Castilla del Oro Foundation’s projects advance

The Duke Colón de Carvajal walks through St. Sebastian’s Inn in Ocú

A brief review of the schedule that the Castilla del Oro Foundation has established in the provinces of Coclé, Colón, Herrera, Los Santos and Veraguas, reveals the progress that this organization has made since its inception in March 2010. One can easily see the path and the legacy that it leaves throughout the country’s central region.

Succinctly and optimistically the foundation’s executive director Jorge Isaac Obón reveals the advances made by this organization in one year and five months, highlighting what so far is its most iconic work: the Paseo Andaluz, built in Penonomé.

This is a project of which the foundation’s directors are proud of because it has become a tourist attraction, in a facility that has ample space and the Meson de Santa Cruz restaurant, and which soon will add two inns that are under construction.

Obón also reported that a park was built in the community of La Angostura, Penonomé, while the one at El Manguito was restored.

He said that the mayor of the District of Natá approached him to propose the renovation of this historic community’s square, which was accepted. Obón said that for this square, which was opened by the Castilla del Oro Foundation’s international president, the Duke of Veragua, Cristobal Colón de Carvajal, the organization provided the park’s and gardens’ design, the shells, in addition to donating the figure of James the Apostle.

He said that the same concept will be replicated in the community of San Francisco de La Montaña where the foundation has assigned architects to assess and design the church’s tower restoration and leave it as it originally was, before being affected by an earthquake.

This project will be complemented by the restoration of the park that adjoins the temple.

“What we want is that in both San Francisco de la Montaña and in Natá de Los Caballeros, the whole area around the churches have facilities which offer national and foreign tourists eating places, shops that sell crafts and other products; a place to consume and invest money,” said Obón.

He added that in the community of Ocú, the Castilla del Oro Foundation will remodel St. Sebastian’s Inn facilities, where there will be a cultural center and an amphitheater will be enabled.

He said that in Penonomé the mayor gave him a spot to build the House of Culture, and currently blueprints and designs are being drawn up to start work, submit them to the Tourism Authority of Panama (ATP) and get their endorsement and support.

Obón also referred to the construction of the House of Culture and the La Pollera (national dress) Museum in Los Santos.

“We’re talking about 37 municipalities, each of which has to submit projects to analyze and determine their tourism potential,” said Obón, who noted that in order for mayors to become familiar with such projects they have been invited to visit rural communities in Spain to learn what this country did to become number one in rural tourism.

The Castilla del Oro tourism project is the brainchild of engineer Richard Fifer Carles, who aims to promote sustainable development in these Panamanian regions to generate wealth and prosperity for its inhabitants, now and in the future. To do this, he will turn this region into a cultural tourism destination of first order, and will provide the infrastructure necessary to achieve it.

With this first objective of recovering this region in the international tourist map, the organization will promote “The Castilla del Oro” as a place where visitors can explore the history and steps of the adventurers of the sixteenth century and become the new discoverers of the XXI century. An earthly paradise, a land where one embraces a fortunate jungle, history and beaches, a bastion of civilization and culture where time moves slowly and remains steadfast over time awaits you.

The organization will recover this region’s historical memory, placing value on all the popular traditions, both of the first nations and of the Spanish, from music and dancing, to crafts, costumes, religious rites and, in general, all the folklore and character that have shaped the idiosyncrasy of these people. Richard fifer

On the other hand, it will promote a set of infrastructure such as: CONVENTION CENTER, HOTELS, THEME PARKS, MOTELS, among others that will improve the quality of stay for tourists as well as the daily lives of its inhabitants.