Corpus Christi Parita

Corpus Christi in Parita is one of Panama’s most powerful expressions of faith, tradition, and collective memory. Rooted in the colonial town of Parita, in the province of Herrera, this celebration brings together religious devotion, dance, masks, music, ritual, and community participation.

The festivity is part of a cultural tradition that dates back centuries in Parita and reflects the way local communities have preserved and transformed inherited forms of worship and performance over time. Through dances such as the Gran Diablo, Diablicos Sucios, Toro Guapo, and Montezuma Española, the streets become a living stage where faith and folklore meet.

This photographic project approaches Corpus Christi not only as a religious celebration, but as a shared act of identity. The images observe the gestures, costumes, masks, movement, and symbols that give the town its own way of inhabiting this tradition.

In Parita, Corpus Christi is not only performed. It is carried by the people who prepare, dance, watch, remember, and pass it on.