Portobelo was named by Christopher Columbus in 1502. For a while it was was the richest port in the known world as it was the headquarters for the transport of the Spanish plunder of the Americas. As a result, there were many forts build here and the village is currently placed amid these ruins. This village was a wonderful surprise and treat on our cruise. It is a place where people live not a tourist attraction. There are not even any hotels in the village. While the part of the village that we saw was not wealthy by any standards,
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From the Wharf
A view of Portobelo harbor from the warf. The white ship is our cruise ship.
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Chair and Door
The village was filled with color. This is the doorway to a bar-restaurant.
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More Color
Some buildings on our way to the fort.
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Disco
The paintings are of the traditional costume worn for a dance. (I don't...
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Preparation
These women are sitting on the steps of the customs house which is...
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Broken Shrine
The village was full of little shrines like this one.
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Entrance to the Fort
This is near the entrance to Fuerte San Jeronimo, one of the Spanish ruins in...
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Heron
This heron was standing on the walls of the fort.
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Buzzards
So were these buzzards.
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Iglesia San Felipe
The church as seen from the fort. This church is famous for the Black Christ...
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Going to Market
It seemed that one of the means of travel is boat. This man seems on...
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Sales
A group of children followed us to the fort. This girl was holding...
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Window
I liked the colors and textures of this image.
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Dancer in Waiting
The locals did a dance for us. This is one of the dancers.
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Scratching
I love the colors of the women's clothes.
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Crown and Color
This crown was a part of the dance.
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Chatting
She seems to be intently relating some opinion or tale.
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Grandmother
I'm not sure but I think she is letting someone have a piece of her mind.
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Watching
This young girl was very pleased to have her picture taken. I took...
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Watching Girl
The dance has started.
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Dancers
The dance is meant to be a historic social criticism of the well to do. The...
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Drummers
These men really got into their drumming.
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Kuna Watcher
This woman is a member of the Kuna tribe of the San Blas Islands.
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Dancing
The dance has a tone of sexual inuendo. Notice the ruins of the fort in the...
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Father on Fort
This man is hold the child sitting on the wall of the fort.
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Singer
The dancers also took time out and sang to add to the music for the dance.
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Smile
Interaction between a dancer and a drummer.
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Dance
The costume is meant to be absurd.
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Old Woman
I'm not sure what she's thinking.
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Faces
A view of some of the singers.
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Color
I really love the look on the little girl's face. I wonder what she's...
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More Dance
Here you can see the interplay of dancers, drummers, and singers.
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Colorful Wall
This is another example of the color in the village.
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Black Christ
There are many stories about the legend of the Black Christ. The Festival in...
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Mary
This statue is in the courtyard to the church.
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Bus 1
The busses are beautifully painted.
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Bus 2
At least since this bus was broken down, I could get some good...
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Transport
Horseback or burro is the only missing mode of transport in this picture.
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Ismael Rivera
A rough translation of the plaque says that Ismael Rivera was a great...
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Home Shrine
Many of the houses had little shrines.
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Wall Flower
This plant was growing on the wall of the church.
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Orange and Blue
I was drawn to the vivid colors of this closed or abandoned refreshment stand.
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Blue and Orange
The houses in the village are often painted in many colors. The flowers look...
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Shrine in its Surroundings
I was really interested in this shrine. (There are several pictures of it in...
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Extra Fina
More examples of the many colors of the village.
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Shrine Through a Frame
I really like the texture on the wall.
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Abierto
This was one of the few cafes in the village.
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He Who Doesn't Betray
My wife says that this a rough translation of the sign. This was on...
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Geometry
I liked the play of color in the village.
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Gated Door
Again, the color and many of the doorways had gates.
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Red Flower
A flower against a painted wall.
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Gardening
Even the use of recycled bottles lends to the colors of the town.
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Jeans
There were many ruins in the village. I think the jeans look nice against the...
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Art Studio
This was a prettily painted building. It's my wife's hat reflected in...
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Mural
Art was everywhere in the town. (This image was "photoshopped"...
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Dancing Mural
A painting of the traditional dance which we tourists saw earlier in the day.
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Seahorse Gate
Decoration and color were everywhere.
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Peeking Through
I liked the green of the ivy with the blue of the fence.
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Padlock
I was drawn to the color and texture of this gate.
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Victory
The jungle is managing to reclaim the curb.
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Curlers
This woman was resting outside the only other eating place open in the village.
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New and Old
The old rusty roof holds the dish. Several people were watching tv as...
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Flower
This flower was on the warf our zodiac used.
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Cross in the Harbor
I liked the color on this cross out in the water. (I removed some sail boats...
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Kites
These children were playing in a backyard.
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Shrine 4
Another view of the alley shrine.
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Shrine Detail
The cloth seems in fairly good condition. I wonder if it get replaced regularly?
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Singer
This sewing setup was on a covered open balcony looking at the harbor....
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Yard
I'm not sure what the animal head in the corner is for.
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Mangrove Roots
After our visit to the village we went up a river to view mangroves.
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Tree
A tree along the river.
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Sloth
This was the last sloth we saw on the cruise.
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Iguana
This beauty was just resting on a limb next to the river. Our keen eyed...
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Farewell
This was our final view of Portobelo as we sailed away.
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North America
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