María de la Ossa de Amador was the inaugural First Lady of Panama serving from February 1904 to October 1908. She was one of the creators of the original Panamanian flag and a member of the separatist movement which fought for Panamanian independence from Colombia. She is known as the "Mother of the Nation" and in the corregimiento Parque Lefevre a school was named in her honor. In 1953, for the nation's 50th anniversary, a stamp bearing the likeness of her and her husband was issued by the government of Panama.

The flag of Panama was made by María de la Ossa de Amador and was officially adopted by the "ley 48 de 1925". The Panamanian flag day is celebrated on November 4, one day after Panamanian separation from Colombia, and is one of a series of holidays celebrated in November known as the Fiestas Patrias.