Doesn’t Everyone Read Latitude?

We sometimes describe our publication as a "regional magazine that’s outgrown its regionality," as Latitude 38 is now read by a dedicated tribe of sailing news junkies all over the world. But it wasn’t until last week that we realized Latitude‘s reach had extended deep into the Panamanian rain forest.

Actually, in the interest of full disclosure, we have to admit that we don’t know how much of our March edition these Embera Indians actually read, because most of them don’t even speak Spanish let alone English. Theirs is a fascinating culture which has changed little since Vasco de Balboa explored their primeval jungle habitat nearly 500 years ago.

As you’ll read in an upcoming edition of the magazine, cruising sailors passing through Panama sometimes travel up the Chagres River basin by dugout canoe to visit isolated tribes of Embera. While there, friendly villagers entertain their foreign visitors with traditional dances, feed them ancient dishes derived from forest resources, and sell them handicrafts such as carvings and beadwork. 

Supplied by a massive watershed, the mightly Chagres flows through the Embera’s densely forested world en route to Gatun Lake, which supplies a seemingly endless supply of water to the Panama Canal. We’re told that each "lockage" requires 52 million gallons!