Santa Fe, Panama

Santa Fe is a lovely mountain village with a small local population and limited infrastructure and services. It’s a beautiful, tranquil, picture-postcard highlands escape. As in Boquete, the climate is more comfortable than down at sea level.

Life in Santa Fe, Panama, is simple, safe, and super-affordable. For example, this is a place where you could live on as little as US$1,000 per month if you’re up for going very local. In truth, you have no choice.

Located in Veraguas, this is the only Panamanian province that reaches both the Caribbean and the Pacific Coast.

Some say the word Veraguas comes from ver (to see) and aguas (waters) which is interpreted to mean seeing both coasts, and lots of rain (Santa Fe receives an average rainfall of 2,543 millimeters annually).

Under Spanish rule, the province of then Veragua was established in 1560, which according to some was named from the same indigenous word viragua meaning goddess or strong woman.

At that time, the grandson of Christopher Columbus named Luís Colón, 1st Duke of Veragua (amongst other titles) sold his rights to this area back to the Spanish crown after several failed attempts to control the native population for the purpose of gold mining.

Veraguas is known as The Land of Columbus and Urracá. Urracá being the legendary Ngöbe-Buglé chieftain who bravely fought and defeated the Spanish conquistadores for nine years circa 1520s. And, is the same Urracá who is featured on the Panamanian one cent coin.

In 1630, Santa Fe was named as the capital of the province of Veraguas until 1890, when it was eventually replaced by the city of Santiago.