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This ethnohistorical study examines the trajectory of Manuel Consuegra Gómez (January 29, 1927 – April 10, 2022), recognized as the founding father of the murga in Panama, through triangulation of testimonial sources, institutional audiovisual documentation, and validated oral records. Results establish that Consuegra, born in La Villa de Los Santos to humble parents Facundo Consuegra and Delia Gómez, developed a hybrid musical training: he studied mechanics at the Colegio Artes y Oficios (graduating in 1946) while attending the National Conservatory under maestro Roque Cordero, and learned trumpet with Spanish professor Francisco Cebamanos. In 1953 he founded the first murga of the Las Tablas Carnival for the Calle Arriba tuna, radically transforming a tradition previously limited to drum and tambourine (Broce Ortega y Consuegra de Sucre, 2016). His influence transcended Las Tablas: in 1958 he recorded the first discographic recording of a murga with the support of musicians from Chitré and La Arena, consolidating a regional musical network that articulated Santeño communities through the exchange of talents and repertoires (Zamora y Valencia, 2003). In 1996 he expanded his national reach by directing murga at the Panama City Carnival, and in 1998-1999 he returned emotionally to his hometown, La Villa de Los Santos, where for the first time he performed murga in the place that saw him born. Beyond his carnival work, Consuegra simultaneously served as a teacher of music and mechanics, training hundreds of musicians who today perpetuate his legacy in educational, civic and festive institutions throughout the region (Broce Ortega y Consuegra de Sucre, 2016). His prestige transcended borders when he shared stages with international salsa figures such as Celia Cruz. Willie Colón and Héctor Lavoe, evidencing recognition of his musical proposal beyond the regional sphere (Ministerio de Cultura de Panamá, 2022c). He directed uninterruptedly for 43 years (1953-1963 in Calle Arriba; 1965-1996 in Calle Abajo), consolidating a canonical repertoire including emblematic pieces such as "Las Cucarachas", "Gisela", and "Eso pa' que respeten". After his final performance in La Villa in 1999, he decided to retire definitively from murgas due to health problems, having previously retired as a teacher from the Panamanian educational system. His pedagogical methodology—based on oral transmission in community spaces such as his home in the Sesteadero neighborhood of Las Tablas and on Vía Santo Domingo—ensured the genre's intergenerational continuity. The discussion situates his legacy within the framework of intangible cultural heritage, highlighting how his innovation transcended the musical realm to configure national festive identity. It is concluded that the Consuegra murga represents a paradigmatic case of popular artistic creation that, from the local Santeño context (Las Tablas, La Villa, Chitré and La Arena), decisively contributed to the construction of contemporary Panamanian cultural identity.
