Normal School of Santiago, Teacher training institution in Santiago, Panama
The Normal School of Santiago is a teacher training institution in Panama featuring a striking front facade decorated with carved lions. This school complex spreads across multiple buildings with classrooms, gardens, dormitories, courtyards, a chapel, and a library named after Carlos Francisco Changmarín.
This institution was founded in 1938 and later renamed to honor President Juan Demóstenes Arosemena, who died in office during December 1939. The renaming connected the school to an important moment in Panama's national story.
The main hall houses murals painted by Roberto Lewis, a Panamanian artist, showing historical moments like the discovery of fire and an Egyptian scribe at work. These artworks shape how visitors experience the interior and tell stories across different periods through their images.
The site is straightforward to explore since different areas like classrooms, dormitories, and the chapel grounds are laid out logically. Plan to spend time walking through the gardens and various buildings to understand how the complex fits together.
The school entrance displays a statue of Urracá, symbolizing indigenous resistance against Spanish colonization in Panama. This monument reminds visitors of the region's deeper history that existed long before the school was built.
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