Herrera Province

Herrera is a province in Panama. Named after General Tomás Herrera, the province was founded on January 18 1915 after a division of the Los Santos province. The capital city of Herrera is Chitré, which is located near the province's coastline. Herrera is bordered on the north by the provinces Veraguas and Coclé, on the south by Los Santos, on the east by Golfo de Parita and Los Santos, and on the west by Veraguas.

The founding of Chitré and Herrera

After gaining independence from Spain in 1821, the isthmus of Panama was divided into two provinces, Panamá and Veraguas. The province Panamá consisted of the towns Portobelo, Chorrera, Natá, Los Santos and Yavisa. At the time, the location now occupied by the city of Chitré was inhabited by a small population of indigenous persons and was governed from Natá. It later came under the control of the Los Santos government.

Chitré was founded on October 19 1848 by General Tomás Herrera, who was the governor of the province Azuero at the time. In 1860, Azuero was eliminated and Herrera was created by the constitutional assembly. Chitré, however, was included in the province of Los Santos. It was not until 1915 under the administration of Dr. Belisario Porras that Chitré became a part of Herrera and was made the province's capital.

Economy

Of Panama's nine provinces, Herrera ranks third in sugarcane production. Other commercial mainstays in Herrera include retail, equipment repair, banking, and domestic service. Prominent industries include dairy, cattle, commercial fishing, alcohol, ceramics, clay products, mosaics, and cement.

Culture

The famous Festival del Manito Ocueño has its origin in the city of Ocú in Herrera. Also, the pottery work in the province is extensive, consisting mainly of high-quality reproductions of precolombian artifacts. Herrera's pottery is the best-known in the country. Panama's most famous alcoholic drink, "seco" "(translation: dry)", is produced in Herrera, which is a sugarcane liqueur said to be dryer than normal rum. Varela Hermanos, a company based in Pesé, sells seco under the trade name Seco Herrerano.

ports

Herrera's baseball team has won sixteen national championships, more than any other team in the country, including the 2005, 2006 and 2007 titles.

Carnival

The best-known carnivals are celebrated in Chitré, Parita and Ocú. Chitré's carnival is one of the most popular in Panama, but those in Ocú have risen in prominence in recent years.

Districts

The province is divided into 7 districts:

# Chitré District. "Corregimientos" include Chitré (capital), La Arena, Monagrillo, Llano Bonito and San Juan Bautista.

# Las Minas District. "Corregimientos" include Las Minas (capital), Chepo, Chumical, El Toro, Leones, Quebrada del Rosario and Quebrada El Ciprián.

# Los Pozos District. "Corregimientos" include Los Pozos (capital), El Capurí, El Calabacito, El Cedro, La Arena, La Pitaloza, Los Cerritos, Los Cerros de Paja and Las Llanas.

# Ocú District. "Corregimientos" include Ocú (capital), Cerro Largo, Los Llanos, Llano Grande, Peñas Chatas, El Tijera and Menchaca.

# Parita District. "Corregimientos" include Parita (capital), Cabuya, Los Castillos, Llano de la Cruz, París, Portobelillo and Potuga.

# Pesé District. "Corregimientos" include Pesé (capital), Las Cabras, El Pájaro, El Barrero, El Pedregoso, El Ciruelo, Sabanagrande and Rincón Hondo.

# Santa María District. "Corregimientos" include Santa María (capital), Chupampa, El Rincón, El Limón and Los Canelos.