The popular version tells us that the city of David was founded under the instruction of the governor Juan Lopez de Sequeira in 1602. It is presumed, that because of his hebrew origin, he wanted this place to carry the name of the famous King of Israel. David is the capital of the Chiriqui province.
The construction must have been carried out by his leutenant Francisco de Gama. The site chosen for the new settlement was a farm named San Jose, where there was a chapel in honor of the saint patriarch and now is called Bolivar neighborhood. Pretty soon, because of its strategic position, located between the older spanish settlements such as Our Lady of Remedios (1589) and Santiago de Alanje (1591), David became the center of political and economic activity of the area. By 1609, there where 6,900 cows brought from Nata and from La Villa de Los Santos, which gives us an indication of the importance this place already had for other isthmian cities. By 1726, David was not recognized as a town, although some important figures of the judicial system of the Santiago de Alanje town maitained their residence in this place. By 1736, David is recognized as a town, and then it is given the name of: the Hermit of Saint Joseph of David. Up to 1831 it was called the David Parish, later the title of “Villa”, and it became the head of the Alanje “Canton”. Upon the creation of the Chiriqui province, according to the decree of May 26, 1849, David was elected as the capital of the new province. With the birth of Panama as a nation, David also went through a period that helped to consolidate its development and prestige. Among this, the construction of the Railroad of Chiriqui, which allowed an easier communication between David, Puerto Pedregal, Potrerillos and Boquete on one side, and Concepcion and Puerto Armuelles on the other side. Electricity was brought in through the Cia. Halphen in 1920, and later, Empresas Electricas de Chiriqui that belonged to the Gonzalez Revilla brothers. Later, in 1931, the National Road was built, and the modern Panamerican Highway in 1960. Today, David is the first city of the country after the 2 major terminals of the Panama Canal. Its importance is such, that it has a dynamic commercial and touristic movement, not only with the capital and the central provinces, but also with the central american region, which David is only 53 kms from the frontier with Costa Rica. The city of David brings its inhabitants and visitors almost all the services that you find in the capital of the country, such as: restaurants, supermarkets, drugstores, car rentals, hotels, international airport services, national and international banking, hospitals, clinics, telelphone services, shopping malls, etc. Also, two airline companies offer daily flights to David and San Jose, Costa Rica. The cost is approximately B/.140.00 roundtrip. There is a daily bus service offered from the Transportation Terminal of David to all points of the province and of the country. Taxis charge between B/.1.00 to B/.3.00 within the David area.
International Fair of San Jose de David
Is a sample for Panama and the rest of the world of the productive force of the region. Each year, on March 19, day of their saint patron, the Fair opens its doors to thousands of visitors who go there to see the different presentations such as: agriculture, cattle ranching and commerce. The first one started in 1954, and has been going on uninterrupted, consolidating into one of the or the top one of its gender of the country.
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- David Cathedral
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- Pedregal port
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- Chiriqui Mall
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- Panoramic view of David
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