Afro-Antillean Museum of Panama, Caribbean ethnographic museum in Calidonia, Panama.
The Afro-Antillean Museum is a wooden building in Calidonia displaying artifacts, photographs, and dioramas showing the lifestyle of West Indian immigrants. The collection documents how this population shaped Panama.
The building was constructed in 1909 by workers from Barbados as a Christian Mission Chapel. It was converted into a museum dedicated to Afro-Antillean heritage in 1980.
The exhibits show how Caribbean immigrants shaped Panamanian society, particularly through their work on the railroad and Canal. You can see how these communities built their own neighborhoods and kept their customs alive.
The museum is located at the intersection of Calle 24 Este and Avenida Justo Arosemena and is easy to reach. It is best visited during daytime when natural light flows through the wooden building.
The museum features a reconstructed Panama Canal work scene with original track sections and a metal dump truck from the construction period. This recreated job site gives a direct sense of the conditions workers faced.
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