The Travel Diary: Skating the streets of Panama City
- Text by Rafael Gonzalez
- Photography by Rafael Gonzalez
The skyscrapers that dominate the Panama City skyline make this capital city look like a sprawling metropolis to rival any other, although with a population of under 900,00 its looks can be deceiving.
A small and humid place, Panama City is the most modern place in Central America – the unofficial Dubai of Latin America some would go so far as to say. It has a new Metro with a second line already in the works; there are new sidewalks under construction in the city centre; its financial district and malls make it clear this is a city riding high.
In most cities growth and development sees skateboarders thrown aside, the urban wastelands used to ride consumed by rabid and rapid development. Here in Panama City though that’s just not the case; new places to skate are popping up inside and out of the centre, although some spots that have been central to the skate community for so long have disappeared without a trace. To an outsider it seems to have reached a calm equilibrium, a giving and taking from a place so clearly changing.
When I headed down into the city I wanted to capture the skate scene in all its glory; the backdrop of palm trees, the sparkling blue sea, the old cobbled side streets and the modern highways too. But despite the beauty to be found all around, I found few skaters out on the streets. Catching a colourful board swerving down the avenue just wasn’t happening.
It was in the skateparks that I found my subjects; it seemed that the majority of the community don’t like to complicate things here, and stick to the ramps and the rides that they know – mainly the local skatepark located at El Chorrillo built by the previous government administration to be accessible and open to all.
The following days were therefore a period of discovery for both me and the local skaters, as we explored the city together anew. Shooting only on analogue cameras and with black and white film, we rode the city together.
Follow Rafael on Instagram.
Enjoyed this article? Like Huck on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.
You might like
The last days of St Agnes Place, London’s longest ever running squat
Off the grid — Photographer Janine Wiedel spent four years documenting the people of the Kennington squat, who for decades made a forgotten row of terraced houses a home.
Written by: Isaac Muk
How Japan revolutionised art & photography in the ’60s and ’70s
From Angura to Provoke — A new photobook chronicles the radical avant-garde scene of the postwar period, whose subversion of the medium of image making remains shocking and groundbreaking to this day.
Written by: Miss Rosen
Artifaxing: “We’ve become so addicted to these supercomputers in our hands”
Framing the future — Predominantly publishing on Instagram and X, the account is one of social media’s most prominent archiving pages. We caught up with the mysterious figure behind it to chat about the internet’s past, present and future, finding inspiration and art in the age of AI.
Written by: Isaac Muk
Leticia Bufoni is one of the greatest skaters ever. Now she’s tearing up asphalt.
Vamos, Leticia! — The Brazilian trailblazer helped rewrite the rulebook for women in skateboarding – and now she’s setting the pace behind the wheel for Porsche. For Huck’s 20th Anniversary Issue, she reflects on shredding stereotypes, building a career in male-dominated spaces, empowering the next generation, and the lessons that defined her journey.
Written by: Tracy Kawalik
The lacerating catharsis of body suspension in Hong Kong
Self-Ferrying — In one of the world’s most densely packed cities, an underground group of young people are piercing their skin and hanging their bodies with hooks in a shocking exploration of pain and pleasure. Sophie Liu goes to a session to understand why they partake in the extreme underground practice.
Written by: Sophie Liu
What we’re excited for at SXSW 2026
Austin 40 — For the festival’s 40th anniversary edition, we are heading to Texas to join one of the biggest global meetups of the year. We’ve selected a few things to highlight on your schedules.
Written by: Huck
