Doug Bruce documents his trip to the newly thrusting Panama in a series of photographs and an article for AnOther.
The old city of Casco Viejo sits on a peninsula jutting out of the Bay of Panama and is approximately half the size of New York’s East Village. It is the home of four churches and two cathedrals. I was seeking the holy grail of Panama much like the murderous buccaneer Henry Morgan had done nearly 350 years ago. I knew it to be in the Iglesia San Jose, but even with a map, I had mistakenly interrupted a couple of weddings before pushing open the proper thick arched doors to end my quest.
A heavy-set woman dressed in a simple black dress, knelt at a pew and counted the white beads of her rosary as their clicking echoed off the walls. A warm glow reflected off her face as her eyes pleaded to the intricate golden altar that stood before her, from floor to ceiling.
Read the whole article here.