When visiting Panama remember to buy beautiful craftwork.  These Panamanian crafts are made in great majority by the countrymen of the diverse provinces of Panama.  Some plants are used for confectioning these crafts.  There is a diversity of places that have craftwork markets for foreigners and nationals and can be acquired without complications and at low cost.

Many of the cultural activities of the indigenous and rural populations of Panama are related to the use of plants for the elaboration of arts and crafts.  Traditionally, the rural or indigenous areas have used native species which produce fibers and dyes for confectioning arts and crafts, decorations, tools and instruments.  From the pre-Hispanic era cotton hammocks have been manufactured of henequen fibers and cabuya as well as vijao baskets.

The plants that are used the most in the manufacturing of craftwork are the ones that provide fibers.  More than 70 species of these plants are used for the elaboration of articles for personal, domestic and agricultural use.  Among them we have the guagara palm, jira, matumba, maquenca, kapok, balso and chonta.

There is a flourishing market of craftwork made mainly by the indigenous groups.  An example is the Embera Craftsmen Credit Union (Cooperativa de Artesanos de Emberá), an indigenous group of the Darien that produces craftwork from the tagua and chonta palms.  300 men work on the elaboration of sculptures with tagua seeds.  This group produces 15 thousand pieces per year for the craftwork markets in Panama.  Besides the fact that the sculptures are in great demand and a high commercial value, this product has not begun to be exported.  The prices vary between 10 and 70 dollars per piece.  On average, a piece costs 35 dollars, for which the annual sales go up to 525.000 dollars.

From the heart of the chonta palm a fiber is extracted with which women of the tribes of the Darien make baskets.  On average,about 750 women work to produce 50 thousand pieces per year.  The prices vary from 10 to 50 dollars, with an average of 25%, which represents a total in annual sales of 1,250,000 dollars.  The manufactured craftwork products with tagua and chonta elaborated by the indigenous groups of the Darien generate a total of 1.775.000 dollars annually.

One of the most important species and outstanding for its ample use is the acorn, that is processed in Cocle in order to make hats, purses, clothes baskets and souvenirs.  The Craftwork Market of Cocle produces and commercializes 75 per cent of the acorn craftwork that is manufactured in Panama.  In total, the market of craftwork products manufactured with the acorn can reach 290.000 dollars annually for the entire country.

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