Cry of Independence by Rufina Alfaro at La Villa de Los Santos, Panama setting into motion a revolt which led to Panama's independence from Spain and to it immediately becoming part of Colombia.

Rufina Alfaro is a possibly legendary figure in the Panamanian independence movement. According to legend, she led a march on November 10, 1821 that resulted in the population of Los Santos rising up against Spanish rulers. Although even her existence is disputed, Alfaro is part of popular memory and even is an official symbol of Panama.

Los Santos District is a district (distrito) of Los Santos Province in Panama. The population according to the 2000 census was 23,828. The district covers a total area of 429 km². The capital lies at the city of La Villa de los Santos.

Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country located 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 the Pacific Ocean to the south. Its capital and largest city is Panama City, whose metropolitan area is home to nearly half of the country's over 4 million inhabitants.

The history of Panama includes the history of the Isthmus of Panama prior to European colonization.

Gran Colombia, also known as Greater Colombia and officially the Republic of Colombia, was a state that encompassed much of northern South America and parts of Central America from 1819 to 1831. It included present-day Colombia, mainland Ecuador, Panama, and Venezuela, parts of northern Peru, northwestern Brazil, and claimed the Essequibo region. The terms Gran Colombia and Greater Colombia are used historiographically to distinguish it from the current Republic of Colombia, which is also the official name of the former state.