El Calabacito

About El Calabacito:

El Calabacito lies in the interior of the Azuero Peninsula, south of Los Pozos town, on the 18-kilometre road that links Los Pozos with Macaracas. Beyond its villages the road reaches the Río La Villa at the La Taguara bridge, where Herrera ends and Los Santos begins, and Macaracas sits a few kilometres further east at the foot of Cerro Canajagua. That puts the corregimiento between two district towns: Los Pozos, with the road on to Pesé and Chitré, and Macaracas across the river. The road itself is the local headache. In March 2025 the Ministry of Public Works laid 300 tonnes of asphalt on its worst points past El Calabacito, La Canoa and Ojo de Agua, and in September 2026 residents and transport operators blocked the La Taguara bridge to demand a full rebuild, with the corregimiento’s representative pointing out that its budget of around B/.76,000 would not pave even one kilometre.

The 2023 census counted 568 people here, down from 617 in 2010 and 692 in 2000. They live in small villages rather than around one centre: El Calabacito itself, El Bongo, La Canoa, Ojo de Agua with its school, and hamlets such as Los Pintos and La Cuchilla. Cattle are the backbone of the local economy, the agriculture ministry’s livestock team has held field events on a farm here, and the IMA’s travelling farm market stops in El Calabacito. When Los Pintos and La Cuchilla were asked what they needed, they asked for courses in masonry, plumbing, welding, baking, crafts and the sewing of polleras and tembleques. A family fiesta here means a cantadera, bull riding and a dance that runs late.

Much of what makes the place interesting is happening on the land. Alongside the 2021 planting, the environment ministry ran a course on fruit-tree management and grafting in 2024 for people from El Calabacito and neighbouring Los Cerritos. El Bongo hosted a workshop for a project on sustainable land management and restoring productive landscapes in Azuero’s river basins, asking residents how soil and water loss affects their farms. The corregimiento sits in the basin of the Río La Villa, a river the ministry is working to clean up, so streams, springs and tree cover on any property deserve a close look.

On 9 October 2026 a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck with its epicentre in La Pitaloza, in the same district, and more than a hundred aftershocks followed. In Los Pozos town the church of San Pedro Apóstol was largely destroyed, and the mayor reported hundreds of collapsed houses across five of the district’s nine corregimientos, without naming them in the first reports. Treat every building on a property here as unchecked until a structural engineer has seen it. Water tanks, outbuildings and the access track deserve the same look as the house.

Fincas in El Calabacito:

Most land that changes hands here is working farmland: pasture for cattle, plots of crops and, on some properties, fruit trees. If you are comparing cattle farms in Los Pozos, weigh the road first on this side of the district. A finca with frontage on the Macaracas road can be reached by truck all year, even with the potholes, while one at the end of a branch track may be a different matter in October. Then ask which streams and springs still run in March and April. Walk the fences with the seller and see for yourself how much is in pasture, how much has gone back to scrub and how much has been replanted.

Land and Lots in El Calabacito:

Smaller lots come up near the villages on the main road, El Calabacito, La Canoa and Ojo de Agua, and they are usually split off a family finca. If you are weighing lots in El Calabacito for a house or a weekend place, find out early whether the plot has its own title or is still part of the parent property. A lot on the main road is easier to connect to power and water, but confirm how far back from the carriageway you are allowed to build, because a rebuilt road may be wider than the old one. For a lot set back from the road, drive the access track after heavy rain before you agree a price.

FAQ:

• Where is El Calabacito in relation to Los Pozos and Macaracas?

  It lies on the 18 km road between the two towns, with Los Pozos to the north and Macaracas to the east across the Río La Villa in Los Santos. From Los Pozos the road carries on to Pesé and Chitré. Drive it slowly: the surface is patched rather than rebuilt.

• The plot I like fronts the Macaracas road. What should I check?

  Ask the Ministry of Public Works what road reserve applies along that stretch, because residents are pushing for a full rebuild and a wider road takes its margin from the land on either side. Measure where the fence sits against that line. A house built too close is the expensive mistake here.

• The finca has been in one family for generations. How do I know who can sell it?

  Land in this part of Azuero is often divided among heirs on the ground long before it is divided on paper, and some holdings are held as possession rights rather than registered title. Search the property registry for the finca number, check that the area and boundaries match what you walked, and get every heir with a claim to sign. If there is no title yet, ANATI handles titling, and the process should be under way before you pay.

• Was El Calabacito damaged in the October 2026 earthquake?

  The epicentre was in La Pitaloza, in the same district, and Los Pozos suffered heavy damage, including hundreds of collapsed houses in five of its nine corregimientos. Go into any purchase assuming the building needs a structural inspection, whatever its age or the seller’s account of it.

• Can a foreigner buy land in El Calabacito?

  Yes. Panama lets foreigners own titled land on the same terms as nationals, and El Calabacito is nowhere near the border zones where limits apply. The checks that matter are the same for everyone: a clean registered title, agreed boundaries and the consent of everyone with a share.