The Mejorana or Mejoranera is a folkloric Chordophone

Chordophone

A chordophone is any musical instrument that makes sound by way of a vibrating string or strings stretched between two points. It is one of the four main divisions of instruments in the original Hornbostel-Sachs scheme of musical instrument classification....

 from Panama. It is carved from one block of wood (usually cedar)or from dry fibers of Bejuco, and is shaped like a small guitar. It has five nylon, horse hair, or gut strings. The Mejoranera is tuned in either an e'-b-a-a'-d' (by 2) or an e'-b-g-g'-d' (by 6) sequence For common tunings,see Stringed instrument tunings. A mejoranera player is called a mejoranero.

The History of the Instrument

The first Spanish conquistadors arrived on the isthmus of Panama in the early part of the sixteenth century, in which sailors brought a style of tap dance known to them as "zapateo," now known as "mejorana" dance, which includes this instrument. The mejoranera is similar to a guitar

Guitar

The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...

 but slightly smaller and with a shorter neck; this is due to the relation of the baroque guitar

Baroque guitar

The Baroque guitar is a guitar from the baroque era , an ancestor of the modern classical guitar. The term is also used for modern instruments made in the same style....

that was brought over from Europe.
It first appeared at the town of La Mesa in Veraguas, but is now popular in all central provinces, Veraguas, Herrera and Los Santos, and the most representative musical instrument of this country.

Cultural Importance and Usage

The Mejoranera is used in many of the folkloric music in Panama, but most importantly within "mejoranas." These mejoranas are Romantic ballads that are sung exclusively by men in the community in either the privacy of their own home or at public celebrations. For this same reason, there is a heavy importance in the mejoranera, for they are the primary instrument of choice for these men who sing mejoranas.