{"id":27683,"date":"2019-12-30T10:20:42","date_gmt":"2019-12-30T15:20:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\/blog\/?p=27683"},"modified":"2019-12-30T10:20:42","modified_gmt":"2019-12-30T15:20:42","slug":"reflections-panamas-past","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\/blog\/reflections-panamas-past\/","title":{"rendered":"Reflections on Panama’s Past"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Last year marked the 30 anniversary of the US invasion of Panama.\u00a0 A very controversial subject and a sad time indeed with all that happened just to get one man.\u00a0 I read history for one reason that we all should do and that is to learn from our past mistakes so as not to repeat them.<\/p>\n

Many stories surfaced and I found one odd but intriguing.<\/p>\n

A rotting cow tongue and \u2018evil sorcery\u2019: How the U.S. invasion of Panama led to a literal witch hunt<\/strong><\/p>\n

In 1989, after American troops deposed Gen. Manuel Antonio Noriega, the strongman disappeared, and so did a Brazilian witch he relied on for weird occult rituals.<\/p>\n

William Branigin at WAPO writes this story.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n

The house had been used by Gen. Manuel Antonio Noriega, deposed days before as Panama\u2019s notorious strongman. As we examined items found in an upstairs room on that December day 30 years ago, the stench was overpowering.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

The source soon became apparent: Wrapped in a red cloth was a rotting cow\u2019s tongue embedded in a bowl of white cornmeal amid eight spoiled eggs, the whole thing crawling with insects. The tongue was folded in half and nailed shut with two dozen large nails.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n

James R. Dibble, a special agent with the U.S. Army\u2019s Criminal Investigation Command, pried out the nails and unfolded the tongue. Inside it, a name appeared to be written in ink. The writing was illegible, but judging by other items found in the house inside Panama City\u2019s Fort Amador, the concoction was aimed at casting a spell on a Noriega enemy in a voodoo-like ritual.<\/p>\n

\n

So began a strange foray into the dark world of the dictator who had ruled Panama with increasing ruthlessness for the past six years \u2014 at least part of that time with the help of a woman identified by the Army as a Brazilian witch, a sorceress skilled in the black magic and occult rituals that Noriega practiced.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Three decades ago, 24,000 U.S. troops invaded Panama, driving Noriega from power and handing the presidency to an opposition leader who had won a May 1989 election in a landslide, only to see Noriega negate it and declare himself \u201cmaximum leader.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\"Gen.
Gen. Manuel Antonio Noriega fakes a punch at a supporter on May 2, 1989, in Panama City. (Manoocher Deghati\/AFP\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
\n

His Panama Defense Forces headquarters in ruins, Noriega went to ground, setting off a manhunt by U.S. forces before he slipped into the Vatican Embassy on Christmas Eve in 1989 to request political asylum. The Brazilian sorceress vanished, too, triggering what might accurately be called a witch hunt.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\n

The religious paraphernalia and occult items that Noriega left behind in what soldiers dubbed \u201cthe witch house\u201d provided a fascinating glimpse into the psyche of an enigmatic man who had been a CIA asset during his rise to power, yet had also helped rebels in Central and South America and had profited from drug and arms trafficking. Reviled by many Panamanians and mocked with the nickname \u201cPineapple Face\u201d for his acne-scarred complexion, Noriega wielded power as military commander through figurehead presidents.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

U.S. investigators came to believe after his ouster that many of his puzzling actions could be attributed to his occult rituals. But in the end, witchcraft proved no match for the 82nd Airborne and other troops that descended on Panama City in the early hours of Dec. 20, 1989.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\"U.S.
U.S. soldiers man a position outside the Vatican Embassy in Panama City where Gen. Manuel Antonio Noriega was seeking asylum during Operation Just Cause, Dec. 25, 1989. (Manoocher Deghati\/AFP\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
\n

The events that led to that point began building the previous year, when Noriega was indicted by two federal grand juries in Florida on drug trafficking, money laundering and racketeering charges and Panamanians stepped up demonstrations against his repressive rule. Noriega, in turn, escalated police and military harassment of Americans living in Panama, who numbered more than 40,000 in the country of 2.2 million people.<\/p>\n

\n

To help put down the protests, he formed paramilitary units called Dignity Battalions with help from Cuban advisers. Ostensibly made up of civilian supporters, the Dingbats, as the U.S. military called them, had a hard core of plainclothes members from the Panama Defense Forces. Also active in the suppression business were riot police units called Dobermans and water cannon trucks known as Pitufos (Spanish for Smurfs) for the blue cartoon characters inexplicably painted on their sides.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

The unrest came to a head after the May 7, 1989, presidential election, when exit polls and partial returns showed opposition leader Guillermo Endara winning by a 3-to-1 margin over Noriega\u2019s candidate, businessman Carlos Duque. And that was despite what outside election observers, including former president Jimmy Carter, described as extensive fraud.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\"Guillermo
Guillermo Endara arrives at the presidential palace in Panama City on Dec. 27, 1989. (Camilo Jibson\/AFP\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
\n

On the night of May 9, after reporting on the regime\u2019s efforts to stall the vote count and steal thousands of ballots in raids on tallying centers, I was driving to a restaurant in a rental car with three other American correspondents when we were pulled over by two truckloads of Dobermans. Plainclothes agents, apparently from the feared G-2 military intelligence branch that Noriega once headed, quickly arrived on the scene. With me in the car were Phil Bennett, then with the Boston Globe; Ken Freed of the Los Angeles Times; and Chuck Lane, then a correspondent for Newsweek.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\n

After some debate about what to do with us \u2014 and apparently thinking that we were U.S. service members and that they had hit some sort of gringo jackpot \u2014 the G-2 men decided to split us up and take us to four different locations.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

It was at times like this when I had a real problem with authority. Not liking our captors\u2019 plan at all and struggling to keep my temper, I refused to get out of the car. At that point, a particularly thuggish agent hauled me out and handcuffed me to Freed. As we were being taken into custody, a well-known American network correspondent, whom we were supposed to meet for dinner, drove by the scene. Not only did he not stop to offer any assistance, but he apparently didn\u2019t report our arrest to anyone.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

What followed was a wild ride through the streets of Panama City, with a G-2 man at the wheel of my rental car, the thug in the passenger seat, and Freed and I handcuffed in the back seat. Arriving at a police station, we were pulled out and marched in.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cWho\u2019s in charge here?\u201d I demanded indignantly. To which an officer imperiously replied, \u201cGeneral Manuel Antonio Noriega.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

But Panama\u2019s finest wanted nothing to do with us, so we were driven off again, this time to a G-2 office near Noriega\u2019s Command Headquarters, known as the Comandancia, in the city\u2019s rundown El Chorrillo neighborhood.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Lane and Bennett were taken to a different police station, where they were held in a room crammed with stacks of cardboard boxes. They soon noticed that the cartons were filled with ballots from the election, and a disturbing thought occurred to them, as Lane, now an editorial writer at The Washington Post, recounted later: How could their captors let them live after seeing this blatant evidence of electoral fraud?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\n

Eventually, however, Lane and Bennett joined us at the G-2 office, and we were all subsequently released with an explanation that it had all been a misunderstanding.<\/p>\n

\n

nable to reverse its overwhelming defeat at the polls, the regime the next day annulled the election and dispatched troops, Dobermans and Dignity Battalions to attack a protest motorcade led by Endara and disperse crowds that turned out to cheer him.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Endara and his two vice-presidential running mates, Ricardo Arias Calder\u00f3n and Guillermo \u201cBilly\u201d Ford, were beaten with clubs and iron bars, and two of their bodyguards were shot, one fatally. Endara was knocked unconscious with a blow to the forehead. Ford, his white guayabera drenched in his dead bodyguard\u2019s blood, tried to fight off a Dignity Battalion attacker before being arrested.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\"Opposition
Opposition vice-presidential candidate Guillermo \u201cBilly\u201d Ford is beaten by a member of the Dignity Battalions that attacked his motorcade on May 10, 1989. (Ron Haviv\/AFP\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
\n

The rotund Endara, his head swathed in a bandage, later went on a hunger strike. He lost about 30 of his 265 pounds, but it was not enough to shed his nickname: Pan Dulce (roughly, Honeybun), after the Mexican pastry.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\n

Indulging in reporters\u2019 gallows humor while driving around the city, we made up a song to the tune of Bobby McFerrin\u2019s hit at the time, \u201cDon\u2019t Worry, Be Happy.\u201d Sample lyric: \u201cDignity Battalion they stop your car\/ Beat your face with an iron bar\/ Don\u2019t worry. Be happy.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

In October, Noriega further consolidated control when he put down a coup attempt and, according to U.S. intelligence reports, personally participated in executing its leaders. Disgruntled American officials lamented a lost opportunity, saying the mutiny might have succeeded if U.S. forces in the Canal Zone had intervened.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

The regime in mid-December nevertheless declared Panama to be in a \u201cstate of war\u201d with the United States and named Noriega \u201cmaximum leader for national liberation,\u201d while continuing to harass Americans.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\n

Marines’ wrong turn set stage for invasion<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

For President George H.W. Bush, the last straw came the next night, when four unarmed American service members were heading to dinner in the city. A wrong turn led them to a checkpoint in front of the Comandancia, where a confrontation ensued. As the Americans tried to drive away, Panamanian forces opened fire on their car, killing a Marine, 1st Lt. Robert Paz.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Bush launched the invasion, dubbed Operation Just Cause, a little more than 72 hours later. U.S. forces besieged Noriega\u2019s Comandancia and quickly rolled up his 16,000-member Panama Defense Forces. But they did nothing to stop an outbreak of looting that followed.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\"Looters
Looters carry a refrigerator out of a building next to the Comandancia on Dec. 22, 1989. (AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
\n

At the time, I was in Ciudad Ju\u00e1rez, Mexico, preparing to cross the U.S. border with my wife and two small children to spend Christmas with family. Instead, I had to leave them there and head back to Panama. But the international airport was closed, so The Post chartered a small plane, which picked me up in Costa Rica, and I flew with a small group of reporters into Howard Air Force Base in the Canal Zone. Also part of our Washington Post invasion crew in Panama were reporters Al Kamen, Dana Priest and Joanne Omang.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Shortly after landing, a couple of other correspondents and I gave our U.S. military minders the slip and took a harrowing car ride through downtown Panama City. It was utter chaos. Looting was rampant, and business owners were shooting looters on sight to protect their stores, sometimes sniping at them from rooftops.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\"A
A group of Panamanians tries to break into a store in Panama City on Dec. 20, 1989. (Juantxu Rodriguez\/El Pais\/AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
\n

An estimated 300 civilians died during and immediately after the invasion, including those killed in the looting, according to Panama\u2019s Forensic Registry<\/a>. The U.S. military reported 23 of its troops and 314 enemy combatants killed in the fighting, but Panama\u2019s Institute of Legal Medicine later said only 63 Panamanian military personnel died.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n

Noriega, meanwhile, had disappeared.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

In addition to searching for him, the Army also was looking for evidence of drug trafficking. Which brings us back to Noriega\u2019s two-story house near a U.S. officers\u2019 club at Fort Amador, a military base used jointly by U.S. and Panamanian forces. It was there that soldiers found a freezer full of bundles of banana leaves wrapped around a white powdery substance that they initially declared was cocaine.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

It wasn\u2019t. The Army later retracted that announcement and said the soldiers had actually found a stash of tamales. But that wasn\u2019t quite right, either.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Dibble, the Army\u2019s Criminal Investigation Command agent, was called in to help investigate and quickly realized that the \u201ctamales\u201d were part of what he called \u201cevil sorcery,\u201d in this case, \u201cbinding rituals\u201d intended to neutralize opponents by symbolically enclosing them in gooey substances.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Indeed, inside the \u201ctamales\u201d were slips of paper with the names of enemies written on them. One particularly smelly one contained the names of former New York Times reporter Seymour Hersh, who had written about Noriega\u2019s involvement in drug and arms smuggling, and Reagan administration national security adviser John Poindexter.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\"A
A U.S. soldier stands guard in a room with relatively benign items apparently used in Noriega\u2019s practice of Santeria in a house at Fort Amador in Panama City on Dec. 22, 1989. (Department of Defense\/Pool\/AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
\n

Also recovered was a glutinous ball of cornmeal wrapped in blue ribbon and white string. Dibble opened it to find a picture of Endara crumpled inside. A photo of former president Ronald Reagan was stuck in an ashtray under a layer of red wax.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Papers found with moldy fruit contained the names of President Bush and two U.S. senators, as well as a general reference to \u201cCongress U.S.A.\u201d Also listed: Henry Kissinger, U.S. military and embassy officials, the presidents of Venezuela and Costa Rica, Catholic leaders including the archbishop of Panama, the U.N. secretary general, various Panamanian opposition figures and even close Noriega allies and military officers, suggesting mistrust within his inner circle.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Dibble, an expert on the occult who taught on the subject at a Tennessee university at the time, determined that Noriega practiced different Latin American religions that mixed African tribal beliefs and Roman Catholicism. They included the \u201cbenevolent magic\u201d of Santeria and Candombl\u00e9, as well as the \u201cevil magic\u201d of brujer\u00eda, or witchcraft.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Bewitching the general: The strange tale of Noriega’s Brazilian sorceress<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

That was where the Brazilian witch came in. Judging by a lit cigarette in an ashtray, she apparently fled the house minutes before U.S. troops arrived, leaving behind identity papers, photos and a diary in Portuguese.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

She was identified as Rosileide dos Gracias Oliveira, then 27, a plump, dark-skinned woman from Rio de Janeiro whose picture hung on the walls of Noriega\u2019s home and office.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u201cI knew Noriega was diabolical \u2026 and he ruled through fear,\u201d Dibble said this month. But until he walked into the witch house, he said, \u201cI had no idea he was involved in any of this.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\"Noriega
Noriega is brought onboard a U.S. military plane on Jan. 3, 1990, for a flight to Miami after his arrest. (AFP\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
\n

In early January 1990, Noriega abandoned his refuge in the Apostolic Nunciature. He was taken into U.S. custody and flown to Miami, where he was later tried and convicted. He served 17 years in federal detention before being extradited to France, which subsequently sent him back to Panama. He died in custody there in 2017 at age 83.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

What happened to Oliveira, the Brazilian sorceress, remains a mystery. Dibble believes she managed to flee Panama and make her way back to Brazil.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

And investigators never were able to discern the name on that rotten cow tongue.<\/p>\n

\n

\n

<\/p>

    <\/ul><\/div>\n
    \n
    \n<\/fieldset>\n

    Sign Up for our Newsletter:<\/i><\/b>\n<\/p>\n

    Your Name (required)\n<\/p>\n

    <\/span>\n<\/p>\n

    Your Email (required)\n<\/p>\n

    <\/span>\n<\/p>\n

    \n<\/p>

    <\/div>\n<\/form>\n<\/div>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Last year marked the 30 anniversary of the US invasion of Panama.\u00a0 A very controversial subject and a<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[242,12,241,39,248,34,33,62,42,219,11,249,243,7,255,246,244,260],"class_list":["post-27683","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news-articles-panama-perpsective","tag-boca-chica-real-estate","tag-boquete","tag-boquete-real-estate","tag-buenaventura","tag-casco","tag-casco-antiguo","tag-casco-viejo","tag-coffee-in-panama","tag-estate-homes-in-panama","tag-move-to-panama","tag-offshore-real-estate","tag-panama-offshore-real-estate","tag-panama-papers","tag-panama-real-estate","tag-panama-real-estate-bocas-del-toro","tag-relocate-to-panama","tag-rum-in-panama","tag-travel-to-panama-rent-in-boquete"],"yoast_head":"\nReflections on Panama's Past - Blog and Newsletter<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\/blog\/reflections-panamas-past\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Reflections on Panama's Past\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Last year marked the 30 anniversary of the US invasion of Panama.\u00a0 A very controversial subject and a\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\/blog\/reflections-panamas-past\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Blog and Newsletter\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/profile.php?id=100088396493750\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-12-30T15:20:42+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/invasion-2019.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Adrian Prozzo\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Adrian Prozzo\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"13 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\\\/blog\\\/reflections-panamas-past\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\\\/blog\\\/reflections-panamas-past\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Adrian Prozzo\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/6c118309f214f7da81db90c9905c5e69\"},\"headline\":\"Reflections on Panama’s Past\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-12-30T15:20:42+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\\\/blog\\\/reflections-panamas-past\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":2537,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\\\/blog\\\/reflections-panamas-past\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2019\\\/12\\\/invasion-2019.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Boca Chica Real Estate\",\"Boquete\",\"Boquete Real Estate\",\"buenaventura\",\"casco\",\"casco antiguo\",\"casco viejo\",\"coffee in panama\",\"estate homes in Panama\",\"move to panama\",\"offshore real estate\",\"Panama Offshore real estate\",\"Panama Papers\",\"Panama Real Estate\",\"Panama Real Estate Bocas del Toro\",\"relocate to panama\",\"Rum in Panama\",\"travel to panama Rent in Boquete\"],\"articleSection\":[\"News from Panama\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\\\/blog\\\/reflections-panamas-past\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\\\/blog\\\/reflections-panamas-past\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\\\/blog\\\/reflections-panamas-past\\\/\",\"name\":\"Reflections on Panama's Past - Blog and Newsletter\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\\\/blog\\\/reflections-panamas-past\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\\\/blog\\\/reflections-panamas-past\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2019\\\/12\\\/invasion-2019.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-12-30T15:20:42+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\\\/blog\\\/reflections-panamas-past\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\\\/blog\\\/reflections-panamas-past\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\\\/blog\\\/reflections-panamas-past\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2019\\\/12\\\/invasion-2019.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2019\\\/12\\\/invasion-2019.jpg\",\"width\":700,\"height\":519},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\\\/blog\\\/reflections-panamas-past\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\\\/blog\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Reflections on Panama’s Past\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\\\/blog\\\/\",\"name\":\"THE PANAMA PERSPECTIVE\",\"description\":\"Welcome and enjoy!\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\\\/blog\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"THE PANAMA PERSPECTIVE\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\\\/blog\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/09\\\/Panama-Perspetive-Logo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/09\\\/Panama-Perspetive-Logo.png\",\"width\":199,\"height\":168,\"caption\":\"THE PANAMA PERSPECTIVE\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/profile.php?id=100088396493750\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/6c118309f214f7da81db90c9905c5e69\",\"name\":\"Adrian Prozzo\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/ad1feae25ee47fd05cad15b4eecb3f298066f00b30501ec8ab74742778287eba?s=96&d=identicon&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/ad1feae25ee47fd05cad15b4eecb3f298066f00b30501ec8ab74742778287eba?s=96&d=identicon&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/ad1feae25ee47fd05cad15b4eecb3f298066f00b30501ec8ab74742778287eba?s=96&d=identicon&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Adrian Prozzo\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\\\/blog\\\/author\\\/adrian\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Reflections on Panama's Past - Blog and Newsletter","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\/blog\/reflections-panamas-past\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Reflections on Panama's Past","og_description":"Last year marked the 30 anniversary of the US invasion of Panama.\u00a0 A very controversial subject and a","og_url":"https:\/\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\/blog\/reflections-panamas-past\/","og_site_name":"Blog and Newsletter","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/profile.php?id=100088396493750","article_published_time":"2019-12-30T15:20:42+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/invasion-2019.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"author":"Adrian Prozzo","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Adrian Prozzo","Est. reading time":"13 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\/blog\/reflections-panamas-past\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\/blog\/reflections-panamas-past\/"},"author":{"name":"Adrian Prozzo","@id":"https:\/\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/6c118309f214f7da81db90c9905c5e69"},"headline":"Reflections on Panama’s Past","datePublished":"2019-12-30T15:20:42+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\/blog\/reflections-panamas-past\/"},"wordCount":2537,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\/blog\/reflections-panamas-past\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/invasion-2019.jpg","keywords":["Boca Chica Real Estate","Boquete","Boquete Real Estate","buenaventura","casco","casco antiguo","casco viejo","coffee in panama","estate homes in Panama","move to panama","offshore real estate","Panama Offshore real estate","Panama Papers","Panama Real Estate","Panama Real Estate Bocas del Toro","relocate to panama","Rum in Panama","travel to panama Rent in Boquete"],"articleSection":["News from Panama"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\/blog\/reflections-panamas-past\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\/blog\/reflections-panamas-past\/","url":"https:\/\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\/blog\/reflections-panamas-past\/","name":"Reflections on Panama's Past - Blog and Newsletter","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\/blog\/reflections-panamas-past\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\/blog\/reflections-panamas-past\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/invasion-2019.jpg","datePublished":"2019-12-30T15:20:42+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\/blog\/reflections-panamas-past\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\/blog\/reflections-panamas-past\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\/blog\/reflections-panamas-past\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/invasion-2019.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/invasion-2019.jpg","width":700,"height":519},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\/blog\/reflections-panamas-past\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Reflections on Panama’s Past"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\/blog\/","name":"THE PANAMA PERSPECTIVE","description":"Welcome and enjoy!","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"THE PANAMA PERSPECTIVE","url":"https:\/\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Panama-Perspetive-Logo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Panama-Perspetive-Logo.png","width":199,"height":168,"caption":"THE PANAMA PERSPECTIVE"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/profile.php?id=100088396493750"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/6c118309f214f7da81db90c9905c5e69","name":"Adrian Prozzo","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ad1feae25ee47fd05cad15b4eecb3f298066f00b30501ec8ab74742778287eba?s=96&d=identicon&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ad1feae25ee47fd05cad15b4eecb3f298066f00b30501ec8ab74742778287eba?s=96&d=identicon&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ad1feae25ee47fd05cad15b4eecb3f298066f00b30501ec8ab74742778287eba?s=96&d=identicon&r=g","caption":"Adrian Prozzo"},"url":"https:\/\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\/blog\/author\/adrian\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27683","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27683"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27683\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27685,"href":"https:\/\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27683\/revisions\/27685"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27683"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27683"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27683"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}