I like how it sounds when pronounced: PA-NA-MA
I wonder what Panama City will be like in 500 years? I will never know. What I do know is how it was 500 years ago thanks to this editorial project for which I had the honor to work.
Soy un Ciudad llamada Panamá (I am a city called Panama), tells the story of Panama from its origin until the moment it was rebuilt in what is currently known as Casco Antiguo.
The first-person narration takes us by the hand along Panama on an exciting journey through history where animals, wind, rain and rivers star in this adventure.
One of the first challenges that was presented to me when creating the main character, was to give him an identity that would connect with boys and girls between 10 and 12 years old. This character had to be fun and different, something like a fantastic creature but with heelys, backpack and laptop.
To capture that essence, I needed to listen to my audience, in this case the children. So I organized a drawing workshop with boys and girls between 8 and 10 years old with the intention of discovering through their eyes, how they perceived the historical events of the city.
Indigenous people in striped sweaters, superheroes in capes trying to save the city and fire pirates with piercing eyes, were some of the translations that these little masterminds gave to the story that had just been read to them. That was the guide to follow!
Chapter IV of the book tells the story of Henry Morgan, the pirate who is mistaken for the destruction of Panama La Vieja by many.
Neither saint nor devil, Henry Morgan was an astute strategist who knew how to move the chips well in his favor. To tell his story, what better tool than an Instagram profile to find out about all the gossip! Henry's account currently exists, and if curiosity leads you to stalk his profile, here it is
Client: Comisión Ciudad Panamá 500
Year: 2019
Year: 2019
Scope: Illustration, Art Direction, Book Cover Design
