Amilcar Gotti

Amilcar Gotti

Brother Amílcar Gotti is the Immediate Past Master of Lodge St. Andrew No. 1140 S.C. and a Panamanian Freemason with twenty-five years in the Craft. He is an author and researcher specializing in the history of Freemasonry in Panama and Scotland, and actively contributes to preserving Masonic heritage through the Museo de la Masonería Escocesa en Panamá. 

He has published several historical and educational works on Masonic subjects.

Scottish Freemasonry in Panama: A Laboratory of Brotherhood Beyond Race

This white paper examines the history of Scottish Freemasonry in Panama as a unique case study of Masonic universality in practice. Against the backdrop of political upheaval, mass migration, and racial segregation during the Canal era, Scottish lodges on the Isthmus frequently demonstrated a broader understanding of brotherhood by welcoming men of diverse ethnic, cultural, and social backgrounds who met the essential qualifications of the Craft. Through the stories of Fidelity No. 48, Sojourners Lodge No. 874, Lodge Thistle No. 1013, Lodge St. Andrew No. 1140, and Lodge St. John No. 1843, the paper explores how Scottish Freemasonry preserved continuity, regularity, and inclusiveness during periods when other institutions reflected the prejudices of their time.

Drawing upon lodge centenary publications, museum collections, archival research, and the author's own investigations, the study highlights the contributions of distinguished brethren such as George Westerman, Clifford Bynoe, Bishop Clarence Haynes, Samuel Chenaloy, and Cecil Haynes. Their lives demonstrate how Masonic values extended beyond the lodge room into education, civic leadership, religious service, and the pursuit of social progress. Ultimately, this paper argues that Scottish Freemasonry in Panama served as a laboratory of brotherhood beyond race, offering a powerful historical example of how the principles of equality, tolerance, and human dignity can be translated into meaningful action.