Sketches of Spanish-colonial life in Panama

SPANISH-COLONIAL
LIFE IN PANAMA

Michinga.

SKETCHES OF

SPANISH-COLONIAL

LIFE IN PANAMA

BY ^ (£4rt/v

LADY MALLET

Wife of Sir Claude Coventry Mallet

British Envoy Extraordinary and

Minister Plenipotentiary to

Panama and Costa Rica

STURGIS & WALTON
COMPANY

1915

Copyright, 1915
BY LADY MALLET

u

T3

INTRODUCTION

IT has ever been a great delight to me
to engage elderly people in conversa
tion. As a child, the accounts of incidents
during their lives fascinated me, they fas
cinate me now, and very especially, the
reminiscences of Colonial life in Panama.
I acquired many years ago the habit of
taking notes of any interesting stories I
would hear, — always hoping that my son
would make use of them some day, and
publish them in book form. I hardly felt
equal to doing it myself. But repeatedly,
when relating some of these anecdotes, I
have been asked, "Why don't you write
that, just as you have told it*?" In this
way encouragement has come from many
a kind listener, and at last I have been per
suaded to tell my little stories. I have

616

vi INTRODUCTION

endeavored to tell them just as I would
speak them, avoiding all lengthy details
which would seem pretentious and form
a big book.

My small attempt at story writing does
not pretend to be a book — call it con
versations or notes — and I trust the facts
I enumerate may be found interesting.
Everything I mention has happened, and
has been told me by the persons them
selves, or their descendants. Truthful
ness is the only merit I can claim for my
little volume.

I dedicate it to my beloved children,
Dita and George, for whose entertain
ment I wrote most of the stories when they
had not grown too big to sit on my knees
and listen to me with their lovely big eyes
watching for every word I said.

I must crave indulgence for my audacity
in writing in a language which I only

INTRODUCTION vii

learned when I went to boarding school,
and I have been urged not to have the style
corrected or changed by an editor. So
here it is, au naturel, and may it please
you.

The Colonial period to which these
notes refer lasted from 1672, when the new
town was founded, till 1821 when Pan
ama became independent of Spain; and
the description of a dinner party in 1842 is
given to show how, twenty-one years after
the Republican regime was established,
Colonial courteous habits still survived.
To better understand the Colonial inhab
itants of Panama it should be explained
that the town was a very small one within
an enormous fort. Inside lived the nobil
ity with their slaves, outside lived the peo
ple, and even at the present time when the
barriers of the fortifications no longer ex
ist, the idea remains, and the best families

viii INTRODUCTION

prefer to crowd inside in discomfort,
rather than live outside the old town lim
its.

The destruction of the first city by Mor
gan in 1671, taught the Spaniards the ne
cessity of strongly fortifying the new
town, and the present site, on a rocky
peninsula, was found admirably adapted
for an important military stronghold, eas
ily defended from attacks by land or sea.
At one time this place, more fortress than
town, was the most important centre of
Spanish domination in America, before
Bogota and Lima had been colonized. At
the old town the first Real Audiencia
(Royal Chancellery) of South America
had been established in 1538. Previous
to that, there had been one in Santo Do
mingo and one in Mexico.

In 1690 we find Don Pedro Jose Guz
man, Davalos, Ponce de Leon, Santillana

INTRODUCTION ix

y Mesia, Marques de la Mina, General of
Artillery, a native of Seville, arriving here
as President of the Royal Chancellery of
Panama and Commander General of the
Kingdom of New Andalusia, to replace
the Count de Palmar. He governed for
five years, and then, through political in
trigues and unjustified slanders, was con
fined to the Castle at Fort Lorenzo, where
he remained during the four years that his
trial lasted. He was succeeded by the
Count de Camillas, who perpetrated so
many cruelties on the imprisoned Marques
that a protest was sent to Spain by the
garrison of the fort and the people of Cha-
gres, and on the yth of July 1699, by
order of His Majesty the King of Spain,
the Count de Camillas was replaced by the
Marques de Villa Rocha and the poor
Marques de la Mina was released and
went to Porto Bello.

x INTRODUCTION

It is worth noting that in most places
the President of the Royal Chancellery
was nothing else, but in Panama he was
Governor and Captain General as well.
To prevent him from being influenced in
any way, he was forbidden to marry, to
be a sponsor at a Christening or at a wed
ding, to acquire any real estate or to own
more than two slaves for his personal serv
ice.

Though Panama was never a Viceroy-
alty in the true sense of the word, three
Viceroys at various times have established
their seat of government there:

Don Benito Perez, from May 1812 to

Don Juan Samano, December 1820 to
August 1821, when he died.

Don Juan de la Cruz Murgeon, from
August to October 1821.

Ruins of Fort San Lorenzo, also known as Chagres Castle, situated on a hill
overlooking the Atlantic. Note the grenades and cannon balls piled
on the ground just as the Spaniards left them in 1821. In this fort the
Marques de la Mina was imprisoned for four years.

I

MICHINGA

COLONIAL LIFE IN
PANAMA

MICHINGA
CHAPTER I

BABYHOOD AND DAILY LIFE IN THE
HOUSEHOLD

THE advent of baby Michinga, in the
already numerous household of Don
Ramon, was hailed with great joy by all
her sisters and brothers. This was the
new doll to play with, and what a beauti
ful doll it was, with her skin of milk and
roses, her hair of golden threads and a
most wonderful pair of deep brown eyes !
Months had been spent in preparations
for the arrival of the little guest. Dona
Pepilla's baskets of Mechlin and Venetian

2 COLONIAL LIFE IN PANAMA

lace had been almost emptied to adorn
sheets and pillow cases of transparent
linen and pineapple lawn, for the cradle.
Every design in the family samplers of
drawn thread and cross-stitch had been
used in lavish profusion on the bed linen
and on the tiny chemises; and wonderful
little caps were made to fit tight and keep
the baby's ears back. Prominent ears were
the horror of mammas in those days, and
every precaution was taken to prevent
them. Owing to the great heat babies
only wore the elaborately embroidered lit
tle chemises and these funny little caps.

How busy the slaves had been, working
and talking! Would it be a little Master
or a little Mistress? Whom would it
look like? Which of the slaves would
look after it? Who would be the god
parents? Benancio, the cook, gets ready
with all kinds of sweets and cakes for

Michinga's Mother.

MICHINGA 3

the christening. Dionisio, the butler, has
gathered all the lemons from the garden,
his wife is busy in the kitchen sifting wood
ashes, and with these and lemon juice all
the silver of the house is to be made spot
less. Very special attention is given to
the large silver basin in which all the
babies of the family receive their first bath.
This basin and the silver jug for warm
water with wings forming the handles and
cherubs' heads in relief, will be carried by
Dionisio to church on the day of the chris
tening, as he has carried it for all Michin-
ga's brothers and sisters.

Other slaves who have charge of the
floors are polishing away with cocoanut
husks, sand and salt water until the floors
look as smooth and white as a modern
pastry board. After all these preparations,
all is joy in the household, mixed with
small jealousies. All the slaves have seen

4 COLONIAL LIFE IN PANAMA

the baby, the most beautiful baby, but
some slaves have been allowed to carry it
or to rock it in the cradle, and this creates
discussions.

Benancia had no business to answer the
Senora's bell in such a hurry when it was
Angela's turn, all because she wants to be
the first to rock the baby's cradle or be
cause she thinks she has the prettiest voice
in the house and knows so many cradle
songs. And the Senora's broth, her prin
cipal nourishment for forty days, is also
the cause of much excitement. Benancio,
the cook, claims that he always has made
it for his mistress, using one nice fat
chicken, one pound of best lean beef and
various vegetables to make two large cups.
Benancia, the white slave, who is lady's
maid and sworn enemy of Benancio, re
minds him that when Dona Emilia was
born she made the Senora's broth and it

MICHINGA 5

was better than his. Benancio is very an
gry at this because he remembers how his
master on that occasion hit him two hard
blows on the shoulders with his riding
whip and sent him to his room for two
days, and Benancia meanwhile reigned
supreme in the kitchen.

These two were always in trouble.
Benancio fell in love with Benancia from
the first day she arrived. He was a very
handsome negro and all the slave women
liked him, but Benancia, who was thin and
ugly, considered herself his superior be
cause her skin was white, and despised all
his advances. In revenge, he tantalized
her in every way he could and the punish
ment just mentioned had been richly de
served, as an account of his actions will
show.

Benancio had a large monkey which he
killed and then tied in a sitting attitude on

6 COLONIAL LIFE IN PANAMA

one of the kitchen chairs, with a crimson
bonnet on its head and the large kitchen
knife in one hand. So when Benancia
came in at 8 P. M. to make the Sefiora's
chocolate and in the semi-dark kitchen saw
this apparition, she promptly had a fit and
Benancio had to be punished.

Another night he took the matting off
his cot, rolled it up, dressed it like a ghost
and put it in the kitchen for Benancia,
with the same result — Benancia in a fit,
Benancio flogged. But he did not mind
his flogging if he succeeded in giving
Benancia a good fright.

Jose Antonio Paez, a big handsome
slave who had come from Medellin, was
the god of the kitchen quarters and the de
light of the children. He used to adopt
the airs of a grand seigneur, and when any
of the slaves called him Pepe (the diminu
tive of Jose) he would say, placing his

Photo b\ Endara.

Old Colonial table, porcelain vases, fruit dishes and fruit plate. On the
wall an old picture and under the table a copper brazero for burning
coal — all from Michinga's home.

MICHINGA 7

thumbs under his armpits and holding his
head very high:

Yo me llamo Jose Antonio Paez
For la mar y por la tierra,
El que quiere habblar conmigo
Ponga la rodilla en tierra.

I am called Jose Antonio Paez
By land and by sea,
Anyone wishing to speak to me
Must to the ground bend his knee.

His principal duty was to carry the
young ladies to school at seven in the
morning. Little Rita would sit astride on
his neck, while he would carry Dona Man-
uelita and Dona Pepita in his strong arms.
With one hand he held a large umbrella
against the sun and rain. A little girl
slave followed, carrying a basket upon her
head with the little frocks to be worn dur
ing school time and a change of linen in

8 COLONIAL LIFE IN PANAMA

case the little damsels in their play hours
should moisten their clothes romping in
the great heat of the day.

Manuela, the other slave of importance
in the house, had charge of the linen.
Her needle work was perfection. The
sewing slaves of all the families in town
would come to Manonga (the diminutive
of Manuela) to learn. She knew more
stitches in drawn thread and embroidery
than any one, and had a veritable talent
for beautifying the simplest designs, by
introducing little improvements and orna
mentations of her own invention.

At half past five the children would be
up and run to the beach with their slaves
for a dip in the sea, or if it were a rainy
morning, their little hands and faces
would be washed with rose water made by
Benancia, who always kept a plentiful
supply, and the bath in the garden would

MICHINGA 9

be taken in the afternoon, when the water
had been properly sunned. To bathe in
water unpurified by the heat of the sun
was thought dangerous. Of the soap-
wood sticks Benancia had charge also, and
one by one the children came to her of a
morning to have their teeth polished.

At six Dionisio, the butler, had early
breakfast ready, — hot coffee for the mas
ters, milk for the little ones, with slices of
bollo and cheese. Casave, or bollo, was
always served in lieu of bread.

The first week passed of Michinga's ar
rival, for the first time she was taken out
into the garden, and on the fortieth day of
her advent the period of confinement
ended. Dona Pepilla could leave her
room and again partake of the varied and
delicious food Benancio provided for the
family. At 5 A. M. the great Jose An
tonio Paez was busy with the baths in the

10 COLONIAL LIFE IN PANAMA

garden, two large marble tubs sunk into
the ground and screened from view by
pretty creepers. Water had to be carried
from the well to fill them and then jas
mine and roses were thrown in to perfume
the baths, which must be got ready with
special care on this occasion, as the mistress
is out and about again and the water must
be exposed to the sun in flat tins to warm it
and absorb the dew, that dew which was
supposed to be the cause of most illnesses.
The aromas were collected from the trees
in the garden very early that morning by
Benancia to place in her mistress's clothes.
During the forty days no perfumes had
been allowed in the house; they would
have harmed Michinga and mama; only
incense was used, burning in a silver re
ceptacle, with a tall conical wicker frame
over it, on which all the linen would be

MICHINGA 11

placed to be purified and perfumed be
fore wearing it.

At ten o'clock lunch was always ready;
the children came back from school run
ning, all wishing to be first in kissing the
hands of their father and mother and re
ceiving the blessing from them after Jose
had given the report of their conduct at
school. To have this blessing withdrawn
was the greatest disgrace that could be
fall a child, and the unblessed one had a
bad time of it all day. No nice children
liked to play with one who deserved such
punishment.

Lunch was the heavy meal of the day,
but it had to be served quickly for the
children were due at school again at
eleven, and on rising from the table it was
a cry of "Me first" and a rush for the large
silver salvers (basins) which the slaves

12 COLONIAL LIFE IN PANAMA

held with clear water and verbena leaves
to wash the hands and face, and another
rush for the carved mahogany tinajero
with heavy stone filter and terra cotta tin-
aja underneath to receive the water.
Each member of the family had on the
tinajero shelf his or her jarro, a red clay
cup with silver cover, and discussions
arose among the children who could not
read their names on the cover, and refused
to believe the older children who could.
Jarros with silver covers were also kept in
small openings made in the heavy mas
onry walls. This made the water cool;
and to give the water a nice flavor the jar-
ros when washed were rubbed with guay-
aba leaves.

Jose would carry a dessert to school at
twelve, — sometimes fruit, sometimes a
fruit drink, or cakes with sweets and jam.

At three the children were back, and all

Drawn thread and embroidery on pillow sham of finest linen lawn. The
garland is embroidered on a background of the most delicate drawn
thread work.

MICHINGA 13

the slaves busy bathing them, doing the
little girls' hair up in wonderful fashions
with curls, gold and pearl ornaments and
ribbons, the slaves vying with each other
that their special charge might look the
best. Benancia gathered the roses, the
hybiscus and the prettiest flowers of the
garden to decorate the dinner table, and
at four the event of the day took place.
Dinner was a formal affair. The Mas
ter wore one of his best embroidered
white satin waistcoats. Dionisio had to
be careful that the turquoise buttons with
a tiny pearl in the centre should match the
sprays of forget-me-nots embroidered all
down the front. The silver buckles of the
patent leather shoes were properly rubbed
and made to shine with the palm of the
hand, the lace ruffles of the shirt and the
soft silk scarf round the neck were care
fully examined to see that all was right,

14 COLONIAL LIFE IN PANAMA

for the Master was very particular about
two things: his personal appearance and
the jasmine essence for his handkerchief
which Benancia prepared for him.

The Mistress spent quite an hour dis
cussing her evening toilette before decid
ing what to wear. First the petticoats
had to be chosen, two or three of them, so
that modesty should not be shocked by
discerning her form — and the dresses, they
were all so wonderful; of silks and velvets
all the way from Italy. The material of
one of those skirts would make four of our
present day skirts, the bodices low-necked,
the sleeves usually to the elbow, or at any
rate, long enough to be considered de
cent.

At five all the family went out, the
Senora's shoulders covered with a priceless
Brussels or Spanish lace scarf, and all the
children with their best dresses. This was

MICHINGA 15

a solemn occasion, no romping allowed
when out for the daily walk with papa
and mama. It was delightful to wear
the lovely lace-befrilled and elaborately
embroidered little frocks which had taken
Manonga so long to make, and which
other little girls and their mamas would
admire and envy, but to walk slowly two
by two, to remember to answer salutations,
to keep silent or speak in a whisper, and to
kiss the hand of the old ladies, all this was
really too much restraint, and at six
o'clock when one had made the rounds of
the city walls, meeting all one's friends
and answering the salute of the sentries,
what a joy to return home, and be rid of
all the finery and make up for the restraint
of two hours, with a pillow fight, or a
game of blindman's bluff; or hide and seek
in the big garden! Another lovely game
was to climb the cherry trees and plum

16 COLONIAL LIFE IN PANAMA

trees and pelt the slaves who tried to catch
their young masters.

Mama Chepita, the oldest slave, would
come along with her silver candle lighter
at dusk, when the call to prayer rang from
the Cathedral towers, followed by Clara,
who carried the silver clipper and tray, to
trim and light all the candles in the house.
And to each member of the family the two
women would give the formal salutations
as they met, saying, "Ave Maria Purisima,
Buenas Noches de Dios a Su Merced"
which means, "Ave Maria Purisima, may
the Lord grant your Grace a good night."

When the lights were lit all the family
and favorite slaves would meet in the
drawing-room. The children recited the
last bit of poetry they had learned, friends
came in, they played the piano, and sang
the latest French ballad or recited the lat
est French poem, with purest French ac-

MICHINGA 17

cent. Other evenings would be devoted
to dancing among the Senores, or the
slaves were made to dance for the amuse
ment of their masters.

This was the form of entertainment
which pleased the children best. The
drums and rattles would be brought, Be-
nancia would start the singing, her clear
mellow voice sounding above all the other
voices. Everyone would join in clap
ping, to keep time, and the dance began.
Mama Chepita always danced first. She
would start making the gliding step for
ward, and bow, first to the Masters,
then to the musicians, and with a graceful
ness and quickness unbelievable at her
age, would go through all the graceful con
tortions of the Tamborito, always from the
waist and arms, her limbs unbending, and
her feet gliding along as though she were
on wheels. Very soon the men would be-

i8 COLONIAL LIFE IN PANAMA

come enthusiastic and come to her, — pir
ouetting in strange fashion, hat in hand.
They would simulate the intention of
catching her, getting near enough some
times to pretend, with open arms, to
embrace her, she quickly getting away.
When the excitement of the dance had
reached its height, a man would fan
Mama Chepita with his hat, following
her with the same graceful gliding step,
she always pretending to get away. And
then another man would come into the
ring, bow to him and go through the same
movements, Mama Chepita going on with
her steps and movements as though she
had not noticed the change of partner.
Presently another couple came into the
ring and Mama Chepita would retire and
join those who were singing and clapping.
When the girl was young and pretty and
a good dancer her partner placed his hat

Mahogany desk used by Michinga's father when Governor of Panama, with
silver lock-plates, silver inkstand and candle sticks inside glass shades.
Glass candle shade from Michinga's home hangs from the ceiling. Pic
ture of Michinga's father and mother on the wall.

MICHINGA 19

on her head. This always created the
greatest excitement. Opal was heard on
every side, and the men partners succeeded
each other with great rapidity, always
placing the hat on the girl's head, one hat
on top of another until a veritable tower of
hats was formed and the girl had to use all
her skill so they should not fall off. Some
times hats and money would be thrown at
her feet by the spectators during the dance.
Punto was the name of another favorite
dance, but very few could do it. The per
formance consisted of intricate steps and
movements of the abdomen. In fact it
was La danse du ventre, and a woman
danced it alone. Another slave dance was
the Cumbia. For this the couples stepped
into the centre of the room, the men facing
the women, and gradually a solid ring of
couples was formed. The man's step was
a sort of little jump, going backwards, the

20 COLONIAL LIFE IN PANAMA

woman sliding in front of him, a lighted
candle in her hand held with a large ban
dana. The spectators gave more candles
to the favorites as the circle passed by until
sometimes the girls could with difficulty
hold eighteen or more candles in one hand
with the bandana around them to keep
them together.

Michinga and her little brother, Don
Prospero, became experts in Tamborito.
Michinga would always stipulate before
beginning that she should have lots of hats
and lots of money thrown at her feet, be
cause then she could dance better. But
she had little need to ask, if she only
knew. When she did dance, her audience
were absolutely electrified. Dionisio and
Mama Chepita always wept copiously on
these occasions, and the Opas! and I pas!
from all were deafening. Every clever
move, every graceful motion of the little

MICHINGA 21

beauty set the slaves on strings, and they
would clap hard enough to break their
hands if they could have been broken.

Sometimes, when Mama Chepita had
had a long enough siesta in the afternoon
and could keep awake, she would sit on the
floor in the middle of the room and tell of
the deeds of conquest when she first came
to America, or recite fairy tales of India
and Arabia which she remembered as in a
dream, for her master, who was jealous of
her mother loving any living thing but
himself, had sold little Chepita to be taken
to the New World when the child was five
years old.

At eight o'clock Benancia and Dionisio
came with the chocolate and crisp gauffres,
and at nine every member of the house
hold, even to the stable boys, had to be in
the drawing-room for prayers. The Senora
knew them all by heart, beautiful prayers

22

such as only in Spanish sound so lovely.
The Litanies, however, the Senora had
found easier to learn by heart in Latin.
Then came the blessing from the Master of
the house, and everyone to bed as soon as
possible, for home-made tallow candles
don't last long and there are so many
ghosts in the darkness!

One day poor Angela, the slave who
washed the clothes in one of the patois, in
Michinga's home had a great misfortune.
Her little girl was drowned in one of the
botijas. The botija is an earthenware jar
about four feet high -and eighteen inches
in diameter, which used to be kept in the
kitchens and gardens with water for all
purposes in the house. They constituted a
great danger always with children, who,
trying to get water out of them, would fall
in head first and be unable to get out again.
So that for a child to be drowned in this

MICHINGA 23

manner was by no means an infrequent
occurrence.

Angela's little girl was the children's
live doll, and they missed her sadly. All
the tube roses in the garden were gathered
by the little ones to make her a cross; for
her name was Margarita, and tube roses
in Spanish are margaritas also. The men
slaves of the house carried the remains
to the cemetery, and Don Ramon with his
two eldest sons walked at the head of the
procession. Little Margarita was one of
the family, and Don Ramon would be with
her till the end. The death of Mama
Chepita occurred the same week, but the
death of a child and that of an old woman
made a very different impression on the
slaves. The child was an angel, the church
bells did not toll for it, but rang their
liveliest chimes, and one should rejoice
that there was one more angel in heaven.

24 COLONIAL LIFE IN PANAMA

But Mama Chepita! . . . her groans, her
ugly face, — she would come back and
frighten Benancio for a certainty because
he killed the monkey. Everyone remem
bered what he had done to displease
Mama Chepita and wondered how she
would punish them. For months, no man
or woman in that house would walk alone
in the dark; special prayers were said to
beg the departed friend not to return.
Frequently in the night screams would be
heard in the servants' quarters. Mama
Chepita had come, someone had seen her
or felt her, and every one of the slaves must
get out of bed and say prayers, because evi
dently the fire of Purgatory was hurting
her more than usual and they must pray
for her prompt release.

CHAPTER II

CHRISTENING, EDUCATION AND MARRIAGE
COSTUME

THE christening of Michinga was a
great affair. The parents were very
proud of her, and there was a long delib
eration about names, and god parents who
would do credit to the baby, — fifteen little
brothers and sisters had preceded her into
the world, but her beauty surpassed any
thing anyone had ever seen. Everyone
came to admire this wonderful little bit of
live Sevres.

At three o'clock in the afternoon the
christening took place with much ringing
of bells at the Cathedral. Everybody who

was anybody was present in church, and all

25

26 COLONIAL LIFE IN PANAMA

the street boys of the town were waiting at
the door for the godfather, who was equal
to the occasion and threw handful after
handful of silver coins into the Plaza.

At the house of the parents the godfather
and godmother distributed gold coins of
different values, glued to ribbons with the
name of the child engraved in gold letters,
date of birth and of christening, and the
names of the godparents. Don Ramon
and his Senora provided a good dinner for
their guests, and music, so that dancing was
kept up to a late hour.*

At Michinga's christening great excite
ment was caused by the appearance of the
first carriage in Panama, belonging to
Michinga's godfather. Drawn by a beau
tiful team of Arab horses, he used it on this

* This form of christening, I would mention, is still
kept up in all its details, with the tips to the sacristan
and to the nurse who carries the baby to church.

MARRIAGE COSTUME 27

occasion for the first time. Up to then
only Sedan chairs, more or less elaborately
gilded and painted, were used by the ladies
when their slaves took them to church or
when visiting their friends. To see the
owners in the open berlina going round
and round upon the broad massive city
walls was a novelty indeed, and was for a
long time after the christening the event
of the day.

On the covered pavement of the old
Town Hall a regular gossip den was
formed in the evenings. All the women
who sold sweets and cakes and fruit drinks
would gather there with their tables and
trays, a dismal tallow candle lighting their
goods. The berlina and horses were much
discussed by the saleswomen. There the
children came with their nurses to buy
cocada, golloria, millo, and other dainties,
and of course news was exchanged.

28 COLONIAL LIFE IN PANAMA

These saleswomen were the best informed
people in the town, and often in troubled
times they acted as spies, diffusing and
gathering information according to the pay
they had received. Politicians, soldiers,
merchants, everyone made friends with
them.

Michinga went to school with her twin
sisters; they all learned to write a pretty
hand, to recite poetry, speak French, play
the spinet, sing, dance, do fine needlework,
and were lectured every day on good man
ners and respect to their elders. Once a
week they had a history lesson, another day
a little geography. Add, subtract, multi
ply, divide, and at fifteen, having learned
all this, education was finished, and it was
time to get married.

The twins' turn came first; they were
older than Michinga, and what fun they
had at the dances, these two pretty girls!

MARRIAGE COSTUME 29

So identical were they that their lovers
often were uncertain if they were dancing
with the right one, and it was a bargain
between the two sisters that they would
never tell. When they were babies their
mother tied different colored ribbons on
their right wrists to be able to tell one from
the other. They lived seventy-four years,
and to the end they were alike.

Their fifteenth birthday was cause for
festivity at the house of Don Ramon, and
from that day many were the suitors seen
at the street corner, gazing up at the bal
cony. During the afternoon walk they
were followed at a safe distance. Bits of
poetry found their way into the house mys
teriously. Some of it was liked and ac
knowledged by the young ladies by a smile
or a sign, and when sufficient encourage
ment had been given, permission was
asked by the young man to call. Twenty

30

calls would be paid before by any chance a
word could be said to one's beloved. But
poems became a daily occurrence. At the
evening visit a little pressure of the hand
and a look would tell if one's poetical
declarations had been received with favor.
When the girls were ready to be spoken to,
the strategem most commonly resorted to
was a ball, and the interested parties
would endeavor to bring this about, and
when they understood each other, or
thought they did, after a few words whis
pered during the one dance allowed by eti
quette at the ball, the young man's father,
accompanied by a friend to bear witness,
would solemnly ask the young lady's
father for his daughter's hand. After the
engagement the visits continued to be wit
nessed by the entire family, and not until
after the young couple were married did
they have a chance for exchange of caresses

Scapular of gold repousse work and gold chain, worn with the national

costume of Panama.

MARRIAGE COSTUME 31

or exchange of ideas. It was a mark of re
spect for a man to kiss the hand of any
lady, but not of the one he intended to
make his wife. A public demonstration of
affection was the acme of vulgarity and the
young lady would have resented it bitterly,
and, if a high spirited person, she would
have broken the engagement then and
there.

Twin No. i, who married a Spaniard,

went through all these experiences. Twin
No. 2 married a Russian, and the poor man
was distracted in his ignorance of all these
customs. So he had to ask the lover of
Twin No. i to help him, and the feelings
of this man, writing love poems for the
two sisters, must have been ludicrous.
But he helped the Russian to success, and
they decided to get married together. The
double wedding was a great event. One
bride in pink, the other in blue pineapple

32

silk, with dozens of yards of priceless lace
and garlands of jasmine and orange blos
soms decorating the skirt and bodice.
Wreaths of the same flowers decorated
their pretty heads. The Russian, who was
a wealthy man, insisted that for the wed
ding pudding only Tokay wine should be
used, so that the forty or fifty large silver
dishes of it which were prepared, repre
sented a small fortune.

Marriage was the one and only ambition
of a girl of that epoch, but it really meant
the end of all amusement for her. A mar
ried woman who went to dances while she
was still young was branded a coquette.
If she dressed prettily, as she had done be
fore her wedding, and sat to enjoy the
breeze on the balcony, surely she must be
encouraging some new admirer. Poor
thing, there was nothing left for her to do
if she wanted to keep her reputation, but

MARRIAGE COSTUME 33

remain at home, and look after as large a
family as she would have time to bring into
the world during her lifetime. If her first
child were a daughter, lucky for her; then
her absolute seclusion would only last fif
teen years, because she would go out to
chaperone her daughter. But at thirty, a
woman who was the mother of at least ten
children was an old woman. However,
they were not unhappy, and their devotion
to their children is proverbial. Their
world was their family. The husband con
sidered he had done his duty if he paid the
bills, took his meals at home, and slept
with his wife, keeping her carefully at
home, out of harm's way. The street was
for men only. If a lady went out to church
or to visit her relatives in the morning it
would be very bad form to go out again
in the evening; infra dig. to mix with the
common herd too often. If two or more

34 COLONIAL LIFE IN PANAMA

invitations were received for dances in one
week only one must be accepted for the
young ladies of the house. It was digni
fied to be unbending, and to have it under
stood that one's presence was a rare honor.
Michinga was preaching this doctrine to
her daughters as late as 1890.

The marriage of the twins was the last
festival in Michinga's home. Equality
and independence had set the country on
fire. Benancia the white slave was the
first to leave her masters. She married a
Spanish soldier who later became governor
of one of the provinces. Benancio enlisted
with the insurgents and became a General,
and because his former master, meeting him
in the street one day, did not salute him
with due respect, he used his influence and
had the master's property confiscated.

Dona Pepilla, who had only known
riches all her life, was utterly miserable

The rosary worn with the Panama national costume is made of gold filigree

work.

MARRIAGE COSTUME 35

and helpless. To keep her house clean she
must sweep it herself, for only two of her
many slaves remained with her. Ironing
the clothes was out of the question; only
dresses were ironed, everything else was
only rough-washed, very often by poor
Dona Pepilla's beautiful hands, which had
never done harder work than wave a fan.

Dona Pepilla's hands had been re
nowned for their beauty, and her mother
was so proud of them that until she mar
ried it was a known fact that the young
lady had never been allowed to turn the
handle of a door, for fear she might strain
the muscles and spoil the perfection of her
hands. Benancia used to massage them
every night, as well as the Senora's tiny
feet, which were also lovely, with per
fumed cocoanut oil and cocoa butter, most
carefully prepared with untold labor by
one of the slave women. The nails were

36 COLONIAL LIFE IN PANAMA

made shiny with a little white of egg.
The same slave prepared the sachet pow
der from sandal wood, aromas and innum
erable spices and aromatic herbs. All the
egg shells in the house were used in mak
ing the face powder. They were crushed
on a marble slab first of all, then sifted,
washed, drained, dried in the sun, washed
again and again, and the final result would
be a cake of dazzling whiteness. With a
small square of flannel enough powder
would be rubbed off to apply to the face,
neck and arms. Dona Pepilla's complex
ion was the wonder of all her friends, and
she undoubtedly owed it to her Arabian
slave woman who prepared for the house
hold every toilet requisite. To wash the
face every morning there was a dainty soap
made of almonds and goat's milk, and to
keep the face white and smooth and pre
vent sunburn, the gelatinous substance

Photo by Endara.

Silver frame and holy picture used to hang in Michinga's home and other
ornaments of private chapel.

MARRIAGE COSTUME 37

from inside the stem of the cactus com
monly called penca de savila would be
carefully spread over the skin of the face
and neck. If the children got sunburned
yucas were peeled and their little faces
smeared with the juice. From the same
yucas the starch was extracted for starch
ing all the clothes of the family.

All these little fads disappeared one by
one. Hands that were too delicate to even
turn the handle of a door lost all their
beauty washing clothes, and when wash
ing, cooking and sweeping became an al
most daily occupation, there was no time
to think of beauty culture. Later on,
when the family again became more pros
perous, the art of making toilet lotions was
lost, as well as the habit of using them.

Decay and poverty eventually overtook
the happy and prosperous colonial com
munity, and in the fight for liberty every

38 COLONIAL LIFE IN PANAMA

class met on a level. The slaves were
given their freedom, the impoverished
noblemen who would not abandon their al
legiance to the Motherland had to fly from
the country, and their property was confis
cated. Wives and children were aban
doned by husbands who hoped to return
or send for them, but never could afford
to do either, and the result was a painful
decay socially and financially. Dona Pe-
pilla became la Nina Pepilla, and her for
mer slave Benancia la Senora Benancia,
and Benancia's daughter married a Span
ish Don, and so did the daughters of other
Benancias. Education was neglected, and
morals became loose. When the men
were always fighting, or away preparing
revolutions, the wives, left alone, penniless
and idle, were often consoled by the atten
tions of other men. Poverty and misfor
tune are the surest murderers of morality.

MARRIAGE COSTUME 39

And some of these unfortunate noblemen
and noblewomen lost with their other pos^
sessions their dignity, their energy and
their self-respect. The generation that
followed bears the consequences of these
misfortunes, and but few families in
Panama and the other South American
colonies have remained distinctly Spanish,
refined, educated and virile, as were their
ancestors.

But the indomitable courage and perse
verance of the conquerors have not died
out, and after more than a hundred years
of revolutions we find South America a
prosperous country. It has prospered,
passing through a million calamities, and
some of its nations have placed them
selves, in a few years, on a level with the
nations of Europe in many respects. Any
one who has travelled in Argentina, Chile
and other countries, can testify to that.

40 COLONIAL LIFE IN PANAMA

All this has been accomplished while the
Republican children were having their
nursery quarrels, commonly called revo
lutions. Now these nations are almost
grown up. They have arrived at the age
when a man goes to the university. Their
nursery and college squabbles are becom
ing academical discussions, and very soon
the boys will be men, full of knowledge
and appreciation of the untold wealth
which is theirs to develop. And they will
develop it, and form great nations.

CHAPTER III

PRIVILEGES AND POMPOSITY OF THE
NOBLEMEN

SOME of the old Spanish noble
men were very pompous people and
enjoyed extraordinary privileges. Soon
after Michinga's parents were married a
criminal was being taken to the Chiriqui
prison, and on passing their house he es
caped the vigilance of the police and fled
into the patio. Now this was what they
called a "casa de cadena" or "chain
house." A chain could be placed across
the entrance, but even without the chain,
no earthly power, ecclesiastical or civil,
could exercise authority within, and so it

happened that the convict lived and died

41

42 COLONIAL LIFE IN PANAMA

in that house, the most faithful and de
voted servant Dona Pepilla ever had.
The privilege of asylum was inherited by
the families. This house and others were
also "Casa de Catorce" or "House of Four

teen.'

Michinga's grandfather was a "Veinti-
cuatro de Sevilla" of which they were very
proud. This was a title enjoyed by the
Municipal Councillors of Sevilla and Cor
doba. At the time when the old city of
Panama became the most important town
on the New Continent, from which all ex
peditions started in search of new coun
tries to conquer, for the proud monarch
who boasted that in his dominions the sun
never set, the valuable services of the
Municipal Councillors of Panama merited
that these noblemen should be allowed the
singular distinction of being Veinticuatros,
so that Michinga's father became a Veinti-

PRIVILEGES AND POMPOSITY 43

cuatro of Panama, just as his father was a
Veinticuatro of Sevilla. Together with
this distinction, the King invested the
town of Panama with the title of "Very
noble and very loyal," which news was re
ceived with great rejoicings and celebrated
with much ringing of all the church bells,
with bull fights and cock fights. These
Municipal Councillors were very strict dis
ciplinarians and seemed to have considered
no detail in life too trivial for their inter
ference. In 1572 we find them ordering
for runaway slaves, who made the royal
road a terror to travellers, all manner of
punishments : chains, flogging, dislocation,
mutilation, hanging, and, horror of horrors,
the worst culprits were to be publicly quar
tered ! In another order, they enumerated
the punishments to be suffered by slave
women who might dare to use a silk dress
or a silk shawl, or gold jewelry or pearls.

44 COLONIAL LIFE IN PANAMA

They granted to colored women who mar
ried Spaniards the right to wear round
their skirt a velvet hem, plain gold earrings
and a gold chain round their neck, also a
mantilla over the head.

So domineering did the Municipalities
become that Viceroys, Captain-Generals
and others declared against them and over
ruled many of their laws.

The votes for Municipal Councillors
were cast on the first of January each year.
The ceremony began by a high Mass at
which the ex-Councillors and all who were
going to vote received the Sacrament in
order that their votes might be given with
a clean conscience, and they were supposed
to vote only for men of irreproachable con
duct, mature age and married !

By royal decree, the oldest Councillor
living enjoyed the right of carrying the
royal standard in the Procession of Corpus

PRIVILEGES AND POMPOSITY 45

Christ! with the images of Our Lady and
St. Peter on either side. After the proces
sion the standard would remain in the
Town Hall until the Feast of Santiago,
when bull fights and other festivities took
place and free drink was distributed at the
expense of the Councillor who had carried
the standard.

It is noted that their consequence was
such that when Count de Castellar passed
through Panama on his way to take charge
of the Viceroyalty of Peru, and permitted
the Councillors to stand in his presence
when they went to greet him, the King
issued special orders to oblige future Vice
roys passing through Panama to be scru
pulously polite when greeted by these dig
nitaries.

The Veinticuatros were granted a special
insignia, a gold branch of olive interlaced
with a palm, and in the centre a bust of

46 COLONIAL LIFE IN PANAMA

King Ferdinand VII and the inscription,
"Constancia de Panama."

Another of their singular privileges was
that the seat and back of their chairs might
be covered in crimson.

But with all these privileges, in 1821 we
find them proclaiming their independence
from Spain, making a solemn oath by the
cross and the gospels to maintain the
Catholic religion and defend the purity of
the Blessed Virgin.

What an extraordinary mixture of
petulance and fanaticism!

Pomposity was the order of the day.
Michinga's grandfather, during one of the
revolutions, sent his clerk to get a passage
for himself and his valet on a ship bound
for Peru. The clerk went on board to ask
the captain for a ticket, giving all the gen
tlemen's names and titles, as well as the
name of the valet, which was also a very

PRIVILEGES AND POMPOSITY 47

long one. The captain, who was Scotch,
answered with many apologies that he was
sorry, he had no room on board for so
many people !

The month of May was dreaded. It
brought rain, flies, mosquitoes and illness.'
During March, at the end of the dry sea
son, all the savannas were burnt. With
the April showers the new grass began to
grow, the cattle ate this and got ill, and
consequently everybody who ate meat or
drank milk suffered in some way. The
flies were a great annoyance, and the mos
quito bites on children would get inflamed
and become regular tumors sometimes.
This was also the worst month for fever.
So everyone prepared for May. The
slaves who knew the medicinal properties
of the different plants were sent out to
gather them in all directions. Weeks
would be spent by them sometimes in the

48 COLONIAL LIFE IN PANAMA

forests, and on their return, leaves and
barks were classified, and then powdered
or boiled or kept in their natural condition
in sealed bottles, as also a plentiful supply
of leeches. Bleeding and blood suck
ing were very much in vogue.

Dona Pepilla was very artistic, and her
silver dishes, plates, covers for water jars,
etc., and also her jewelry, were all de
signed by herself. It was the custom to
have the silversmith and the goldsmith
come and live in the house when any work
was ordered, and so they went from home
to home executing the designs of the ladies
and gentlemen. Every article for the
washstand, the dinner tables and writing
desks was made of solid silver. It lasted
forever, there was no risk of breakage,
while crockery or glass ordered from Eu
rope, after travelling for six months or a
year, usually arrived in pieces.

Photo by Endara.

Colonial washstand with hammered silver utensils. Elaborate face towel on
wall rack. Small table with red earthenware water cup on silver plate
and with silver cover. Silver bell. Cocoanut and silver wine cup.
Silver drinking cup hanging on the wall.

PRIVILEGES AND POMPOSITY 49

The Senora was also very fastidious
about her surroundings; her house was
spotless and very justly reputed as the
cleanest in the town, and she never toler
ated the habit of smoking acquired by some
of the gentlemen. One day a Spanish
General, who was an inveterate smoker,
came to pay his respects to Dona Pepilla.
All went well at first. He knew the polite
forms of salutation, "A los pies de usia, su
humilde servidor" ("At your feet your
humble servant, Madame"), bowing very
low to kiss the tips of the Senora' s fingers,
she acknowledging the compliment with a
courtesy and a word of welcome. Conver
sation progressed, the General had just ar
rived. Their Majesties in Spain were
very pleased with the services of the Col
onel her father-in-law, Don Bernardo, the
military decoration of San Hermenegildo
had been bestowed by the King, and he had

50 COLONIAL LIFE IN PANAMA

been received as a Chevalier of the Order
of Santiago. In recognition of his services
— but spit! And the Senora's spotless
floor was stained.

Dionisio, coming in with a tray of wine
and cakes, arrived at the critical moment,
and could have murdered the old General,
if possible. The Senora called out for
Benancia: "Quick, a cup of Tisana of
orange leaves, Su Excelencia el Capitan
General estd sufriendo de indigestion de
saliva!" (His Excellency the Captain
General is suffering from an indigestion of
saliva.) And the tisane was made, and
the General drank it instead of the famous
Moscatel wine of the Senora's house. But
he never called on the Senora again.

Don Ramon was a silent man and a strict
disciplinarian. The only sorrow he ever
caused his wife was in becoming a Free
mason (in those days disapproved of by

PRIVILEGES AND POMPOSITY 51

pious ladies) and the head of the Order in
Panama. Otherwise he was perfection.
He always rested after meals alone in his
room, where Benancia would take to him a
fragrant cigar made by her and the little
silver basin with burning charcoal to light
it, and one of the children went to keep
him company. Michinga owed her name
to this, because when she was old enough
to be a companion to her father she soon
became the favorite, and this austere man,
who never smiled, would do what he had
never done in his life, he would play, and
this was the game :

With his large linen lawn handkerchief,
rolled up, he would make a small mouse
with ears and long tail and throw it in the
air tied with a long string, Michinga try
ing to catch it. So he called the child
"Michinga," or "Little Kitten."

CHAPTER IV

A DINNER IN PANAMA IN 1842

WHEN the Colombian General Mos-
quera, who was a cousin of the
Empress Eugenie, came to Panama, after
his victories in Peru, his compatriots,
justly proud of him, feasted him in every
possible way. An address of welcome was
written by the Governor of Panama, and
Michinga, the ten-year-old little beauty,
accompanied by a number of other little
girls, was chosen to say the word of wel
come. Attired in finest white linen lawn
and exquisite old Mechlin lace, at which
Benancia had worked for months, white
silk stockings and satin slippers, with her

hair dressed very high in a mass of curls

52

Photo b\ Endara.

Old French and English cut glass from Michinga's home.

A DINNER IN PANAMA IN 1842 53

and puffs, held with gold and pearl orna
ments, the little damsel, with her retinue
of small friends, was taken at 2 P. M. to
the Governor's reception room, which is the
same yellow drawing-room of to-day's
Presidential Palace. Here "All Panama"
had assembled, and General Mosquera,
after hearing little Michinga's speech,
knelt before her to allow a wreath of flow
ers, made of down feathers, to be placed on
his forehead, kissed her hand and then rose
to express his thanks for the welcome Pan
ama had given him. A reception immedi
ately followed, and at 4 P. M. dinner was
announced.

We have listened to Michinga's speech,
which she still remembers, word for word,
though seventy-five years have passed since
she said it to General Mosquera :

"Senor General: La sien de un valient e cual
voz lo sois debe ser orlada con la corona del tri-

54 COLONIAL LIFE IN PANAMA

unfo por la mano de la inocenda. Aceptad,
flues, esta guirnalda que os consagro d nombre del
pueblo Panameno acojiendo benigno mis votos
reducidos a desearos prosperidad en vutestras em-
presas en defensa de la sunta y hermosa causa
que habeis tan luddamente sostenido con ese
espada que despues de haber brillado en el dia de
Tescua contra los enemigos del orden sera, no lo
dudo, para mis paisanos la oliva de la paz"

"Mr. General: The forehead of the brave
man that you are is about to be adorned with
the wreath of triumph by the hand of innocence.
Accept this crown that I offer you, in the name
of the Panama people, and listen kindly to my
wishes, summed up in a desire for your success in
all your enterprises in defense of the holy and
beautiful cause which you have so brilliantly sus
tained with that sword, which, after shining in the
fields of Tescua against the enemies of public
order, will, I have no doubt, become the emblem
of peace among my countrymen."

A dinner in those days was a most elab
orate affair, always entrusted to a "Master

A DINNER IN PANAMA IN 1842 55

of Ceremonies." General Mosquera took
Michinga to table, and she sat on his right.
Soups of various kinds, fish and entrees
were served, and this constituted the "first
service," and when it was ended the guests
rose from the table, and amused them
selves until the table was made ready for
the "second service." Roasts, tamales,
salads and vegetables were now brought in
lavish profusion, and when they had been
partaken of, the table was again left va
cant for redecoration. At the "third serv
ice" even the table cloth was changed,
fresh flowers were used, and candles were
lit. This was dessert time, and coffee
and liqueurs followed. When dinner was
over and the ball began, the clock had
struck ten.

A formal quadrille opened the ball, and
then followed the contredance, rigodon,

56 COLONIAL LIFE IN PANAMA

and other formal dances of the period.

The Master of Ceremonies on this occa
sion was Mr. Jovane, a wealthy gentleman
of Panama, considered an authority on eti
quette. The magnificent old Spanish sil
ver dinner service used for the occasion
was his. The cut glass for wines and the
Worcester porcelain dessert service had
come from England.

In those days there were no street lights,
so after a ball a servant always walked in
front of his master, carrying a candle in a
glass shade. These shades were called
fanales, and another kind, still in use,
faroles.

The Panamanian desserts, of which
there is a great variety, are delicious in
taste and very elaborate to make. The
guava jelly, jam and paste are generally
known to foreigners, but others equally
delicious are less well known. The huevo-

A DINNER IN PANAMA IN 1842 57

chimbo is a solid pudding made of the yolks
of eggs, eighty yolks being required for a
dish sufficient for 18 persons. After it is
cooked, it is soaked in a specially prepared
syrup. The queso de pina is an exquisite
custard in which pineapple juice takes the
place of milk. Man jar bianco is made of
milk, sugar and spices, boiled until they
become of the consistency of cheese.
Arroz con cacao is rice cooked in cocoanut
milk and chocolate, served with cocoanut
cream and grated native cheese. Maza-
morra de maiz nuevo is a blanc mange
made of very new corn passed through a
sieve and cooked in cocoanut milk until it
becomes hard. This is a most delicate and
delicious dessert. Cocada nevada is a
thick, velvety cream of cow's milk and
cocoanut cream. The inevitable "wed
ding pudding" which takes the place of the
northern "wedding cake" is made of

58 COLONIAL LIFE IN PANAMA

sponge cake soaked and baked in sherry
wine, syrup and spices, and is called sopa
borracha. The sopa de gloria accompanies
the former, and differs from it because
milk is used instead of wine.

The list of jams is legion, and there
are small cakes in great variety, — Biscote-
las, Suspiros, Cajetitas de coco, Papillas,
Huebo mejio, Cabellitos de angel, Bol-
loria, Pio V, Cabanga, etc. As desserts I
might also mention the bollos. The bollo
chango (the best is to be had in Taboga)
is made of pure new corn. Bollo de coco,
of corn and cocoanut; Bollo Chiricano, of
corn and cheese; bollo bianco, of pure full
grown corn ; and bollo de aji, which is the
same, colored with a sauce made of hot
peppers. All of these are made in the
shape of a plantain, more or less, and
wrapped in corn or palm leaves.

CHAPTER V

THE SLAVE JUANILLO EL GACHO AND HIS
STONE THRONE

DON JOSE MANUEL DE ARCE
Y MAONO, a Spanish nobleman
from the city of Santander, Seigneur of
Puente de Arce, was the son of Don Juan
Manuel, a descendant of the famous Don
Diego de Arze Reinoso, "Grand Inquisi
tor" of Spain. He came to this capital of
the Kingdom of Tierra Firme, in the year
1773, and owned many slaves, some of
whom had cost him large sums of money
and been brought from distant lands.
Among these slaves, who served their mas
ter in the farms, in the plantations and in
the household, one hideous black man was

59

60 COLONIAL LIFE IN PANAMA

the great favorite. Respected and loved
by all the other slaves he also enjoyed vari
ous privileges from the kindness of his mas
ter, who, in the evenings when the family
was united, would allow the slave to relate
the history of his early life.

Juan Godoy the slave was called, lame,
grey haired, with enormous flat nose and
thick-lipped mouth, his grotesque appear
ance completed by the total absence of
both ears, for which he became known as
Juanillo el Gacho, which means "Johnnie
without ears."

Johnnie had not been a very saintly
youth, the loss of his ears testified to this.
The Spanish monarch had issued a royal
decree ordering all runaway slaves to be
mutilated in this cruel manner as a pun
ishment for their fault. Some of these
runaways had formed into organized bands
known as cimarrones and had become the

THE SLAVE JUANILLO EL GACHO 61

terror of the country. Travellers and con
voys were assaulted, robbed and some
times murdered, and all kinds of outrages
were committed by them on the highroads.
Johnnie had deserted his master after
leaving a poisoned dagger in the heart of
the overseer who used to flog him merci
lessly for any insignificant misdeed. He
became famous with a band of outlaws
who in admiration of his strength and dar
ing named him chief. What this band
lacked in numbers it made up for in feroc
ity and audacity and became the terror of
not only the Panamanians, but of all the
neighboring country. The radius of their
operations was quite large, but they estab
lished their headquarters in the most inac
cessible hills, overlooking the lovely val
ley of Pacora, in the vicinity of the settle
ments of Bermejal and Cabra. Here the
chief dispensed justice to his men, and to

62 COLONIAL LIFE IN PANAMA

the Indians of the tribe as well, undis
turbed monarch of all that surrounded him;
distributing the treasure taken from de
fenseless travellers; condemning to heart
less flogging any man showing fear or hesi
tation to obey his orders; rewarding the
brave, and, when the treasure was large
enough to satisfy him, becoming magnani
mous and setting the captives free after
they had been carefully robbed even of
their clothes. His large house made of
bamboo and thatched, was also the meeting
house of the band. Here they would
gather to deliberate their plans of assault
and of escape, Johnnie, the chief, always
sitting on his stone throne with a wreath
of macaw feathers circling his forehead.
All his possessions were lawlessly acquired,
even the stone throne which belonged to
the Cacique Bermejal, the rightful chief
of that region.

Stone throne of Juanillo el Gacho.

THE SLAVE JUANILLO EL GACHO 63

One day luck deserted this band of evil
doers and they were caught in an ambush
carefully prepared for them by the Spanish
soldiers. A fierce battle they fought, both
sides determined to win. Johnnie was
shot in the leg and his followers on see
ing him fall lost their courage and fled.
Few saved their lives, the Spaniards pur
suing them with great persistence in the
hope of exterminating them altogether.
Johnnie was carried to Panama where he
narrowly escaped being lynched; the peo
ple begged to be allowed to tear the mon
ster to pieces, but the authorities protected
him and he received the punishment or
dered by law.

On the appointed day he was conducted
to the Cathedral Plaza, and there, amid the
curses and jeers of a populace, so many
of whom had suffered endless moral and
physical torture at his hands, Johnnie's

64 COLONIAL LIFE IN PANAMA

ears were cut off and he was then sent to
the dungeons of the Chiriqui prison for
life.

Years passed in the solitude of his damp
dark cell transformed Johnnie into a bet
ter man, he repented of his past crimes, his
hair became snowy white and instead of
the ferocious expression he had cultivated
to inspire his criminal followers, a placid,
resigned look greeted his gaoler every
morning. Johnnie's conduct in jail was
exemplary and he became the delight of
the other prisoners and their gaolers, who
would, against the usual custom, allow
him to sit in a central hall out of his cell,
to relate the thrilling adventures of his
past life.

When King Charles IV ascended the
throne of Spain, in 1788, to commemorate
the event, Don Jose Domas y Valle, Gov
ernor and Commander General of the

A "look out" tower on the city walls looking on the Pacific.

THE SLAVE JUANILLO EL GACHO 65

Kingdom and Brigadier of the Royal
Army, he allowed the worst hundred crimi
nals of the prison to draw lots for release,
and our Johnnie was one of the fortunates.
Old in years, and lame from a wound neg
lected in a damp prison cell, Johnnie had
no strength and no inclination to seek new
adventures, so he made his way to the home
of Don Jose Manuel de Arce, to offer his
services and his life on condition of being
granted a favor he would ask. He had but
one ambition in life, he said, to sit once
again upon his stone throne, the emblem of
his former power. Johnnie had great ven
eration for Don Manuel and with good
reason. In 1876, Don Manuel had been
Alcalde and had visited the prison. John
nie interested him, his clever talk and bi
zarre appearance fascinated the old gentle
man, and Johnnie became his protege and
was henceforth regularly supplied by him

66 COLONIAL LIFE IN PANAMA

with tobacco and new clothes. It was not
surprising, therefore, to see the ex-convict
find his way to the home of his benefactor,
and Don Manuel in turn was moved by
this mark of devotion and by the strange
request, which he promised to grant.

The next morning Johnnie was very
early astride an excellent mule, with a
score of Don Manuel's slaves, bound for
Bermejal in search of his old stone throne
which they brought back to Panama upon
their shoulders, enduring many hardships
with their heavy load over the hills, across
the rivers and in the dense forests, sleep
ing where night overtook them with the
trees and skies as their only shelter, thirty
miles there and thirty back, tramping along
for many days. The arrival of this strange
procession with its wonderful burden,
was greeted at Don Manuel's home with
acclamations from the children of the

THE SLAVE JUANILLO EL GACHO 67

household, and from the slaves who looked
upon the owner of this extraordinary seat
as a superior being. Johnnie was clever
enough not to allow this impression to fade.
On Sundays when the children did not go
to school, he would make a crown from the
feathers of the chickens boiling in the Sun
day sancocho, and with this emblem of
power pressing round his temples he would
sit upon the famous ancient throne and
play king, to the great delight of the chil
dren and to the edification of the other
slaves.

Johnnie ended his days as doorkeeper
to the Arce family. He was to be seen al
ways on his throne, sitting by the door with
all the children of the neighborhood, Mich-
inga among them, surrounding him to lis
ten to his endless stories. After his death
the throne remained in the Arce family.
Don Bernardo Arce Mata left it to his

68 COLONIAL LIFE IN PANAMA

children with the tradition of Johnnie's do
ings, just as they had been related to him
by his father Don Bernardo Arce y Orifion,
a son of Don Jose Manuel, Johnnie's mas
ter.

The throne was given to me by Don
Eduardo Icaza who married the heiress of
the Arce family, and he was moved to make
me this priceless gift with its authentic his
tory in recognition of a service I was once
able and very pleased to render him.
When his wife came into her inheritance,
two red velvet bound volumes, with hand
some silver clasps, containing the geneal
ogy of the Arces, exquisitely illustrated on
parchment, were found among the family
papers, and Don Eduardo, knowing how I
would like to see them, brought them to
me one day. Strangely enough, some
years previously, two identical volumes
had been entrusted to me, belonging to the

THE SLAVE JUANILLO EL GACHO 69

Icazas, Don Eduardo's family, and I re
marked how nice it would be if he could
own them, but they had passed to another
member of the family. I had, however,
taken a copy of the Icaza genealogy be
cause it contained a great deal of Spanish
history which interested me, so I offered to
make a handwritten copy on official paper
signed by me in the presence of witnesses
declaring it a faithful copy of the original,
and this I did.

I give a photograph of Johnnie's throne
at the beginning of this chapter. It is
in a very good state of preservation and
is a typical specimen of the thrones of stone
made in Cuzco and used by the Incas and
caciques. It represents the figure of a
crouching Indian with a seat resting flat
upon his back.

II

THE NATIONAL COSTUME

A Panama girl wearing the national costume, called "Pollera.

II
THE NATIONAL COSTUME

THE national costume of Panama is
believed to have been originally a
gypsy dress altered to suit the times. It
was in the Spanish Colonial days the usual
attire of the women servants of the early
settlers in Panama. It was particularly
worn by the children's nurses, and the dress
is so pretty and so appropriate in a hot cli
mate that even the ladies of the nobility
would sometimes wear it in the privacy of
the home, during the hot hours of the day.
There are, even to-day, in the Spanish fam
ilies of Panama, old servants who never
wear any other dress. These old women,
relics of a past age, are delightful to talk

73

74 COLONIAL LIFE IN PANAMA

to, their Old World respect to their mas
ters, their wonderful memory of past
events and their devotion to the family in
whose house some of them were born of
slaves that had been set free, make them
rare treasures that with true sadness we see
disappearing, for they will never be re
placed.

A careful study of the national dress de
tects a gypsy origin. The rosary which a
gypsy wears of carved wood beads, and the
scapular of cloth, were copied in solid gold
by the Spanish Don who wished to attire
his servants in a manner befitting his
wealth and position. The cabestrillo, a
chain from which hang all sizes of gold
coins, is also a gypsy idea. The huge half
moon earrings are copied in gold and
pearls, and a fascinating hair ornament
known as the pajuela, is a copy of the dag
ger that some gypsies are wont to carry in

Buttons worn to hold the skirts of the Panama national costume and two
kinds of pajuelas, worn as hair ornaments ; the smaller of these is a
toothpick and ear cleaner.

THE NATIONAL COSTUME 75

their hair. The one in my collection, which
is illustrated in these pages, has a blade of
solid gold, exquisitely carved, while the
handle is a work of art in filigree and
pearls; on the back of the blade is a long
hook to fasten it to the hair. Another kind
of pajuela, also in the shape of a small
dagger, served a singular purpose, — one
end was a sharp tooth pick, the other end
was shaped like a tiny shell, with which to
clean the ears.

Two kinds of hair combs are worn, one
with a band of elaborate gold work, called
de balcon, because of the resemblance of
the work to a balcony railing. These are
placed towards the back of the head on
either side, the others called de perl as, be
cause the gold work is surmounted with
pearls, are worn a little more to the front.
Corals were sometimes used instead of
pearls. There are sprays of flowers made

76 COLONIAL LIFE IN PANAMA

of gold and pearls. The set is usually of
four sprays. They are worked in such a
manner that the stems are flexible and
"tremble" as one moves, hence their name,
tembleques. The tembleques are worn on
either side of the head behind the ears, with
any amount of jasmine, carnations and
small rosebuds. On the temples, on a
level with the eyes, small gold coins were
glued. This custom does not prevail now.

Eight carved very solid gold buttons are
used to hold the skirts with ribbons. The
skirts are two and very full, made of grad
uated frills with yards and yards of lace.
They open at the sides, each end has a loop
to put the ribbons through, and these are
tied back and front, also a gypsy custom.

Rings are used galore on all the fingers
of the hand, but no bracelets. We are told
the reason for this is that the bracelet has
been thought an emblem of slavery, and

Tembleques are the hair ornaments of filigree gold work and pearls, worn
with the Panama national costume. The earrings representing bunches
of grapes are worn with ordinary costume, and are made in Bogota.

The cadena ckata, or flat chain emblematical of Panama, worn with the
national costume of Panama. See description on page 77.

THE NATIONAL COSTUME 77

such emblem would find no favor with a
gypsy.

The cadena chata, or flat chain, is the
only part of the costume which is abso
lutely Panamanian in its significance.
The word Panama is Indian, means variety
or abundance of fish; it was given to the
coast along the bay because of the quanti
ties of fish to be found in its waters.
Pedrarias, the founder of old Panama, and
Fernandez de Cordoba the founder of the
second town of this name, cannot be said
to have "given" it. They simply "contin
ued" to use the name by which this region
was known to its original inhabitants.
The links of the cadena chata represent
fish scales, and suspended from the end is
usually a gold fish. Some women seem to
have preferred to wear a sacred image or
cross, instead of a fish, so both kinds of em
blems are used. The camisole which does

78 COLONIAL LIFE IN PANAMA

duty as bodice in this costume is composed
of circular frills which are divided at the
back and front and are clasped together by
two sets of gold links formed of small gold
shells, like the delicate little pink shells to
be found on the shores of Panama Bay.
No stockings are worn, but there were two
shoes. The dainty satin or panne slipper,
very similar to those of a modern ballet
dancer, is the only kind in use at present,
but formerly it was worn indoors, while a
kid slipper, called babucha, which has
wooden heels and no back, was worn over
the satin shoe for walking in the street and
was slipped off at the door on entering a
church or house.

The scarfs woven by natives are of cot
ton, or of silk, and called macanas or re-
bosos. The white linen scarfs with ends
of drawn thread work cross-stitch or em
broidery are known as pano de pollera.

Gold and pearl combs worn with the Panama national costume.

THE NATIONAL COSTUME 79

Nurses used to throw them open over the
left shoulder so that the baby and its
clothes would rest against the cool white
linen. I may here mention a typical cus
tom. When a nurse ended her task of suc
cessfully weaning a baby the mother pre
sented the nurse with a cadena chata as a
reward.

The so-called "Panama hats," worn with
the national dress, have never been made
in Panama. The greatest number are
manufactured in Ecuador, and are known
to all South Americans as Jipijapa or
Monte Cristi hats because the first ones
came from there. The finest hats to-day,
for which five hundred pesos and more are
paid, are made near Jipijapa in a place
called Monte Cristi.

A silk knitted purse with two divisions
is suspended from the waist, two rings
holding the openings. At one end is

80 COLONIAL LIFE IN PANAMA

placed the gold and at the other the plata
menu da (small change) .

The material mostly used for this pollera
is a linen crash called coquito. In many
instances it is ornamented with exquisite
designs made in cross-stitch. One of the
prettiest of these is called the Vallarino de
sign, and as others are known by the
names of other distinguished old hidalgo
families, it would seem that the Spanish la
dies vied with each other in inventing
pretty designs for the dresses of their maid
servants. Needlework was the chief occu
pation of these ladies. Numbers of these
polleras were hand embroidered in Bogota,
but there is a very beautiful kind of needle
work peculiar to Panama and always used
for the underskirt of the national dress,
which is called talcos. It is made of two
materials sewn together. A design is
drawn on one material which is always

Gold coins ornamented with gold scroll designs, and worn suspended from

a plain chain with the national costume of Panama.

The small necklet and heart pendant of gold filigree work is worn with

ordinary costume.

THE NATIONAL COSTUME 81

thicker than the other, the design is then
gradually cut out and hemmed with tiny
invisible stitches, and the effect of this
sort of shadow work is very unique. The
waistband of the underskirt sometimes is
made with a stomacher of most elaborate
and peculiar needlework.

For ordinary working days less lace and
less frills are used, and the material usu
ally selected is calico. The full dress is
worn a great deal at present on feast days,
especially during Carnival, and is most be
coming and picturesque.

THE END

U. C.BERKELEY LIBI

CQi4 LfEit.fi