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Head of Province: Penonomé
Population: 104,397 inhabitants (2000 census)
Surface: 4927 km²
Coastal Area: Pacific Ocean
Major Islands: None.

Cocle belongs to what is known as Panama's Central Provinces. It borders with Panama on the East, Colon on the North, Veraguas on the West, Herrera on the South West and the Pacific Ocean on the South. Its name has its origin on the two rivers named Cocle del Norte and Cocle del Sur, but most likely because of an indian "cacique" named Cocle which dominated the central plains in its early history.

One of my parents was born in Cocle and I still have some family there, therefore Cocle was a tour-de-force during our Summer holidays. I even spent one whole Summer living in Pocri, Cocle; it was a wonderful experience.

History

Archeological finds suggest that Cocle has about 600 years of pre-history. It was also an important center during colonial times. In almost every major town of Cocle you will find it is characterized by a colonial architecture with Spanish influence.

Cocle was created on September 12th, 1855 as the "Department of Cocle" when Panama was a part of the Great Columbia. It was then promoted to Province on October 20, 1885 and it remained so when Panama separated from the Great Columbia to become a republic.

Modern Cocle

Cocle is a major agricultural center for the central provinces with a lot of its products used to supply Panama. Although the agricultural products are rather varied, we could say that tomatoes and sugar are perhaps their major agricultural activity. It is also developing as a touristical destination.

It is very easy to reach Cocle by car. From Panama city simply follow the signs and head towards the canal zone where you would cross either the Bridge of the Americas or the new bridge over the Panama canal and continue over the Panama-Chorrera Highway (the toll is about $0.50) and then further on the Panamerican Highway, there is no way to get lost. When you cross the "Rio Indio" (Indian River) you have reached Cocle. If you continue on the Panamerican Highway and reach Rio Santa Maria or the town of Divisa, then you know you are leaving Cocle (if you come from Panama), or entering Cocle if you come from Herrera or Veraguas.

There are regular scheduled buses leaving Panama city to Cocle and the rest of the republic. These leave from La Gran Terminal (Albrook Bus Terminal).

There are no cruises or boat trips from or to Cocle. There are plenty of beaches however.

The province of Cocle has over 100 kilometers of coastal area on the Pacific on either the Parita Bay or the Golf of Panama. Although usually you can find some dirt road that leads you to the coast, these would be the best known beaches of Cocle:

name	town	phone
Interamericano	Aguadulce	997-4363
Sarita	Aguadulce	997-4437
Rivera	Anton	987-2245
Hotel Campestre	El Valle	983-6146
Cabanas Potosi	El Valle	983-6181
Hotel Don Pepe	El Valle	983-6425
Hotel Los Capitanes	El Valle	983-6505
Park Eden B&B	El Valle	983-6167
Residencial El Valle	El Valle	983-6536
Hotel Dos Continentes	Penonome	997-9325
Cabanas Las Sirenas	Santa Clara	993-3235
Hotel Farallon	Farallon	993-3131
Royal Decameron Resort	Farallon	993-2455

El Valle de Anton. This pictoresque town is located in what was the crater of an extinct volcano. It has a very pleasant (as in early autumn) climate . Major points of interests here (beside the nature) are the Petrogliphs (out of town), the El Nispero Zoo (definitely worth a visit) and the Artisanal Market on Sundays where you can find nice souvenirs. Among the many animals you can admire in the zoo is the Golden Frog, these are tiny (thumb size) golden colored poisonous frogs.

Penonome is the head of the Province of Cocle. It was founded in 1581 by the Spaniards. After the city of Panama (nowadays Panama La Vieja) was destroyed by pirate Henry Morgan, Penonome served as the capital of Panama during the year 1671 until the new capital was founded (now known as Casco Viejo in Panama city). Here you can pay a visit to the church of Penonome (colonial) and the mercado de artesanias. A good souvenir might the "Sombrero Pintado", the price of which can vary from $10 to $200 depending on its quality.

Nata de Los Caballeros was founded in 1522 and it is the oldest Spanish church on the Pacific coast. Originally it was the largest indian settlement in the Golf of Parita. In the town square you can visit the Minor Basilica of Santiago Apostol with its 8 wood carved altars and 5 naves.

El Caño Archeological Site located 117 kms from Panama city by taking the left on the Panamerican Highway when you reach Nata. It was discovered in 1922 by a north american who unfortunately used the most unorthodox methods to "explore" the site, thus destroying some important pieces of pre-columbine history. Here they found more than 500 pieces of litic ceramic and megaliths so it was named then the Place of the 1000 Gods. Currently most of the finds lie in the Reyna Torres de Arauz Archeologic Museum in Panama city. Visiting the El Caño site is worth the trouble (been there myself) to visit their small -yet informative- museum, what is left of the site and the excavations.

La Pintada is about 20kms north of Penonomé and it is particularly known for its wonderful Sombrero Pintao. This "sombrero" (hat) is the hat used by the "Montuno", the national male dress of Panama. And do not forget the artisanal market.