Opposite the Central Plaza is the mud-walled former home of three-time president Belisario Porras, during whose administration the Panama Canal opened. The museum contains many artifacts from Porras’ life and serves as a monument to the achievements of this widely revered man.
Porras was president for all but two years during the period from 1912 to 1924. He is credited with establishing Panama’s network of public hospitals, creating a national registry for land titles and constructing scores of bridges and aqueducts.
As an aside, Porras’ male descendants wear their whiskers in his unusual style – a thick, prideful mustache resembling the horns of a Texas longhorn steer.
