As we further journeyed into the Los Santos province, we made a quick stop in Las Tablas district. Las Tablas district has small towns not commonly listed on tour guides. Our first stop was La Villa de Los Santos. Located south of Chitre and left end of the Villa river, this small town remains a very important part of Panamanian history.

Photo Courtesy of Tony Polanco.

La Villa de Los Santos is where the journey for independence started for the country. On November 10, 1821, the town’s residents wrote a letter to Simón Bolívar asking to join his revolution. This letter was called the the Primer Grito de la Independencia (First Cry for Independence) and was essential to gaining Panama’s independence from Spain. 18 days after the this letter was created, Panama became independent from Spain. The Primer Grito de la Independencia is now preserved at  El Museo de la Nacionalidad…