Country Panama Area 2,340.7 km2 | Capital Chitre Founded 1915 Population 111 647 | |
Herrera is a province in Panama. Named after General Tomas Herrera, the province was founded on January 18, 1915 after a division of the Los Santos province. The capital city of Herrera is Chitre, which is located near the provinces coastline. Herrera is bordered on the north by the provinces Veraguas and Cocle, on the south by Los Santos, on the east by Golfo de Parita and Los Santos, and on the west by Veraguas.
Contents
Map of Herrera Province
History
After gaining independence from Spain in 1821, the isthmus of Panama was divided into two provinces, Panama and Veraguas. The province Panama consisted of the districts of Nata, Portobelo, Panama and Darien. At the time, the location now occupied by the city of Chitre was inhabited by a small population of indigenous persons, near La Villa de Los Santos and was governed from Nata. It later came under the control of the Los Santos government. The province of Herrera was created in 1854 and eliminated in 1860. 55 years later, in 1915 the province was created again by the president of Panama Dr. Belisario Porras.
Chitre was founded on October 19, 1848 by Ventura Solis, Matias Rodriguez, Jose Rios, Jose Maria Benavidez, Ildelfonso Perez, Blas Tello, Eugenio Barrera, Jose Burgos y Carlos Rodriguez. Chitre, however, was included in the province of Los Santos. It was not until 1915 under the administration of Dr. Belisario Porras that Chitre became a part of Herrera and was made the provinces capital.
Economy
Of Panamas 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 Ocueno has its origin in the city of Ocu in Herrera. Also, the pottery work in the province is extensive, consisting mainly of high-quality reproductions of pre-Columbian artifacts. Herreras pottery is the best-known in the country. Panamas most famous alcoholic drink, "seco" (translation: dry), is produced in Herrera, which is a sugarcane liqueur said to be drier than normal rum. Varela Hermanos, a company based in Pese, sells seco under the trade name Seco Herrerano.