Natá is a town and

corregimiento ''Corregimiento'' (; , ) is a Spanish term used for country subdivisions for royal administrative purposes, ensuring districts were under crown control as opposed to local elites. A ''corregimiento'' was usually headed by a '' corregidor''. The ...

on the

Pan-American Highway The Pan-American Highway is a vast network of roads that stretches about 30,000 kilometers (about 19,000 miles) from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, in the northernmost part of North America to Ushuaia, Argentina, at the southern tip of South America. I ...

Natá District Natá is a district (''distrito'') of Coclé Province in Panama Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the w ...

Coclé Province Coclé () is a province of central Panama on the nation's southern coast. The administrative capital is the city of Penonomé. This province was created by the Act of September 12, 1855 with the title of Department of Coclé during the presidenc ...

Panama Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...

. It is the seat of Natá District. Its population as of 2010 was 6,003 as of 2010. The closest larger city is Penonomé. The city of Aguadulce is about 10 kilometers away. The small town has a primary school, high school, bank, post office, and pharmacy.

History

The town is the third oldest surviving town in Panama, having been founded by the Spanish on May 20, 1522, after Nombre de Dios and

Panama City Panama City, also known as Panama, is the capital and largest city of Panama. It has a total population of 1,086,990, with over 2,100,000 in its metropolitan area. The city is located at the Pacific Ocean, Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal, i ...

. It is the second oldest town founded by Europeans on the Pacific coast after

. The full name of this historical city is Natá de Los Caballeros, where Natá is commemorating local

cacique A cacique, sometimes spelled as cazique (; ; feminine form: ), was a tribal chieftain of the Taíno people, who were the Indigenous inhabitants of the Bahamas, the Greater Antilles, and the northern Lesser Antilles at the time of European cont ...

Anata and "Los Caballeros", 100 Spanish knights quartered in the city. It is home to a church which claims to be the oldest church still in '' Tierra Firme''. The church was thought to be built when Spanish invaders originally came through Central America conquering the Native Indian tribes. The church is believed to be from the 16th century. Currently, the church is in good condition, the roof was recently repaired with Nispero an extremely hardy and insect proof wood. thanks to care from the residents and frequent restorations. The church is used by residents of Natá every day for Catholic mass and festivals for the town. Natá's population as of 1990 was 5,158; its population as of 2000 was 5,902.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nata, Cocle Corregimientos of Coclé Province Populated places in Coclé Province Populated places established in 1522