Panama February 23, 2026. The Minister of Culture, María Eugenia Herrera, did an inspection of the restoration works of the San Felipe Church of Portobelo, the St. John's Chapel of God and its surroundings, where she first met with the technical and heritage advances that have been made in this important cultural project advanced by the National Government.

During the visit, she met with the technical team, the mayor of Portobelo, Carlos Chavarria and the community, monitoring the progress of the interventions and reaffirming the institutional commitment to the conservation of Panama's historic, religious and cultural heritage.

The project was developed under the supervision of high Commissioner Ricardo Gago, appointed by President José Raúl Mulino, who submitted a Community report detailing progress made with each component of the restoration.

Gago, emphasized that the initiative responds to an integral vision that aims to rescue the historic value of the sanctuary and strengthen the cultural and spiritual identity of Portobelo, while maintaining a transparent and close process to citizenship.

The intervention includes an architectural recovery of the historic complex, integrating structural conservation works, functional and new cultural spaces that will give impetus to the tourist and educational activity of the district.

Minister Herrera went through the different areas of intervention and noted compliance with technical standards of conservation and emphasized the importance of preserving these spaces as a legacy for future generations.

One of the inspected points was the construction of the new gazebo. Following the demolition of the old structure, 13 excavated and emptied shoes have been performed, 13 structural pedestal as well as the total emptying of seismic beams and concrete floor.

During the excavations of 12 January an old wall was found and his work was temporarily suspended to conduct studies that were appropriate for his recovery.

The Cultural Heritage Section ordered his immediate protection and his structural design was modified to ensure that his archaeological finding was preserved.

At the St. John's Chapel of God, whose plans were approved on January 27, the Minister verified the start of the restoration work, including the controlled dismantling of air conditioning, the removal of windows, the dismantling of wood floors and the disposal of elements that are incompatible with the original property character.

Also, internal excavations, emptying of pits and construction of pits for the new choir were performed as well as the installation of scaffolding for deck work and the next cleaning of the exterior walls.

The museum's future Museo Hospitalitas Civitas was also published and will be situated inside the chapel and will extend the cultural offer of the historic site.

At the San Felipe Church, she was aware of the advances related to the final approval of the designs and plans of restoration, leading to the initiation of the demolition of a contiguous building to build new administrative, sanitary and storage areas.

Current work includes a specialized technical process of cleaning and maintenance of walls by means of manual techniques, fumigation against fungi, specialized washing, sealing of cracks and applying of lime-based painting, traditional material that guarantees the proper breathing of historic structures.

As part of the artistic strengthening of the sanctuary, new parables are being developed and their design was submitted to the community. To this end, a technical visit was made to Taller Martínez, in Horche, Spain, with an assessment of the advances of these pieces that will bring more aesthetic and spiritual value to the temple.

The construction of the chorus will also be undertaken in the next few weeks with respect to the criteria of heritage conservation.

The authorities reported that they will continue to conduct public reports on the last Sundays of every month, ensuring public participation and transparency of the project.

At the end of the community meeting, the High Commissioner reiterated his call for confidence, unity and prayer so that this work will continue to be developed with the highest technical and property standards.