{"id":13501,"date":"2026-05-23T07:10:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-23T12:10:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/?p=13501"},"modified":"2026-05-21T21:23:47","modified_gmt":"2026-05-22T02:23:47","slug":"panama-artisans-demand-guarantees-over-casco-antiguo-plaza-project","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/business-economy\/panama-artisans-demand-guarantees-over-casco-antiguo-plaza-project\/","title":{"rendered":"Panama Artisans Demand Guarantees Over Casco Antiguo Plaza Project"},"content":{"rendered":"

Artisans in Panama City’s historic Casco Antiguo<\/a> district have raised alarms about potential eviction. They fear a $5.9 million renovation project will push them out of their workspaces. The Association of United Artisans of Casco Antiguo, known as AUCA, met with Ministry of Culture officials on May 20 to address the issue.<\/p>\n

The project involves the comprehensive restoration of France Plaza and surrounding areas. The Ministry of Culture Panama awarded the contract to Administradora de Proyectos de Construccion, S.A., or Aprocosa, last year. Artisans currently operate stalls along Esteban Huertas Promenade and within the plaza itself.<\/p>\n

Adan Cerrud, president of AUCA, confirmed the deep concern among the artisan community. “We face uncertainty about our future in these spaces,” Cerrud said. “The restoration project threatens our livelihoods if we are removed without alternative arrangements.” [Translated from Spanish]<\/p>\n

The group requested the meeting to address both the potential displacement and broader regulatory gaps. Thirty-nine artisans work in the area, some for more than two decades. Thousands of tourists walk through this historic zone each month.<\/p>\n

\"panama
panama street scene<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Artisans Report Informal Vendors and Lack of Regulation<\/h2>\n

During the meeting, small business owners reported threats of forced removal. They also highlighted the growing presence of informal vendors selling non-artisan goods in tourist zones. Cerrud stated that hawkers and merchants selling imported merchandise have increased in recent months. These sellers do not represent Panama’s traditional craft sector, he argued.<\/p>\n

The group requested stronger inspections and controls over products sold in the area. They want clear enforcement of Panama artisan regulation<\/a> to protect authentic cultural goods. The distinction matters for preserving national heritage, they said.<\/p>\n

Ministry of Culture Panama officials attending the meeting included Ambar Zambrano, director of the Casco Antiguo Office; Algis Diaz, national director of Crafts; and Manuel Trute, national director of Cultural Heritage. The ministry issued a clear statement following the dialogue.<\/p>\n

The Ministry of Culture has not authorized the eviction of artisans from any area mentioned, specifically Esteban Huertas Promenade and France Plaza. We agreed to maintain direct and permanent communication with artisan representatives to address their concerns and find joint solutions. [Translated from Spanish]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Both sides agreed on the need to strengthen commercial regulation in these tourist spaces. Protecting traditional Panamanian crafts from non-authentic products emerged as a shared priority. The artisans delivered a formal letter to Culture Minister Maria Eugenia Herrera outlining their demands.<\/p>\n

\"moonfest
moonfest by miCultura<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Restoration Project Scope and Next Steps<\/h2>\n

The planned works include restoring France Plaza, its green areas, the hemicycle, the colonial wall, and a section of Esteban Huertas Promenade. The total intervention area covers 7,120 square meters. Of that, 5,777 square meters will undergo full restoration.<\/p>\n

Artisans worry about their Cultural Heritage<\/a> and economic stability during construction. They want guarantees they can remain or return after work completes. The ministry pledged ongoing dialogue but offered no specific timeline for resolving the displacement concerns.<\/p>\n

This dispute highlights broader tensions in historic district management. Balancing tourism development with preservation of local artisan traditions remains a challenge. The AUCA plans to continue pressing for written guarantees from the ministry. No further meetings have been scheduled at this time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Artisans in Panama City’s historic Casco Antiguo district have raised alarms about potential eviction. They fear a $5.9 million renovation project will push them out of their workspaces. The Association of United Artisans of Casco Antiguo, known as AUCA, met with Ministry of Culture officials on May 20 to address the issue. The project involves<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13502,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_sitemap_exclude":false,"_sitemap_priority":"","_sitemap_frequency":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[30,37,87],"tags":[4431,679,2773,4430],"class_list":["post-13501","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-business-economy","category-events-culture","category-featured","tag-artisan-eviction","tag-casco-antiguo","tag-casco-antiguo-renovation","tag-panama-artisans-demand-guarantees"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13501","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13501"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13501\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13504,"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13501\/revisions\/13504"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13502"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13501"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13501"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13501"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}