As you probably know if you have been reading my blog, the name Panama has three accepted official origins. The first one, is that Panama is the indian name of a tree in this narrow strip of land in Middle America. The second version, is that Panama is the Indian word for “gathering or abundance of fishes”. And the third version, is that Panama means abundance of butterflies.
The earliest known inhabitants of Panama were the Cuevas and the Coclé tribes, but they were wiped out by disease and fighting when the Spaniards arrived in the 16th century.
After developing a taste for photography, I’ve been looking more closely at my surroundings, and how it represents in one way or another my country; the land where I was born. Sometimes, it’s the face of a child or footprints on the sand. In other instances I see my country in trees swaying softly in the wind. An old man repairing old watches in a dilapidated table and chair also depicts the multiple faces of my beloved motherland.
To find the soul of my country I’m learning how to see; for seeing, in the finest and broadest sense, means using your senses, your intellect, and your emotions. It means encountering your subject matter with your whole being. Good seeing doesn’t ensure good photographs, but good photographic expression is impossible without it.
Having said this, I would like to share with you of what Panama means to me. It’s a gorgeous tree covered with pink flowers in the middle of a busy street. The flowers had fallen and the ground was covered with pink flowers, like an immense pink carpet. That scene represented Panama for me. Pink is indeed beautiful and its beauty gives shape and color to my land. By the way, the name of the tree is Guayacán.
Now let’s take a look at the pink tree I saw. Here we go.
Snapshot of a Guayacan tree in the middle of a busy highway in Panama City, Panama. It was beautifully covered with soft pink flowers. Some of the flowers had fallen and mantled the ground below the tree. Photo ©Omar Upegui R.
Snapshot of a pink tree in the middle of Via Ricardo J. Alfaro, also known as "Tumba Muerto" in Panama City, Panama. Photo ©Omar Upegui R.
