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Panama The Elite
Urban society in the late 1980s included virtually all members
of the elite. Centered mainly in the capital, this class was
composed of old families of Spanish descent and a few, newer
families of immigrants. All elite families were wealthy, but the
assets of the immigrant families were more tightly linked with
commerce and Panama's twentieth-century development as a transit
zone. Older families were inclined to think of themselves an
aristocracy based on birth and breeding. Newer families, lacking
such illustrious antecedents, had less prestige and social status.
Until the advent of Torrijos, whose power base was the National
Guard, an oligarchy of older elite families virtually controlled
the country's politics under the auspices of the Liberal Party
(see Organizing the New Republic
and the
Oligarchy Under Fire
, ch. 1).
The upper class was a small, close-knit group that had
developed strong ties of association and kinship over the years.
Prominent family names recurred frequently in the news of the
nation: Arias, Arosemena, Alemán, Chiari, Goytía, and de la
Guardia. People without a claim to such a family background could
gain acceptance, at least for their children, by marriage into an
elite family.
Since colonial times, education had been recognized as a mark
of status; hence, almost all men of elite status received a
university education. Most attended private schools either at home
or abroad, and many studied a profession, with law and medicine the
most favored. The practice of a profession was viewed not as a
means of livelihood, but as a status symbol and an adjunct to a
political career. The elite maintained a dual cultural allegiance,
because families usually sent their sons to Western Europe or the
United States to complete their education. Increasing numbers of
women also attended college, but most families did not see such
education as essential.
Politics was the quintessential career for a young man of elite
background. The old, aristocratic families had long provided the
republic's presidents, its cabinet ministers, and many members of
the legislatures. Young women were increasingly finding employment
in public administration and commerce in the 1980s.
Older elite families were closely interrelated and were careful
to avoid racially mixed unions. Antillean blacks enjoyed little
success in attaining elite status, although a wealthy, Spanishspeaking , Roman Catholic black could gain acceptance. There was an
increasing degree of admixture with mestizo and more recent
immigrant elements. Many such families entered the elite and
intermarried with members of the older families. In a sense,
commercial success had in large measure become a substitute for an
illustrious family background. "Money whitens everyone" was a
popular saying describing the phenomenon.
Data as of December 1987
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