Afro-Antillian Museum (Museo Afro Antillano de Panama )
Afro-Antillian Museum (Museo Afro Antillano de Panama )
Afro-Antillian Museum (Museo Afro Antillano de Panama )
4
Tuesday
8:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Wednesday
8:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Thursday
8:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Friday
8:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Saturday
8:30 AM - 4:30 PM
About
Open Tuesday-Sunday, this museum pays tribute to the 30,000-plus black West Indians who made up the vast majority of the Canal’s foreign laborers, many of whom died doing this dangerous work. See reconstructed examples of Afro-Antillanos’ dismal living conditions, photos and artifacts.
Duration: 1-2 hours
Suggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listingTours & experiences
Explore different ways to experience this place.
Full view
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
Top ways to experience Afro-Antillian Museum (Museo Afro Antillano de Panama ) and nearby attractions
The area
Reach out directly
Best nearby
We rank these restaurants and attractions by balancing reviews from our members with how close they are to this location.
Restaurants
959 within 3 miles
Attractions
149 within 6 miles
Contribute
Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
We perform checks on reviews.
Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews
Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.
Learn more about our review moderation.
4.0
31 reviews
Excellent
11
Very good
13
Average
6
Poor
0
Terrible
1
SharonBB
Panama City, Panama170 contributions
Aug 2016 • Friends
Founded in 1985 by Panamanians of Afro-Caribbean descent--SAMAAP (Society of Friends of the West Indian Museum of Panama in Spanish), this low-key museum is very important for preserving the history of the 45,000+ canal builders, the majority of whom came from Caribbean islands in hopes of bettering their lives but instead perished during the construction. If you take the Metro (worth a visit in and of itself), get off at "Cinco de Mayo" and across the street you will see the little gray church building that houses the museum. This used to be a prominent Afro-Caribbean neighborhood during the years of the canal building and for many years thereafter.
There are books for sale in English as well as in Spanish by a SAMAAP founder; just ask. There are a number of meticulously researched exhibits about the daily lives of the Afro-Caribbeans of the time (early 1900's). Cultural events are presented here as well.
Open Tues-Sat. 9:30 am to 3:45 pm...very inexpensive. Tel: 507.501.4130. Even if only Spanish speakers are on duty as guides, it is easy for English speakers to understand the displays and there are some English translations. Suggest going in the morning and then you can consider a short walk to the Fish Market (Mercado de Mariscos) for lunch and then another short walk to Casco Antiguo (also know as Casco Viejo) to explore there. Note: This little museum survives on a tiny budget...and the entry fee is minimal so consider an extra donation if you appreciate what you experience.
There are books for sale in English as well as in Spanish by a SAMAAP founder; just ask. There are a number of meticulously researched exhibits about the daily lives of the Afro-Caribbeans of the time (early 1900's). Cultural events are presented here as well.
Open Tues-Sat. 9:30 am to 3:45 pm...very inexpensive. Tel: 507.501.4130. Even if only Spanish speakers are on duty as guides, it is easy for English speakers to understand the displays and there are some English translations. Suggest going in the morning and then you can consider a short walk to the Fish Market (Mercado de Mariscos) for lunch and then another short walk to Casco Antiguo (also know as Casco Viejo) to explore there. Note: This little museum survives on a tiny budget...and the entry fee is minimal so consider an extra donation if you appreciate what you experience.
Written 12 August 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
GlobelGirl
Toronto, Canada42 contributions
Sept 2012 • Friends
The museum is a small one - housed in a former church where there was a primarily West Indian congregation. There are several framed photos of the workers - my favourite was an actual employment contract between a Barbadian worker and the Canal employers.
Statistics of workers from many islands and countries are posted. The difference in wages between black and white workers doing the same job is discussed.
Rooms depicting living conditions are set up, and there are some books for sale.
The admission is $1.
As we have family who worked on the canal, we found the museum very interesting.
I would not recommend making it a trip on its own, but it is within a few minutes walking distance of the fish market "El Mercado del Marisco" where there is an upstairs restaurant in the main building that serves delicious fish and other seafood for a good price (whole fried fish dinner for $8, lobster dinner for $20)
Combining the two makes a good day trip.
Statistics of workers from many islands and countries are posted. The difference in wages between black and white workers doing the same job is discussed.
Rooms depicting living conditions are set up, and there are some books for sale.
The admission is $1.
As we have family who worked on the canal, we found the museum very interesting.
I would not recommend making it a trip on its own, but it is within a few minutes walking distance of the fish market "El Mercado del Marisco" where there is an upstairs restaurant in the main building that serves delicious fish and other seafood for a good price (whole fried fish dinner for $8, lobster dinner for $20)
Combining the two makes a good day trip.
Written 25 September 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Caroline P
Martinique113 contributions
Apr 2015 • Business
This tiny museum is an old, converted church built by West Indian settlers in the early 20th century. It exhibits show the life of the West Indian community that came to dig the Canal. It shows the lifestyles of these Caribbean settlers and the difficulties that they faced in Panama. An invaluable stop for history lovers in order to get the real picture of who really built the Canal.
Written 3 May 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Fabdiva1
Philadelphia, PA44 contributions
Feb 2016 • Friends
This small museum shed so much little on the contribution of particularly Barbadian and Jamaican people to the creation of the Canal and therefore Panama itself. These are the things that you do not learn in traditional schools. The US went to these islands and contracted with primarily the men, to come to Panama to build the Canal. This museum displays artifacts and photos from that time showing the lifestyles and contributions of the Caribbean people to Panama. Thank you/Muchas Gracias for preserving and sharing this history. Cost $1.00 time needed 1 to 1.5 hours. One blcok from Cinco de Mayo transportation station. Walk from Aveineda Balboa/fish market
Written 23 March 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Bill K
Chame, Panama5 contributions
Jan 2013 • Friends
We brought a large group of guests to the Museum as part of a City Tour. It became apparent that they truly enjoyed their visit to the Museum and several said that we should have spent more time there. The two previous groups we had brought to the Afro-Antillano Museum also enjoyed it tremendously. Quite a learning experience.
The Museum is a small but fine gem and it is our hope that those in the government responsible for deciding on funding realize its immense value. It is an essential and irreplaceable aspect of the Patrimony of the Republic of Panamá.
Interesting displays and fascinating information about a major part - African descendants from the "West Indies" - of the labor force that helped create a remarkable feat of engineering and about the exemplary human will of the "diggers." Visitors gain an insight into the lives these workers fashioned for themselves and families, their pride and the legacy they have left behind.
Staff are not all bilingual, but the artifacts and displays themselves as well as signage and descriptions in English make it more than worthwhile for English-only speakers.
Don't miss this one on your visit to Panama City!
The Museum is a small but fine gem and it is our hope that those in the government responsible for deciding on funding realize its immense value. It is an essential and irreplaceable aspect of the Patrimony of the Republic of Panamá.
Interesting displays and fascinating information about a major part - African descendants from the "West Indies" - of the labor force that helped create a remarkable feat of engineering and about the exemplary human will of the "diggers." Visitors gain an insight into the lives these workers fashioned for themselves and families, their pride and the legacy they have left behind.
Staff are not all bilingual, but the artifacts and displays themselves as well as signage and descriptions in English make it more than worthwhile for English-only speakers.
Don't miss this one on your visit to Panama City!
Written 10 February 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
L G
United States5 contributions
Sept 2023 • Solo
Very interesting overview. I would have appreciated even more information on the workers day-to-day: hours worked, salary, types of jobs, etc. I would also have enjoyed—if possible—an example of a particular person’s story to make it come even more to life.
Written 13 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Steve B
Imperial, MO703 contributions
Dec 2019
Must see, if you want to know the rest of the story behind how the Panamá Canal was built, and subsequently maintained. It also covers the discrimination Afro Carribbean people faced within the US Canal Zone and traditional Panamanian culture, including their threat to being stateless people, and their present status within Panamá. The displays are bilingual, español - english. Well worth the one dollar admission. Estimate most people would spend about an hour or so here.
My opinion, visiting this museum would be a natural followup with a visit to the recently opened Museo de los Derechos Humanos (Human Rights Museum) near the entrance to Amador Causeway.
The easiest access to the museum would be by taking Metro to the 5 de Mayo station. Once you get to street level, it's about a 150 meter walk. There's some really cool street art painted on the walls along the way
My opinion, visiting this museum would be a natural followup with a visit to the recently opened Museo de los Derechos Humanos (Human Rights Museum) near the entrance to Amador Causeway.
The easiest access to the museum would be by taking Metro to the 5 de Mayo station. Once you get to street level, it's about a 150 meter walk. There's some really cool street art painted on the walls along the way
Written 12 December 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Michele F
Louisville, KY259 contributions
Dec 2018 • Solo
Because I travel by METRO when I visit Panama City, it was very easy to get to the Afro-Antillian Museum. It is directly across the street from Estacion 5 de Mayo. What's even better, it costs only a dollar. The Museum tells the story of people from the Caribbean who traveled to Panama to build the Canal, the lives they lived, the difficulties they faced, and they managed to make new lives for themselves in Panama, thus shaping and changing what Panama was to what it has become today. It was worth the time and the cost is right. You won't be sorry you went.
Written 30 December 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
dmittleman
Palm Beach Gardens, FL1,413 contributions
Sept 2016 • Couples
This small museum has some interesting exhibits in a building that was an old church. Curated by a local group, the museum keeps alive the memory of caribbean people who helped build the Panama canal. Consisting mostly of photographs but also a few room reconstructions, the museum serves an important function and merits a brief stop.
Written 5 September 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Beebster 2021
Washington DC, DC135 contributions
Oct 2023 • Solo
The guide spoke english and was very informative.I learned so much history and he dedicated 45 minutes to going over the history and I read more when I returned to the hotel. Panama should invest and improve the condition of the building- this is an amazing resource to panama of a history often untold!
Written 7 October 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Showing results 1-1 of 1
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing