Roofing in Panama

Panama joins Central and South America across a narrow, wet isthmus. Its roofs range from palm thatch in Indigenous territories to the tiled colonial quarter of Panama City and the high-rise concrete of the modern capital. Panama's census still counts palm, straw and penca (palm-leaf) roofs as a separate category.

Climate and hazards

• Heavy tropical rain for most of the year, especially on the Caribbean side, with high humidity.
• Earthquakes, mostly in the west and along the margins of the isthmus.
• Salt air on both coasts, which affects metal roofing.

Roofing history

Pre-colonial and Indigenous. Indigenous houses of timber and cane with thatched roofs continue in the comarcas (Indigenous territories), where the census still records palm and straw roofs.

Colonial. The colonial Historic District (Casco Antiguo) was inscribed by UNESCO in 1997, and the listing was extended in 2003 to include the ruins of the first city, Panamá Viejo. The Caribbean forts of Portobelo and San Lorenzo were inscribed in 1980. Colonial buildings used masonry walls and clay tile roofs.

Modern. Reinforced concrete dominates the modern capital.

Traditional and vernacular roofs

• Thatch of palm, straw or penca in the comarcas and rural areas.
• Bohío: a common Spanish Caribbean term for a rural thatched hut (see bohio).
• Clay tile roofs in the Casco Antiguo and older provincial towns.

Roofing today

The 2023 census tabulated 1,201,809 occupied private dwellings by predominant roof material, using the categories metal (zinc, aluminium and others), clay tile, other tile, concrete slab, wood, palm/straw/penca, and other materials.

Codes, standards and regulation

A 2012 comparative review listed the Reglamento Estructural Panameño of 2004 (REP-2004) as Panama's seismic design code.

Notable roofs

• Archaeological Site of Panamá Viejo and Historic District of Panamá (UNESCO 1997, extended 2003).
• Portobelo and San Lorenzo fortifications (UNESCO 1980).

Local roofing terms

• Zinc: corrugated metal roofing.
• Penca: palm-leaf thatch.
• Teja: clay tile.
• Losa: concrete slab.