Crea8tive Tea LLC is a startup business Panama, Panama City. The main objective of Crea8tive Tea is to serve the freshest Bubble Tea and desserts using the finest possible ingredients in the market by providing different flavors targeted towards the Asian and non-Asian Panamanian market. We will provide products that are natural and of high quality to cater the segment of the population that seeks a gastronomical journey. The Bubble Tea beverage & dessert industry is currently booming and there is an opportunity to leverage this moment and maximize our profits. Fortunately, Bubble Tea is not that known yet, especially for the non-Asian population. Most of the Bubble Tea Shops prepare their drinks with additives and non-natural ingredients that are harmful to our health and Crea8tive wants to target this market. An initial investment of $28,000 is required to start the business and our initial capital investment is of $50,000 funded by two business partners. Based on the financial section, starting from year 2 we will start to see our Return on Investment (ROI). It is important to keep in mind that there is still a risk that Bubble Tea might not be a drink that can be quickly accepted by the non-Asian segment because it is a niche market. On the other hand, our marketing know-how and assorted flavors targeted to the non-Asian Panamanians will be a solution to this challenge and become leaders in the industry.

A ocorrência de uma grande reorganização de placas durante o Neógeno reflete a comlpexa interação entre as placas do Caribe, Farallon, e América do Sul, e o arco intra-oceânico de Panamá. Isto, tem influenciado o registro tectono-estratigráfico dos Andes nor-ocidentais da Colômbia, o qual tem sido escassamente estudado perto da sutura entre os domínios de Panamá o da América do Sul. Novos dados de petrografia de arenitos, análises de minerais densos, geocronologia detrítica em zircão, geoquímica de rocha total, e modelamento termal inverso de múltiplos termocronômetros, realizados em um transepto de 50 km com direção SE-NW, permitem reconstruir a história de deformação e exumação/erosão das rochas do Cretáceo Superior ao Plioceno do flanco ocidental da Cordilheira Ocidental. O início da exumação das rochas do Cretáceo Superior associadas com a margem continental Sul-americana, ocorreu entre 45 e 20 Ma, o qual é sugerido pelo resfriamento inicial desde temperaturas dentro da zona de retenção parcial do hélio em zircão (~180-200°C). Essas rochas, também sofreram um pulso de exumação considerável durante o Mioceno Médio, o qual caracteriza-se por taxas moderadamente rápidas entre 0.3 km/my e 0.7 km/my. Adicionalmente, um período de resfriamento rápido também é documentado com taxas máximas de exumação ~1.3 km/my. As rochas do Eoceno Médio do arco oceânico de Panamá, as quais estão separadas das rochas do Cretáceo Superior da Cordilheira Ocidental por uma faixa de deformação, registram um resfriamento inicial em ~15 Ma desde a zona de retenção parcial de hélio em apatita (APRZ, ~80-60°C, com taxas perto de 0.6 km/my. Termocronologia detrítica em secuências pós-colisionais e sedimentos modernos, também registram estes períodos de exumação. Os novos resultados podem ser relacionados com processos tectônicos de escala regional, que incluem: Convergência rápida e frontal no Oligoceno Superior, entre a recentemente formada placa de Nazca e a placa continental Sul-americana, depois da fragmentação da antiga placa de Farallon, a colisão do Arco de Panamá do Cretáceo Superior-Eoceneo durante o Mioceno Médio, o qual resultou exumação geral ao longo do segmento NW da placa Sul-americana, é o início da subducção da placa de Nazca é a instalação de um segmento plano ao norte durante o Mioceno Superior-Plioceno. Este é provavelmente o mecanismo responsável pelo soerguimento da superfície recente na Colômbia nor-oriental e a contínua deformação-soerguimento das serras costeiras ocidentais e das bacias orientais de foreland ao norte de 5°N. / The occurrence of major plate reorganization during the Neogene, reflects the complex interactions between the Caribbean, Farallon and South-American plates, and the Panama Arc. These, have influenceed the tectono-stratigraphic record of the northwestern Colombian Andes, which has been scarcely studied neart the suture between the Panama and South-American domains. New sandstone petrography, heavy minerals analyses, U-Pb detrital zircon geochronology, whole-rock geochemical data, and thermal inverse modeling of multiple thermochronometers, carried along a 50 km southeast-northwest transect, allow to reconstruct the deformation and exhumation/erosional history of the Late Cretaceous to Pliocene rocks from the western flank of the Western Cordillera. The onset of exhumation of Late Cretaceous sedimentary rocks, associated with the South-American margin, occurred between 45-20 Ma, as suggested by the initial cooling from temperatures within the zircon helium partial retention zone (ZPRZ, ~180-200°C). These rocks also experienced a substantial pulse of exhumation during the Middle Miocene, which is characterized by moderately rapid rates between ~0.3 km/my and 0.7 km/my. Moreover, a Pliocene period of rapid cooling is also documented with maximum exhumation rates of ~1.3 km/my. The Middle Eocene rocks from the intra-oceanic Panama Arc, which are separated by a highly-deformed zone from the Late Cretaceous rocks of the Western Cordillera, record an initial cooling at ca. 15 Ma from the apatite partial retention zone (APRZ, ~80-60°C) at rates around 0.6 km/my. Detrital thermochronology of post-collisional sequences and modern river sediments also record these exhumation events. The we results can be related to more regional-scale tectonic processes including: the Late Oligocene rapid and frontal convergence between the newly formed Nazca plate and the continental South-American plate following the fragmentation of the former Farallon plate, the Middle Miocene collision of the Cretaceous-Eocene Panama Arc that triggered generalized exhumation-deformation widespread in the upper NW South-American plate, and the Middle to Late Miocene initiation of the Nazca subduction and installation of a Late Miocene-Pliocene flat-slab to the north. The latter is likely to represent the mechanism that triggered surface uplift in eastern Colombia and ongoing uplift-deformation of western coastal ranges and eastern foreland basins north of 5°N

O processo de sedimentação e assoreamento reduz a profundidade e a capacidade dos lagos de armazenamento de água do Canal do Panamá, obrigando a realizar dragagens periódicas que aumentam os custos de operação. Esses processos são acelerados pela perda de cobertura florestal na bacia. O presente estudo teve por objetivo estimar o valor econômico associado à redução de sedimentos na floresta da bacia do Canal, através do método de custo evitado de dragagem. O efeito físico da cobertura florestal sobre a redução de sedimentos foi estimado a través de regressão linear de dados biofísicos de sete microbacias que dispõem de medições de produção de sedimentos: Chagres, Pequení, Boquerón, Gatún, Trinidad, Cirí Grande e Caño Quebrado. Os resultados mostram que cada hectare de floresta nesta área reduz em 14,76 t.ano-1 de sedimentos em suspensão. Adicionando sedimentos de fundo isso corresponde a 14,32 t.ha-1.ano-1 e a um valor econômico de USD 197,40 por hectare por ano. Concluiu-se que as florestas contribuem significativamente para mitigar o processo de assoreamento dos lagos de armazenamento de água para o funcionamento do Canal do Panamá, e essa contribuição pode ser valorada em USD 39.640.091 por ano, para toda a floresta da bacia. / Sedimentation and siltation reduce the lakes depth and capacity to hold water in the Panama Canal, requiring periodic dredging which increases the operation costs. These processes are accelerated by the loss of forests that cover the basin. This studys objective is to estimate the economic value associated with reduction of sediments in the Canal basin, based on the method of avoided dredging cost. The physical effect of forest on sediment reduction was estimated through linear regression of biophysical data for seven watersheds that have measurements of sediments yield: Chagres, Pequení, Boquerón, Gatún, Trinidad, Cirí Grande and Caño Quebrado. These results shows that each hectare of forest in this area reduces the sediments in suspension. By adding sediments from the bottom of the riverbed, this corresponds to 14.32 m3.ha- 1.year-1 and to an economic value of USD 197.40 per hectare per year. It was concluded that forests contribute significantly to mitigate the process of siltation of lakes water storage for the operation of the Panama Canal, and this contribution may be valued at USD 39,640,091 per year for the entire basin forest.

The processes that determine the structure of plant communities are of considerable practical and theoretical interest. Natural enemies such as herbivores, seed predators and pathogens provide one potentially important influence on plant diversity. I investigated the effects of natural enemies on plant diversity in two contrasting, species-rich plant communities (tropical forests in Panama and temperate grasslands in the UK), focusing on pre-dispersal seed predation by insects, and the mortality of seeds and seedlings caused by soil fungi. In Panama I found that pre-dispersal insect seed predators generate significant levels of mortality in multiple tropical tree species, with high heterogeneity in predation rates among individuals and at different forest sites. Insect seed predators were highly host-specific, consistent with a role in enhancing plant diversity. At Upper Seeds, a calcareous grassland site in the UK, I used manipulative experiments to show that soil fungi increase the diversity of plants propagating from soil seed banks. A parallel experiment in Panama, mimicking germination under light gap conditions, revealed differential effects of fungi among sites, with fungicide treatment appearing to increase the diversity of propagated seedlings at some sites but reducing it at others. These results suggest that the influence of soil fungi on pre-emergence mortality can alter plant diversity, even when post-emergence mortality from fungal pathogens is limited. In Panama, I also tested whether enemy-mediated mortality increases with rainfall, potentially contributing to the positive regional correlations widely observed between precipitation and plant diversity. In contrast to predictions, neither pre-dispersal insect seed predation nor the influence of soil fungi on seedling recruitment were affected significantly by site humidity, or (for soil fungi) with experimentally manipulated soil moisture levels. Overall, my results provide evidence that pre-dispersal seed predators and soil fungi can affect plant recruitment and diversity at early life stages, with potential consequences for the community structure of adult plants.

Orientador: Luiz Fernando de Oliveira e Silva Carvalho / Banca: Geraldo Camilo Alberton / Banca: Luís Antonio Mathias / Resumo: O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar infecção por Salmonella enterica subespécie enterica sorotipo Panama e a possibilidade de transmissão aérea de entre leitões desmamados. Seis leitões recém-desmamados e sadios foram igualmente distribuídos na formação dos três grupos experimentais - o grupocontrole, o grupo infectado e o grupo-sentinela. Os animais foram alojados dois a dois em três câmaras de isolamento especialmente projetadas para o estudo, que garantiam não apenas que os animais fossem mantidos completamente isentos de contacto com o ambiente externo mas que o fluxo de ar unidirecional, no sentido animais-controle - animais infectados - animais-sentinela, fosse a única maneira de disseminação do agente. Salmonella Panama com resistência induzida ao ácido nalidíxico (Salmonella PanamaNal+) foi utilizada na preparação do inóculo. Análises microbiológicas de suabes retais dos animais foram realizadas diariamente em todos os animais durante os 14 dias subseqüentes à inoculação, após o que os animais foram eutanasiados e necropsiados, visando análises microbiológicas de amostras de órgãos internos. As análises bacteriológicas iniciaram-se pelo pré-enriquecimento das amostras, em caldo GN-Hajna para as amostras de fezes e a água peptonada tamponada para os órgãos internos. Prosseguiram pelo enriquecimento em caldo Rappaport-Vassiliadis e em Tetrationato Müller Kaufmann para então serem semeadas nos ágares xilose lisina tergitol 4 (XLT4) e verde-brilhante modificado, ambos suplementados com ácido nalidíxico. Colônias características foram submetidas às provas bioquímicas, em ágar tríplice açúcar ferro (TSI) e ágar ferro lisina (LIA) e posteriormente a avaliação sorológica. Amostras de sangue foram colhidas de todos os animais e, submetidas ao teste ELISA... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: The aim of this study was to evaluate the experimental infection wich Salmonella serotype Panama and the airborne transmission of among weaned piglets. Six weaned piglets were used and distributed in three groups of animals - group 1 (control), group 2 (infected) and group 3 (sentinels). All animals were housed in three stainless-steel glass isolation cabinets connected by unidirectional airflow air ducts. Animals didn't have contact with the external environment, guaranteeing that airflow was the unique way of the agent's spread. An induced nalidixic acid resistant strain of Salmonella Panama (Salmonella Panama Nal+) were used to induce infection in one of the groups. Bacteriological analyses of rectal swabs were implemented daily within 14 days after inoculation. For bacteriological exams of internal organs animals were euthanized and necropsied. A pre-enrichment in broth GN-Hajna for the fecal samples and in buffered peptone water for the internal organs samples were conducted. Subsequently, samples were transferred to Rappaport-Vassiliadis and Tetrationato Müller Kaufmann. The samples were transferred to the agar xylose-lysine-tergitol 4 (XLT4) and to a modified brilliant green media, both supplemented with nalidixic acid. Characteristic colonies were submitted to the biochemical tests triple sugar iron agar (TSI) and lysine iron agar (LIA) and later to the serological prove. Samples of blood were taken twice - before Salmonella inoculation and before euthanasia of the piglets. Sera was submitted to the ELISA test. Results showed a Salmonella systemic infection in the inoculated animals (infected group), but there were no evidence of Salmonella transmission to the sentinel group. / Mestre

Os envenenamentos causados pelas serpentes do gênero Bothrops são os mais importantes do ponto de vista médico e econômico na América Central. Dentre estas, a serpente Bothrops asper é responsável por 90% dos envenenamentos ofídicos registrados no Panamá anualmente. Apesar da relevância médica e econômica, só a peçonha de populações de B. asper da Costa Rica e Guatemala tem sido estudadas em detalhes. Neste trabalho apresentamos a caracterização da peçonha da B. asper do Panamá e o isolamento, a caracterização funcional e estrutural de quatro fosfolipases A2 básicas denominadas MTX-I, MXT-II, MTX-III e MXT-IV e de uma fosfolipase A2acídica denominada Basp-I-PLA2. As fosfolipases A2 foram isoladas da peçonha em duas etapas usando cromatografia de troca iônica em CM-Sepharose (0,05 M NH4HCO3 pH 8,1), e cromatografia hidrofóbica em Fenil-Sepharose (0,05 M Tris-HCl pH 7,4) seguida de gradiente de concentração de 4 a 0 M NaCl no mesmo tampão a temperatura ambiente (25°C). A isoforma acídica demonstrou maior atividade catalítica que as isoformas básicas, quando atuou sobre fosfatidilcolina e fosfatidilglicerol. A focalização isoelétrica evidencia pIs de 8,1 a 8,3 para as MTXs e 4,6 para isoforma Basp-I-PLA2. A determinação da massa molecular por espectrometria de massa mostrou que MTX-1 14,156.5; MTX-2 14,249.5 e MTX-3 14,253.0 e Basp-I-PLA2 14,246.0 Da. As PLA2s (MTX-I, II, III e IV) induziram atividade miotóxica, reação inflamatória com migração de leucócitos ao músculo e ativação de macrófagos para exercer fagocitose e produção de superóxido. MTX-II exerceu um forte efeito citotóxico contra células tumorais JURKAT, C. albicans e E. coli. A fosfolipase A2 acídica, testada no plasma enriquecido com plaquetas, mostrou potente efeito inibitório na agregação plaquetária induzida pela ADP e colágeno. A análise de seqüência N- terminal demonstrou que as proteínas MTX-I, MTX-III e Basp-I-PLA2 pertencem à subclasse de fosfolipases A2 Asp49 cataliticamente ativas, enquanto que, MTX-II e MTX-IV pertencem à subclasse de fosfolipases A2 Lys49-homólogas cataliticamente inativas. Além disso, a sequência N-terminal das fosfolipases A2 básicas isoladas, demonstrou claramente que as miotoxinas isoladas neste trabalho são similares às miotoxinas previamente isoladas da peçonha da B. asper da Costa Rica. A Basp-I-PLA2 é uma nova fosfolipase A2 acídica isolada da peçonha de B. asper do Panamá e sua seqüência N-terminal revelou uma alta homologia com outras PLA2s acídicas Asp49 isoladas de peçonhas de serpentes. / Envenoming by Bothrops snakes is the most serious kind of envenoming from the medical and economical point of view in Central America. Bothrops asper snake is responsible for 90% of the snakebites registered in Panama every year. Despite its medical and economical relevance, only the venom of Costa Rica and Guatemala populations of this species has been studied to some detail, and there is very little information on intraspecies variability in venom composition and toxicity. In this study the crude venom of B. asper from Panama was characterized and its pharmacological and biochemistry activities were investigated with standard laboratory assays. Furthermore, we describe the isolation, functional and structural characterization of four basic phospholipases A2, named MTX-I, MTX-II, MTX-III, MTX-IV and a new acid phospholipase A2 named Basp-I-PLA2. The proteins were isolated from the crude venom by a combination of two chromatographic steps, using ion-exchange chromatography on CM-Sepharose (0.05 M NH4HCO3 pH 8.1 buffer), and hydrophobic chromatography on Phenyl-Sepharose (0.05 M Tris-HCl pH 7.4), followed by concentration gradient from 4 to 0 M NaCl at 25°C in the same buffer. Analyses of phospholipids hydrolyzed by these enzymes have shown that all phospholipases belong to type A2. The acidic isoform demostraded more catalytic activity than the basic PLA2s. This enzyme was more active on substrates as phosphotidylcholine and phosphatidylglycerol. The isoelectric focusing evidenced pIs beetwen 8.1 to 8.3 for the MTXs and 4.6 for the isoform Basp-I-PLA2. Its mol. Wt was estimated by Mass spectrometry to be MTX-1 14,156.5; MTX-2 14,249.5 and MTX-3 14,253.0 and Basp-I-PLA2 14,246.0 Da. The PLA2s (MTX-I, II, III and IV) induced myotoxic activity, inflammatory reaction mainly leukocyte migration to the muscle and activation of macrophages to exert phagocytic activity and production of superoxide. MTX-II, the most abundant one showed to be cytotoxic against JURKAT tumor cell line, C. albicans and E. coli. The acidic phospholipases A2 when tested in platelet rich plasma, showed a potent inhibitory effect on aggregation induced by ADP and collagen. The analysis of the sequence N-terminal demonstrated that the MTX-I, MTX-III and BASP-I-PLA2 belong to the subclass of Asp49 phospholipases A2 catalytically active, whereas, MTX-II and MTX-IV belong to proteins of the subclass of the enzymatically inactive Lys49 PLA2 s-like. In addition, a sequence of the region N-terminal of the PLA2s basic isolated, demonstrated clearly, that the isolated myotoxins in this work are similar of the previously isolated myotoxins of the snake venom Bothrops asper from Costa Rica. The Basp-I-PLA2 is a new acidic PLA2 and his sequence N-terminal revealed a high homology with other Asp49 acidic PLA2 s from snake venoms.

Abstract Sanitation coverage in the Republic of Panama is 5 to 10 percent below the Millennium Development Goals targets set for the country. Population growth, urbanization, unplanned development and waste mismanagement have resulted in improvised trash sites and waste discharges into river systems that are important components of the biologically diverse natural environment of Panama. The study sought to investigate and estimate the burden of waste from domestic and agricultural sources in three regions of the Chilibre corrigimiento (district). It was hypothesized that the water quality and land cover data would reflect that the most populated region in the study sample (Region 2) would have more water quality violations than the adjacent background and attenuation regions (Region 1 and Region 3) in the study sample. The results supported that Region 2 had the most water quality violations -- particularly at the CHIL 3 monitoring station. Based on the results the most appropriate best management practices (BMPs) were recommended for the household, community, watershed, and regional level waste management in the study region. Future research will look determine the effectiveness of microfinance programs in bolstering sanitation-based entrepreneurship in Chilibre and across Panama.

Flamboyant colors are widespread throughout the animal kingdom. While many of these traits arise through sexual selection, bright coloration can also evolve through natural selection. Many aposematic species, for example, use conspicuous warning coloration to communicate their noxiousness to predators. Recent research suggests these signals can also function in the context of mate choice. Studies of warning color evolution can therefore provide new insights into how the interplay of natural and sexual selection impact the trajectory of conspicuous signal evolution. For my dissertation, I investigated the potential for male-male competition to impact the warning color evolution of a species of poison frog. I focused my work on an exceptionally bright and toxic population of the strawberry poison frog (Oophaga pumilio) where males are brighter than females, a classic signature of sexual selection. In Chapter 1, I used theoretical models of predator and frog visual systems to determine which can see the variation in bright warning coloration within this population. I found that birds, the presumed major predator, likely cannot see this variation, indicating that sexual selection can work under the radar of predators in this species. In Chapter 2, I tested the aggressive responses of males using a two-way choice paradigm that manipulated the perceived brightness of stimulus males. I found that males directed more of their behaviors to bright stimulus frogs, and brighter focal frogs more readily approached stimuli and directed more of their attention to the brighter rival. In Chapter 3, I tested the outcomes of dyadic interactions between males of varying brightness and observed male reactions to simulated intruders in their territories. I found that brighter males initiated aggressive interactions with rivals more readily, and brightness asymmetries between males settled interactions in a way that is consistent with classic hypotheses about male sexual signals. In Chapter 4 I sought to describe physiological correlates of male warning color brightness. While male brightness did not co-vary with classic measures of body condition (circulating testosterone and skin carotenoids), it did correlate with toxins sequestered from the diet and thus appears to be a reliable signal of toxicity in this population. / text

En 1925, les Kunas (Gunas), autochtones du nord-est du Panama, se soulevèrent en armes afin de contrer les politiques assimilationnistes du gouvernement national. Première étape dans un long processus d’affirmation identitaire et de revendications territoriales, ce soulèvement est aujourd’hui connu sous le nom de Révolution kuna (Revolución Dule). Considéré de nos jours comme un symbole des luttes autochtones pour l’autodétermination et l’autonomie politique, cet épisode historique est grandement célébré dans le territoire de Kuna Yala (Gunayala). À Uggubseni, scène principale du soulèvement de 1925, la commémoration prend la forme d’une reconstitution historique où, pendant plus d’une semaine, les villageois reconstruisent le scénario révolutionnaire. Cette commémoration particulière est l’objet du présent travail de recherche, par lequel nous tentons d’analyser comment est remémorée et interprétée aujourd’hui la Révolution kuna. Pour ce faire, nous nous sommes d'abord penchés sur l’événement même de la commémoration. Une analyse de sa forme nous amena à considérer l’ensemble commémoratif comme un nouveau rite au sein de la ritualité kuna. Nous argumentons que par sa forme carnavalesque, la commémoration permet aux villageois de repenser la relation dialectique entre l’État panaméen et l’autonomie kuna, de même qu’elle sert d’exutoire aux tensions internes. Ensuite, nous nous sommes intéressés aux diverses interprétations de cette étape de l’histoire kuna et panaméenne afin de cerner les différents intérêts impliqués dans la commémoration du soulèvement kuna. Enfin, le cœur de ce travail porte sur le rôle de la mémoire collective dans la construction et la réitération d'un discours identitaire, et ce, en analysant comment la mémoire de la révolution est transmise, reçue, interprétée et utilisée aujourd'hui. / In 1925, the Kunas (Gunas), an aboriginal group in northeastern Panama, rose up in arms to fight the assimilationist policies of the national government. First step in a long process of identity recognition and land claims, this uprising is now known as the Kuna Revolution (Revolución Dule). Considered today as a symbol of the indigenous struggles for self- determination and political autonomy, this historic episode is the centre of important festivities in the territory of Kuna Yala (Gunayala). In Uggubseni, where the uprising of 1925 mainly took place, the commemoration takes the form of an historical reconstruction where, for nearly a week, the villagers re-enact the revolutionary scenario. This commemoration is the subject of my research, where I examine how the Kuna Revolution is remembered and interpreted in Uggubseni today. The first question addressed in this thesis concerns how the revolution is commemorated. An analysis of its form leads us to look at the commemoration as a new Kuna ritual. I argue that, by taking a carnival form, the commemoration allows villagers to rethink the dialectical relationship between the Panamanian state and Kuna autonomy, and at the same time serves as an outlet for internal tensions in the community. I then raise the question of to what exactly is being commemorated in this ritual. In doing so, I analyse the different interpretations of this episode in Kuna and Panamanian history and identify the various interests involved in the commemoration of the Kuna uprising. Finally, I examine the role of collective memory in the construction and reiteration of a discourse of ethnicity, analyzing how the memory of the revolution is transmitted, received, interpreted and used today. / En 1925, los Kunas (Gunas), indígenas del noreste de Panamá, se levantaron en armas en contra de las políticas asimilativas del gobierno nacional. Primera etapa de un largo proceso de afirmación identitaria y de reivindicaciones territoriales, ese levantamiento se conoce hoy en día como la Revolución Kuna (o Dule). Partiendo de considerar ese evento como símbolo de las luchas indígenas para el reconocimiento, la autodeterminación y la autonomía política, en este proyecto de investigación se propone estudiar cómo se celebra, se recuerda y se interpreta hoy en día tal etapa histórica. Concretamente, enfocamos nuestro estudio en la comunidad de Uggubseni, que fue la escena principal de la insurrección de 1925 y donde cada año los comuneros representan su historia, celebrando el aniversario de la Revolución Kuna en forma de una reconstitución histórica. Proponemos acercarnos primero al evento mismo de conmemoración. A través del análisis de la forma hemos llegado a considerarlo como un nuevo rito dentro de la ritualidad kuna. Sostenemos que por su forma carnavalesca, la conmemoración permite a los comuneros repensar la relación dialéctica entre la autonomía kuna y el estado panameño y a la vez resolver tensiones internas en la comunidad. Nos hemos interesado luego por las diversas interpretaciones de la Revolución Kuna, etapa importante de la historia kuna y panameña, para entender los distintos intereses implicados en los eventos conmemorativos. En fin, la preocupación principal de este trabajo se centra en el papel de la memoria colectiva en la construcción y reiteración de un discurso identitario, analizando cómo el recuerdo de la Revolución Kuna se transmite, recibe, interpreta y utiliza hoy en día.

The decades after World War II were a time of growth and change for queer people across the country. Many chose to move to major metropolitan centers in order to pursue a life of openness and be part of queer communities. However, those people only account for part of the story of queer history. Other queer people chose to stay in small towns and create their own queer spaces for socializing and community building. The Gulf Coast of Florida is a place where queer people chose to create queer community where they lived through such actions as private house parties and opening bars. The unique place of the Gulf Coast as a tourist destination allowed queer people to build and join communication networks that furthered the growth of a sense of community leading ultimately to the founding of Bay AIDS Services and Information Coalition in 1989.