bowl, Calle |
| luxury Panama beachfront real estate development in | | | | Abajo and Calle Arriba have their own websites, |
| Pedasí, Los Santos. "Our proximity to Las Tablas | | | | government agencies and banks close, traditional |
| and the exuberant celebrations there are a very | | | | sancocho (chicken soup with yucca or nyame) is |
| important part of the appeal to our clients. In fact, | | | | served, and hotels and hostels fill up months in |
| Pedasí is also known for its outstanding fiestas, | | | | advance. Queens are elected on Friday and Carnival |
| which though they are on a smaller scale than Las | | | | celebrations don't end until the following Tuesday. |
| Tablas, have a special flavor all their own." | | | | This year's chosen queens were Noris Edith Vasquez |
| Las Tablas becomes the focal point of the country | | | | for Calle Abajo, and Mileydis Vargas for Calle Arriba. |
| mainly because it's so exciting to watch the annual | | | | Carnival days begin with culecos (outdoor dances |
| "battle" between the Calle Abajo and Calle Arriba | | | | constantly refreshed by fire hoses) and chanted praise |
| sections of town. This past February 16, the two | | | | or ridicule of the calles. Nights are filled with wild parties |
| zones once again became steeped in the more than | | | | that run until the early morning. |
| 50-year tradition of trying to outdo one another. | | | | This colorful splash of culture is an integral part of Los |
| This rich history of gibes and one-upmanship began in | | | | Santos' appeal, and one of the most authentic |
| the early 1900s, with two distinct religious | | | | celebrations in Panama. |
| denominations: La Ermita de la Santa Cruz and | | | | |