We are getting ready to head out on our next trip, so this is probably a good time to finish the two remaining posts I’d planned about our trip to Panama.  The first post is the easy one, dealing with street art. A few things we saw suggested that 20 years ago most of the buildings in Panama were generously “decorated” with graffiti.  That clearly  isn’t the case today, but there are still hints.

When you get outside the central core of the old city (not more than 5 – 10 blocks) you start finding fairly traditional graffiti, like this.

Or this…

And then a little further out, you find art that probably has a political message.

And then art that clearly has a political message.

But closer to the center you find art that has been – I’m not sure this is quite the right word – but art that has been gentrified. This “graffiti” has been framed and protected under plexiglass.

But my favorite was in the center of the old town, across the square from our hotel. It was painted on the second floor of a hollowed out building that will no doubt be completely “restored” in a year or two. I can’t quite decide if the “flying girl” is soaring above everyday concerns … or getting out of Dodge while she can. I like it either way.

Next up, the dilemma of gentrification.