Cerro San Cristobal Chiriqui

The focklore, or the “knowledge of the folks”, tells the story of the name of this hill, because, Carlos Perez, who resided near the hill, climbed it and then he thought he saw some totally naked children. They were gremlins and made him get lost, upon seen himself lost, he turned his clothes upside out and returned to the same place. Residents who lived near the hill, as did Carlos Perez, where scared because rumors said that animals where sacrificed there on satanic rituals. Being so, they went and looked for a catholic priest named Cristobal to bless the hill. They also built a cross at the top of the hill in the name of the “Padre Cristobal” and that is how the name of the hill came to be. Some say this happened around the 1950´s. With time, the owners of the hill rented the top for radio, television and cellular communications antennas.

: Cerro San Cristobal

From the top of the San Cristobal hill, where the cross is located, there is also a geodesic marking, you can see different points of the Chiriqui province, such as: the shores of the San Jose neighborhood and the mangrove swamps of Puerto Pedregal and its immediate coast; equally, the artificial lake of the Baruco farm, the oxidation lagoons of the residual waters of part of the city of David, in which waters many aquatic migratory birds stop, the Enrique Maleck airport, the Volcan Baru, the hills of San Carlitos, the sugar cane mill of Alanje with its plantations, and the trees of the different neighborhoods of David. During the dry season or summer as Panamanians call it, it is common to see people from all ages, especially young ones, walking and jogging up the hill as a way of excersizing. Some even go up the tip and the arms of the cross. The place has a spectacular view of David, but the road is a little rundown, so it is recommended you drive up carefully. In any case, you should go with somebody else. To get there, you must go to the Fair of David grounds and ask for information. Another important attraction is the Museo de Arte e Historia Jose de Obaldia in honor of the founder of the province. This colonial house was built in 1880 and has the original furniture of the times. We must point out that one of the rooms there is an exhibit of religious colonial art, in other; a series of archeologycal artifacts of the cultures that inhabited this land much before the Spaniards came, including a series of photographs of Panama during the construction of the Panama Canal. It has a beautiful internal patio and the visitor can spot immediately a traditional kitchen of the XIX Century. This museum opens from Mondays until Saturdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.