Rio Abajo is a West Indian neighborhood in Panama City, also is a corregimiento of Panama City District. The unique culture of this area of Panama stems mainly from the english Caribbean people who relocated to the area from Anglophone islands in the Antilles more than a century ago, namely Jamaica and Barbados.
In Panama, these dialects of Panamanian English, can be heard in Bocas del Toro and Colón as well as Rio Abajo.
Rio Abajo consists of over 30 streets, the most notable are 4th, 13th and 17h streets, 2 story wood houses, churches with old southern architecture.
One of Rio Abajo’s most famous sons is El General (born Edgardo A. Franco), arguably the one musical artist who most helped to spread the popularity of plena after its inception.
Rio Abajo is also the name of a river flowing through Rio Abajo neighborhood.