Spanish Schools and Courses in Panama, Latin America

Choose to join our Spanish Schools in Panama and you will learn Spanish in a country where the concept of exotic begins in its name (abundance of fish and butterflies). Join our Spanish courses in Panama and come to where adventure and fun, mystery and the exotic are in abundance. Better known as “The Bridge of the World”, where modern cities meet with nature's beauty and where there's always something new to discover. Learn Spanish in Panama and give yourself the opportunity to experience all of this and more as you gain a knowledge of Panama's amazing and mysterious culture.

Panama - History

In 1501 the Spaniard Rodrigo de Bastidas, in the company of Juan de la Cosa and Vasco Núñez de Balboa, was the first European to explore the Atlantic coast of the Isthmus of Panama. In 1510 Diego de Nicuesa, another Spanish explorer, established the settlement of Nombre de Dios at the mouth of the Chagres River, and to the southwest, Alonso de Ojeda founded San Sebastian de Urabá. The colony, facing fierce resistance from local Indian tribes, was moved at the instigation of Balboa. The new site was to the northeast, across the Atrato River, and was named Santa María de la Antigua del Darién. It became the first permanent settlement on the isthmus and the focus of jealous intrigues centering around Balboa.

As head of the colony, Balboa, by the use of persuasion and force, brought most of the Indians under submission. Some of them revealed to him that a large sea and a gold-rich empire existed to the south, which perhaps was that of the Inca. In September 1513, Balboa reached the sea and claimed the Pacific Ocean for his king. Returning to Santa María in January 1514, he encountered much resistance from the Indians. Five years later Balboa was put to death for rebellion on orders of the new governor. Pedro Arias de Ávila, known as Pedrarias Dávila (the Cruel), had distrusted Balboa and had feared his rivalry.

In 1519 the population of Santa María moved to the new town of Panama (the first European settlement on the west coast of the hemisphere), which became the centre of commercial activity and the springboard for the conquest of Peru. The colony became an important part of Spain's mercantile system, attaining the rank of audiencia in 1538. Nombre de Dios, which was resettled and linked to Panama town by road, was renowned for its ferias (grand markets, or trade fairs). With the final destruction of Nombre de Dios in the late 16th century by the Englishman Francis Drake, commercial activity was moved to the hamlet of Portobelo, overlooking the calm bay recorded by Christopher Columbus in 1502. Portobelo then became a centre of Spanish commerce in the New World and the site of great ferias.

Panama town and Portobelo continued to attract the attention of English raiders, however, and disastrous consequences befell both settlements. Henry Morgan destroyed Panama town in 1671, and Admiral Edward Vernon razed Portobelo in 1739. In the year of Vernon's raid, the colony was reduced in status when Spain abolished the Audiencia of Panama and placed its territory within the Viceroyalty of New Granada. Portobelo was rebuilt in 1751, but by then the Spanish galleons had begun to use the route around Cape Horn, accelerating the city's decline through loss of trade. In 1673, the town of Panama was reconstructed a couple of miles west of the previous town. By 1793 it was the principal town on the isthmus, with more than one-tenth of Panama's civilian population of 71,888.

Learn Spanish in Panama - Geography

Panama, in Central America, is strategically located on the eastern end of the isthmus forming land bridge which connects North and South America. It also controls the Panama Canal that links the North Atlantic Ocean via the Caribbean Sea with the North Pacific Ocean. It is situated between Colombia and Costa Rica.

The interior section of Panama is mostly steep, rugged mountains and dissected, upland plains. The coastal areas are made up largely of plains and rolling hills. The country contains over five hundred rivers.

On the coast along the Caribbean, the beaches on the provinces of Colon, San Blas and Bocas del Toro and their neighboring islands, are generally small have coral reefs nearby. They are often near other waterways and most have been formed by coral buildup. These are the best beaches to do some scuba diving in.

On the Pacific Ocean coast you'll find a series of beaches which are easily accessible from the Pan-American Road. Many water sports including windsurfing, surfing and swimming are practiced here. The most popular of these beaches are: Gorgona, Coronado, San Carlos, El Palmar, Río Mar, Corona, Sea Cliff, Santa Clara, Playa Blanca and Farallón.

Spanish Courses Panama - Economy

Panama's economy is service-based, heavily weighted toward banking, commerce, and tourism, due to its key geographic location. The handover of the canal and military installations by the USA has given rise to new construction projects. The administration has undertaken controversial structural reforms, such as a fiscal reform and a very difficult Social Security Reform. Furthermore, a Referendum regarding the building of a third set of locks for the Panama Canal was approved overwhelmingly (though with low voter turnout) on 22 October 2006. The official estimate of the building of the third set of locks is US$5.25 billion.

The Panamanian economy grew 8% in 2006 and for the first time in the last ten years the public sector closed the year 2006 with a superavit of USD 88 million. Furthermore the GDP nominal revised in 2006 reached USD 16,704 billion according to an information release by the Minister of Economy and Finance on 2007/02/14.

The Panamanian currency is the balboa, fixed at parity with the United States dollar, and in everyday use, the country is dollarized. Panama mints its own coinage but uses US dollars for all its paper currency. Panama is one of three countries in the region to have dollarized their economies, with the other two being Ecuador and El Salvador.

Spanish Schools Panama - Climate

The climate is tropical maritime; hot, humid, cloudy; rainy season (May to January), dry season (January to May).

Panama - Food

Typical types of Panamanian foods are:

Breakfast

Tortillas: In Panama tortilla” are 1/2" thick rounds of corn dough deep fried and normally served with a melted piece of cheese and eggs..

Hojaldras: Served with eggs, this is known as Panamanian donuts - they are eaten with sugar on top.

Main Meal

Sancocho - Chicken Soup - Panama's most popular side dish. It consists of a root called namé and chicken pieces and is spiced with culandro - an herb similar to cilantro

Seafood - As Panama means “abundance of fish” - Fresh seafood is in abundance in Panama. The country is located on both the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea - there is no shortage of seafood of various kinds in Panama !

Corvina - Known globally as sea bass, corvina is a mild flavored fish that can be served fried, backed or as ceviche.

Tamales - Panamanian tamales are prepared from the dough of ground corn and filled with chicken or pork and various spices. They are then enfolded in a banana leaf and boiled.

Deserts

Tropical fruits: Panama is rich in tropical fruits, and boasts some of the sweetest and tastiest fruits in Central America. Papayas, mangos, pineapples, melons, maracuyá (passion fruit), guanabana (sour sop).

Flans: Light egg custard in a caramelized sauce makes this the most popular Panamanian dessert.

Pastel Tres Leches: “Three Milk Cake”- This rich cake is made from three milks - regular, evaporated and condensed. It is very sweet and delicious.

Tropical fruit batidos: Similiar to a "smoothie", these shakes are prepared with Papaya, strawberry, Banana and pineapple with milk.

Raspados - Panamanian "snow cones". Perfect to help you cool off; these cones are made and served everywhere from friendly vendors with mobile carts. They are available in a variety of flavours.

Snacks and Side Dishes

Carimañola - A flavourful roll made with dough from the yucca root and stuffed with a bit of meat and boiled eggs.

Patacones: Fried plantain which is still green - they are cut into rounds, pressed together and deep-fried. As a diverse dish, it can be served as a snack or appetizer, for lunch or at dinner as your starchy vegetable.

Platano Maduro - Sweet ripe plantains cut in long slices and sautéed in oil. “Platanos tentación” is a popular way to prepare them in a caramelized sugar sauce seasoned with some cinnamon and nutmeg.

Fried yuca: Yuca is a starchy root that is eaten everywhere in Panama. It is very similar to a potato.

Ceviche - Served for an appetizer, small pieces of corvina (sea bass) are marinated with lemon juice and spices. This dish is extremely popular with the tourists.

Arroz con guandu: One of Panama's most popular side dishes. It is a rice-based dish cooked with guandu, a bean which had its origins in Africa. Oftentimes, this dish is cooked in coconut water.

Panama - Interesting facts

The arts of Panama reflect the origins of the country's ethnic groups: Amerindian, Spanish, and African. Traditional crafts include textiles, mask making and woodcarving.

During Carnival, a wide variety of music and dance is celebrated. For example, music derived from African heritage, and Latin American salsa.

A few National cultural institutions include the National Orchestra of Panama, the National Theatre, the Art Museum, the History Museum and the Museum of Natural Sciences.

The most popular sports in Panama are baseball, football and volleyball.

Popular water sports are kayaking, snorkeling, diving and surfing. Panama is also known for big game fishing. Visitors can fish for barracuda, marlin, tuna and sailfish.

Christmas and Easter and all Catholic religious holidays are celebrated. Other holidays include New Year's Day - 1 January, and Independence Day (from Colombia, 1903) - 3 November.

Panama is situated on an isthmus (a narrow strip of land, with sea on either side, linking two larger areas of land). The country connects South America and Central America.

Volcan de Chiriqui (3,475 m) is the highest point in Panama.

The Spanish conquistador, Rodrigo de Bastidas, arrived in Panama at the beginning of the sixteenth century. The region was also visited by Christopher Columbus.

The first European to see the Pacific Ocean from Panama was Nunez de Balboa, a Spanish explorer (1513).

Panama became an independent country in 1903.

The first ideas to build a canal on the isthmus which would connect the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans began in the 1840s. France, Britain and the USA were all interested in a canal linking the oceans.

Ferdinand de Lesseps, the Frenchman who built the Suez Canal, made the first unsuccessful attempt to construct a canal linking the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans (1879-1889).

Before the opening of the Panama Canal, ships had to sail down and around Cape Horn to travel to and from the Pacific and the East Coast of America. The dangers of the Horn caused a lot of restraints on trade with the Pacific.

In April 2006, Panama released details of a plan to enlarge the Panama Canal so it will be able to handle modern super-tankers and large container ships.

In 1999, Panama elected its first female president, Mireya Moscoso.

Panama is home to the headquarters of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. This is the worldwide leading centre for research on the ecology, behavior and evolution of tropical organisms.

Spanish Courses in Panama - Advice

At our Spanish schools and courses in Panama and throughout Latin America our advice can really be summed up with one simple word - practice! What kind of study materials you use is not quite as important as how or how often you use them. Your hard work and determination will be one of the biggest factors in successful language learning.

The Spanish school and course you choose in Latin America is going to be the core of your Spanish study, so make sure you choose a Spanish language course that gives you structured lessons and lots of opportunity to practice your new language skills. Our Spanish courses at our Spanish schools in Panama and throughout South America, will give you the perfect opportunity to study, learn, and practice Spanish in a supportive, well planned and friendly environments.

You must work at your new Spanish language skills every day. Ideally, you should study Spanish an extra hour or more every day. If you can get at least an extra half-hour of study time, that's pretty good too. Try to at least get a little review and study, learn and practice Spanish every single day.

If you attend one of our Spanish courses in Panama and you learn Spanish everyday, you will have a good basic knowledge of the Spanish language in a reasonable amount of time. Your knowledge and ability will increase and improve depending upon what other tools you use and what kind of experiences you have using the Spanish language.

Grammar book. A good old-fashioned grammar book may be boring but they are a great way to really get to grips with the details of the language.

Phrase Book

These are extremely helpful books that you can carry with you. They can be useful for practicing pronunciation, or for quickly finding a lot of more commonly used phrases, words and idioms. Phrase books are always a nice supplement to learn Spanish and they are convenient and cheap.

Dictionary. Absolutely necessary in the long run. You must have a dictionary if you wish to expand your vocabulary, and you will need one in order to take full advantage of many of the Spanish language learning tips set out here. Make sure you get one that translates both ways e.g. English to Spanish AND Spanish to English. It is also helpful to find a dictionary that contains idioms - the phrases particular to the language which you are studying - as well as phrases that are commonly used in the Spanish language, but may be difficult to translate. As an example in English - 'to give the cold shoulder' or 'it's a piece of cake!'

Flashcards

A simple Spanish language learning tip, but a very effective way to review, refresh your memory and expand your vocabulary. There are pre-made flashcards that can be purchased, or for extra help, you can create your own. Keep them with you at all times, in your pocket or in your car, and look at them for a quick review or language lesson at every opportunity. They are very convenient.

Talk to yourself

It may be obvious, but the best way to learn Spanish in Latin America is to speak Spanish in Latin America ! This convenient method can be use at all times, as you can even talk to yourself. Even if you are in public and don't feel comfortable talking to yourself out loud, you can make it your habit to practice Spanish by thinking Spanish. Throughout the day, think of the Spanish words for everything you pass - objects in your house, things you pass when you are traveling, things you use at work or school, etc. Learn basic Spanish phrases like - ‘it is cold today' or ‘it is sunny today' and use whichever is appropriate when you first look out the window. By putting this tip into use on a regular basis, the vocabulary and phrases will become more routine and automatic.

Practice with friends

Taking it even further than talking to yourself, you can practice with your friends. Even if they don't speak Spanish, talk to the people you know by using your new language. Warn them in advance that you are practicing your new knowledge and they'll know what's coming. Even a simple 'good morning' or 'see you later' in Spanish will make those phrases more natural to you. Your friends may even begin to learn a few words and join in the fun too!

Listen to music

Listen to Spanish music. You'll hear the Spanish language used in a real context and this will help you pick out the rhythm and pronunciation even better. This method will also give you a further understanding of, and appreciation for, the culture and customs of the people. Music in Spanish might be easier to find than others, but Amazon or eBay and many other global websites will enable you to find music in Spanish and many different languages.