HerreraIts capital is the city of Chitre, Herrera is a Panamanian province located in the North of the Azuero peninsula It borders to the North with the provinces of Veraguas and Cocl, on the South by the province of Los Santos, on the East by the Gulf of Parita and Los Santos province and to the West with the province of Veraguas specifically Mariato district. It has an area of 2.340,7 km2 and in 2008 had a population of 111.647 inhabitants, population that was estimated at 107.911 inhabitants in 2010.Place between major subregions of the Azuero peninsula, the herrerana province run two major routes: from South to North, the national road; and from East to West, the Pan-American Highway.HistoryPre-Columbian timesIn pre-Columbian times, the Azuero peninsula was inhabited by large numbers of Indians, a branch of the Guaymi who populated this region where were centres of population in different places as chiefdoms, some of importance as that of Parita or Paris, Usgana, burning and other minor. His work consisted of fishing, hunting and agriculture especially maize cultivation.Period of Spanish conquestThe conquest of the Azuero starts at 1515, according to orders given by Governor of Castilla gold don Pedrarias Dvila. In the first instance, he had to fulfill them to the captain Gonzalo de Badajoz; It would be in this region where this conqueror would find, in the cultural flowering, to indigenous chiefdoms.Badajoz is defeated by the Chief Paris, losing the treasure that is obtained from Antataura. The Governor of the Kingdom of Castilla de Oro, sent to Gaspar de Espinosa, who retrieves the treasure of Antataura, and manages to conquer the Azuero region.Spanish colonization periodThe region now known as Azuero, was born with the creation of three exclusive settlements for indigenous people: Santa Cruz de Cubita, Santa Helena de Parita and Santiago de wave to abolish Indian slavery in the town of Nat de los Caballeros, in the time of Spanish jurisdiction over Tierra Firme. This first was possibly founded May 3, 1558, by Governor Juan Ruiz Monjarraz and fray Pedro de Santa Maria.At the idea of restoring indigenous slavery in Nat, some abolitionist settlers leave the city of gentlemen looking for new opportunities in the fertile lands of what we now call Azuero.The settlement of the Azuero peninsula is relatively slow: beginning in the vicinity of 1553 and continued for more than one decade. They lived distant to each other, and of course away from Nat, to keep out of its tax orbit. The efforts of Nat to the Crown got the license to explore the still unspoiled province of Veraguas (Duchy of Veragua). As a result of these explorations, was founded the mining town of Concepcion, which the locals could not explode due to lack of economic resources.The mining town of conception becomes a potential market for grains and cattle producers scattered through the Azuero peninsula, this trade with the mining town improves the economic situation of the azuerenses.Foundation of the Villa de Los SantosWill had forbidden settlers who migrated from the cocle lands to savannas azuerenses strictly the founding of cities; in spite of this, a group of settlers locals and inhabitants of Parita, Cubita, Mensabe and Guarar decided to erect a population nucleus on the banks of the river Cubita, which called the Saints, because its foundation was performed on November 1, 1569.Nat city ordinary Mayor opposes such Foundation, therefore Rodrigo de Ziga, heads an advanced military against the santeos. Around November 5 is given a meeting between the rival sides on the margins of the Quebrada de Rabelo. The founders are arrested and their houses destroyed.To please both parties, i.e. to locals and santeos, the Crown decided to acknowledge the existence of the population of Los Santos in the province of Tierra Firme, but not with the high title of 'City' (as Nat had it), but with the low title of "Villa". Hence this town is still called La Villa de Los Santos. Despite carrying the name of "Villa", on the cusp of its demographic importance, it became the second in size and economic importance throughout the isthmus, surpassed only by the city of Panama.In 1589, the conception mine is closed, this causes an economic downturn in the region, leading to its inhabitants to emigrate to uninhabited areas of the peninsula, looking for new lands.Finally, on November 10, 1821, the most relevant community members of party of Los Santos, gathered at the home of the Town Council of the town, declared broken the chains that had United them, for more than three hundred years, to the Spanish Empire. This historical fact is known as the "Grito de Villa", and the pristine example of the aim of freedom of the azueros village.Founding of ChitrChitre was founded on October 19, 1848 based on provisions of the organic law of municipal administration which, in that year, ordered the creation of four new districts namely: Aguadulce and La Pintada in the Canton of Nata, in the Canton of Los Santos Chitre and Los Pozos in the Canton of Parita. The Governor of the Department of Panama at that time was the General Toms Herrera and the President of the Republic of New Granada was General Jos Hilario Lpez.Province of AzueroOn April 8, 1850, the Congress of the Republic of the New Granada created the province of Azuero, from the Canton of Parita, comprised the parish districts of Parita, Macaracas, mines, Ocu and weighed; the Canton of Los Santos, comprised the parish districts in Pocri, Los Santos, Las Tablas and Pedasi; and the parish district of Santa Maria, segregated from the Canton of cream and added to the Canton of Parita; with its capital the Villa de Los Santos.Department of Los SantosIn 1855, the Congress of New Granada, in charge of the Executive, Jose de Obaldia and by the Decree of March 9, 1855, abolished the province of Azuero and its territory is divided between the provinces of Panama and Veraguas; Parish districts of Santa Mara, Parita, weighed, Macaracas and mines were added to the province of Veraguas, the rest of the districts became the province of Panama.A few months after, upon the creation of the Federal State of Panama in 1855, it became necessary, a new territorial division, it materialized when the Convention, through the law of September 12, 1855, established the Department of Los Santos, attending the ancient regional denomination, but of which only the parochial districts of Chitr, Las Tablas were suffragan Pocri, Pedasi and the Saints. As for the Department of Herrera, complied from the districts of the Canton of Parita: Macaracas, Parita, weighed, mines and Santa Maria.However, the peninsula on which sit in these two provinces and part of the province of Veraguas, situated between the Gulf of Montijo and the Gulf of Parita, has been named to this day under the name of 'Azuero', although previously had been the indigenous names of Guarare and Mensabe; during the conquest of Veraguas had different Veraguas and during colonial times was called 'Saints'.Department of HerreraThe departments of Los Santos and Herrera were fused into one single: the Department of Herrera, with headboard in Pes. This fusion happened just Santiago de la Guardia as Governor of the Estado de Panama, was elected as the AssemblyDepartment of the SaintsTwo years later, worship the law of January 22, 1864, passed by the Legislative Assembly, the territorial constituency is reordered to instituting the following departments: Cocle (header: Penonome), Colon (header: Colon), Chiriqui (header: David), Panama (header: Panama), Veraguas (header: San Francisco de la Montaa) and Saints (header: Los Santos).With this departmental alteration, simultaneously with the reappearance of the Saints Department, the Herrera Department was deleted map and all its counties were included in the de Los Santos, which returned the District of Santa Marta, previously ceded to Veraguas.Los Santos provinceBy Decree No. 190 of 20 October 1886, General Alejandro Posada, in implementation of this political Charter, reorganized the isthmus and named their departments or prefectures: provinces, their rulers: prefects, to their districts: municipal districts and their councils: municipal councils. Consequently, the isthmus was officially named Department of Panama (with capital in the city of Panama), instead of sovereign State of Panama and was called province of Los Santos, in replacement of the Saints Department, with its capital in the Villa de Los Santos.Republican PeriodIn 1903, Panama separates from Colombia, being the original Republican provinces Bocas del Toro, Cocl, Coln, Chiriqui, Los Santos, Panama and Veraguas.The National Assembly at the end of 1914, in the first Government of the President Belisario Porras, by means of the Act 55 of December 30, 1914, split the province into two. He is assigned a portion of their domain, which continued with the same name and seven districts, the city of Las Tablas, as a header. The other portion was called province of Azuero, with headboard in Chitre. Following days, thanks to the law 17 of January 18, 1915, will change to the province of Herrera, with headboard in the population of Chitr. The first Governor of Los Santos was Moiss Espino and Ezequiel Urrutia Diaz Herrera.The province of Herrera complied province constituencies of Chitr, Las Minas, Parita, Los Pozos, Ocu, weighed and Santa Maria.Province of AzueroIn the 1941 Constitution, President Arnulfo Arias abolished the province of Herrera, leaving your area subject to the Los Santos province, with capital in Chitre. He joined le Mariato, broke and Arenas, regions that until then were under the Dominion of the province of Veraguas. Act 103 of 12 July 1941 dc, modified the title 1 of book 1, of the administrative code and redefined the districts of the province of Los Santos, as well: Chitr, Ocu, Las Tablas, Los Santos, Macaracas and Tonosi. The districts which disappeared (Pedasi, Pocri, Guarar, Parita, weighed, Los Pozos, Santa Maria and mines) were converted into districts.

Los Santos provinceIn 1945, already ousted Arias, the Cabinet Decree No. 13 of January 8, 1945, which reestablished the territorial division before the law 103, restored the province of Herrera over the country (as well as the suppressed districts), returning to the previous situation, namely the existence of the two provinces in accordance with its creation in 1914 and in 1915, and Chitre again as head of Herrera and Las Tablas, Los Santos header as reserved.Location within the Republic of PanamaHerrera has an area of 2.340,7 km, which is equivalent to 3% of the territory of Panama, so it is the smallest province of the country. It is located in the northern part of the Azuero peninsula. Towards the North it limits with the province of Veraguas and Cocle province. Heading West, the massif of Azuero makes natural border with the South of the province of Veraguas. South, the La Villa River acts as a border with the neighboring province of Los Santos. Finally, to the East the Pacific Ocean puts an end to the province with an extensive area of coasts, occupying a coastline between the mouths of the rivers Santa Maria and La Villa, Parita Bay, which gives an important marine character.

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Bodies of Water:Herrera has one of its most important rivers, the La Villa River, which is born in the District of Las Minas, which serves of boundary between the provinces of Herrera and Los SantosWeather:Part of the mountainous area of Azuero in the western part of the province, the province is tropical dry or savanna. Thus, in the eastern area, which is part of the coastal plains of the Gulf of Panama, is premontane dry forest, premontane humid forest and tropical dry forest. In the lands high West there are microclimates with another environment, as is the case with the forest reserve of the Montuoso limits with broke.The dry season occurs between late November and the beginning of May and the rainy season extends to the rest of the year. To be located in the tropical zone, the differentiation between stations can be uncertain, with temperatures that vary between 23 C and 32 C.Political Map

Industries: Prominent industries include dairy, cattle, commercial fishing, alcohol, ceramics, clay products, mosaics, and cement.DistrictsCorregimientosHeader

Chitr49.209 hab.Chitr,La Arena,Monagrillo,Llano BonitoySan Juan Bautista.Chitr9.805 hab.

Las Minas8.330 hab.Las Minas,Chepo,Chumical,El Toro,Leones,Quebrada del RosarioyQuebrada El Ciprin.Las Minas2.461 hab.

Los Pozos8.201 hab.Los Pozos,El Capur,El Calabacito,El Cedro,La Arena,La Pitaloza,Los Cerritos,Los Cerros de PajayLas Llanas.Los Pozos2.544 hab.

Oc16.688 hab.Oc,Cerro Largo,Los Llanos,Llano Grande,Peas Chatas,El Tijera,MenchacayEntradero del Castillo.Oc7.422 hab.

Parita9.423 hab.Parita,Cabuya,Los Castillos,Llano de la Cruz,Pars,PortobelilloyPotuga.Parita3.982 hab.

Pes13.280 hab.Pes,Las Cabras,Los Pjaros,El Barrero,El Pedregoso,El Ciruelo,SabanagrandeyRincn Hondo.Pes2.750 hab.

Santa Mara7,421 hab.Santa Mara,Chupampa,El Rincn,El LimnyLos Canelos.Santa Mara1.751 hab

Population Density:The province of Herrera, according to data from the 2010 census, has a population of 107.911 inhabitants, of whom 54.447 are men and 53.464 are women. In Herrera, is majority phenotypically white population, crossed with the Amerindian population that survived the Spanish conquest. Crossbreeding with Negroid elements can be found in villages of the North, Parita and elements mestizados with native Americans in the mountains of the West. The indigenous population as culture disappeared from the Azuero peninsula in the colonial era. The province of Herrera has a human development index for the year 2007 of 0,732.22Foods and Music:Torrejitas of corn: is a fried dessert made mainly of corn.Sancocho de gallina is a typical stew, cooked in the bonfire of wood, consisting of hen yard, name, oregano, COB and coriander being this herb that gives it its characteristic flavorTamales: they are very traditional in this province, however they do even more on the Christmas table. Are composed of corn and filling can be chicken, beef or porkSighs: Is a dessert that has a spiral shape and is made of flour, starch from cassava and sugarAlfajores: this dessert consists of two biscuits made of flour and different types of sugar that has delicacy and candy in the Center.Samy and Sandra Sandoval brothers recognized at national and international levelLos Rabanes rock group known internationally for his daring performances together with the band Os admirals.The most prominent Panamanian playwright is currently Andrs Poveda, recognized for his television program "Los Reyes de Humor".

Economy of the Province: Of Panama's nine provinces, Herrera ranks third in sugarcane production. Other commercial mainstays in Herrera include retail, equipment repair, banking, and domestic service.