Rio Abajo is a West Indian neighborhood in Panama City, capital of the Republic of Panama. The unique culture of this area of Panama stems mainly from the Creole-speaking 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 Creole English, sometimes referred to as Rio Abajo Creole, can be heard in Bocas del Toro and Colón as well as Rio Abajo.
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 Panama City.