What is the history of Panama?
Louis Seldon
Statue of Balboa on Ave. Balboa on Ave. Balboa, Panama, City
History of Panama: Panama was discovered by the Spanish in the early 16th century. Panama was first inhabited by the Spanish in the early 1500s and when Vasquez Nuñex de Balboa discovered the short route from the Caribbean to the Pacific, Spain quickly started using this route to transport gold from South
America to Spain via the Los Cruces trail overland from...
Statue of Balboa on Ave. Balboa on Ave. Balboa, Panama, City
History of Panama: Panama was discovered by the Spanish in the early 16th century. Panama was first inhabited by the Spanish in the early 1500s and when Vasquez Nuñex de Balboa discovered the short route from the Caribbean to the Pacific, Spain quickly started using this route to transport gold from South
America to Spain via the Los Cruces trail overland from the Pacific Ocean to the Carib to Spain in approximately 1513.
The famous pirate Capt Morgan (best known for his rum *Ü*) destroyed several Spanish Forts and finally the original site of Panamá City, which is a tourist attraction today. The city was moved to a point of land now known as “Casco Viejo” which in the recent past was the ghettos of El Chorrillo, Santa Ana and San Felipe and is now property that is being sold off at highly inflated prices. Part of this area has been developed into a “French Quarter” or “Vue Carre” style venue. In this area can be found “The Church of the Golden Altar” aka Church of San Jose, which is the home of the golden altar which was located in the city destroyed by Capt Morgan when the Spanish painted the altar black to save it from Morgan before his attack on the city.
In the mid 1850s a railroad was built across the isthmus to transport Gold Rush ‘49 from one coast to the other on their journey to California and Alaska to hunt for gold. Many lives were lost during the construction of the railroad as were later lost during the construction of the canal.
In the 1880s Ferdinland de Lesseps & the French attempted to build a Panama Canal, but failed after about 8 years.
In the early 1900s President Roosevelt became interested in building a Panama Canal, but when Colombia, which owned Panama at the time (as a province of Colombia) would not negotiate with Roosevelt, Roosevelt “parked” a U.S. Navy gun boat off the coast of Panama while the Panamanians declared indepen
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dence. After a short civil war backed by the U.S. Panama became independent and the U.S. construction of the Panama Canal began in 1904 & was completed in 1914.
The U.S. operated the Panama Canal and Canal Zone until the end of December 1999 when it was turned over to Panama.
Presently a 3rd set of locks are under construction with locks dimensions of 1400 x 230 x 18 feet which will allow the new larger post PanaMax ships to transit the canal.
Panama City and the country of Panama have been experiencing a boom for about the last 20 years and some of the old Canal Zone & the city are seeing building developments of many high rise buildings and hotels.
Posted April 12, 2013
GISELLE SOCARRAZ - Real Estate Chiriqui
Well, if that isn't the broadest question in the world (outside of "where do you see yourself in 10 years?").
Instead of rattling off the history of the country (a job which would require the complete resources of the History Channel), I will point out one notable event in Panama's history to set the mood, so to speak.
You all know of the (in)famous pirate (and full time rum mascot), Captain Henry Morgan, correct?
...
Well, if that isn't the broadest question in the world (outside of "where do you see yourself in 10 years?").
Instead of rattling off the history of the country (a job which would require the complete resources of the History Channel), I will point out one notable event in Panama's history to set the mood, so to speak.
You all know of the (in)famous pirate (and full time rum mascot), Captain Henry Morgan, correct?
Well in 1671, the man who made planting one leg on random objects while striking smug poses fashionable to bar flies the world over, had his eyes on a most wealthy prize: Panama. In January of that year, Captain Morgan and his army of corsairs raided the Spanish forts and swept aside any and all who would oppose him. The pirates laid claim to everything that wasn't nailed down and probably would have left with even more if not for a quick thinking priest.
The Church of St. Joseph (Iglesia de San Jose) in Panama City had a great golden altar. So beautiful was it that the pirates quickly made a bee-line for the sanctuary to take it. Fortunately, the Jesuit monk in charge was a quick thinking man and he concocted a rather novel defense. He and his acolytes painted the altar black and covered it with wooden planks.
When the pirates arrived, they found what they believed to be nothing more than a shoddily made wooden altar. The Jesuit came forward and explained that the Altar had already been stolen some time ago and they were little more than a poor church, long ago abandoned by all but the most devout of Christians in the area. Frustrated, Captain Morgan turned to leave only to have the priest then ask for a donation to this poor church.
He explained that it would be good for his soul.
While usually the greedy pirate would have run the preacher through for such cheek, the old man's words alarmed the nervous crew (who probably were feeling a tad worried about lightning strikes after sacking multiple churches previously).
Pressured by his men, the Captain reluctantly handed over a large amount of the captured booty.
"This priest is more of a pirate than I am!" he famously shouted as he stomped off angrily.
To this day, some Panamanians will not drink or serve Captain Morgan brand Spiced Rum.
Oh? You want to know what happened to the altar, right? Still is where it was hundreds of years ago. Going to the Church in Casco Viejo is a must for tourists.
Posted October 28, 2013
Charles Evan - Panama Chuck's Everything Store
The Republic of Panamá has always been considered a jewel in Latin America. It is a very small in territory but large in the richness of its environment and biodiversity.
It also has a long and rich history as part of Western civilization, dating back into the 15th century, when the Spaniards conquered the continent of America, and settled colonies in several places.
For the Spaniards, Panamá was the center...
The Republic of Panamá has always been considered a jewel in Latin America. It is a very small in territory but large in the richness of its environment and biodiversity.
It also has a long and rich history as part of Western civilization, dating back into the 15th century, when the Spaniards conquered the continent of America, and settled colonies in several places.
For the Spaniards, Panamá was the center for trade and commerce, and remains so to this day. In more modern times, Panamá is often called "Center of the World, Heart of the Universe", due to the great importance of the Panamá Canal, which is being expanded in 2014.
The Canal is one of the greatest engineering accomplishments of all times, which is why it has been named as one of "Eight Wonders of the World", and attracts millions of tourists who are so much impressed. The Panamá Canal benefits the entire world.
Posted June 12, 2014
Rosario Townshend - Multimodal & Logistic Transports Magazine
The Republic of Panamá has always been considered a jewel in Latin America. It is a very small in territory but large in the richness of its environment and biodiversity.
It also has a long and rich history as part of Western civilization, dating back into the 15th century, when the Spaniards conquered the continent of America, and settled colonies in several places.
For the Spaniards, Panamá was the center...
The Republic of Panamá has always been considered a jewel in Latin America. It is a very small in territory but large in the richness of its environment and biodiversity.
It also has a long and rich history as part of Western civilization, dating back into the 15th century, when the Spaniards conquered the continent of America, and settled colonies in several places.
For the Spaniards, Panamá was the center for trade and commerce, and remains so to this day. In more modern times, Panamá is often called "Center of the World, Heart of the Universe", due to the great importance of the Panamá Canal, which is being expanded in 2014.
The Canal is one of the greatest engineering accomplishments of all times, which is why it has been named as one of "Eight Wonders of the World", and attracts millions of tourists who are so much impressed. The Panamá Canal benefits the entire world.
Posted June 12, 2014
Robert Reichert - Cuesta del Sol Condominiums
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To answer this question "What is the history of Panama?" would take pages of text and the complete answer can be found in many web 
sites on the Internet. What I would like to do is concentrate on one very important event in Panama’s 110 year history. The event is the building and operation of the Panama Canal, currently celebrating the 100th anniversary.
sites on the Internet. What I would like to do is concentrate on one very important event in Panama’s 110 year history. The event is the building and operation of the Panama Canal, currently celebrating the 100th anniversary. After an aborted attempt to build the canal began in 1881, led by Ferdinand de...
To answer this question "What is the history of Panama?" would take pages of text and the complete answer can be found in many web sites on the Internet. What I would like to do is concentrate on one very important event in Panama’s 110 year history. The event is the building and operation of the Panama Canal, currently celebrating the 100th anniversary.
sites on the Internet. What I would like to do is concentrate on one very important event in Panama’s 110 year history. The event is the building and operation of the Panama Canal, currently celebrating the 100th anniversary. After an aborted attempt to build the canal began in 1881, led by Ferdinand de Lesseps—the builder of the Suez Canal in Egypt, after 9 years and a loss of approximately 20,000 lives, the French attempt went bankrupt.
The Hay-Pauncefote Treaty of 1901 licensed the United States to build and manage its own
canal and on June 19, 1902, the U.S. Senate voted in favor of building the canal through Panama. With the support of U.S. President Roosevelt, Panama declared its independence from Colombia on November 3, 1903.The newly declared Republic of Panama immediately negotiated the Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty of 1903, which provided the United States with a 10-mile wide strip of land for the canal, a one-time $10 million payment to Panama, and an annual annuity of $250,000. The United States also agreed to guarantee the independence of Panama. Work on the Panama Canal began in 1904 and was completed in August 15, 1914, symbolizing U.S.
technological prowess and economic power.As a result of the Panama Canal Project and 100 year operation, the canal has been a major economic driver for Panama’s economy and has created a unique relationship between Panamanians and Americans. Americans are looked upon very favorably in Panama and the presence of many Americans over the years has influenced culture and life-style.
The U.S. formally took control of the canal property on May 4, 1904, beginning with the remnants of the French work force and poorly maintained equipment. The Americans replaced or upgraded the old, unusable French equipment and the plans to build a sea level canal were changed to one with a lock system that would raise and lower ships 85 feet above sea level with gravity feed water from Lake Gatun.
During the construction over 200,000,000 cubic yards of material was excavated.401 years had passed since Vasco Núñez de Balboa first crossed the Isthmus of Panama on the old Las Cruces Panama Trail. When the canal was completed in 1914, the U.S. spent about $375 million (roughly equal to $8.6 billion today) to finish the project. It was the largest American engineering project ever undertaken. The Canal is a 77 kilometer (47.8 miles) long waterway linking the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key channel for international marine trade in Panama.
The canal was formally opened on August 15, 1914, with the passage of the cargo ship SS Ancon. Approximately 1,000 ships passed through the canal during the first year of operation. Today the canal handles between 12,000 and 15,000 ships every year – about 40 a day.The Panama Canal is a major revenue source for Panama, generating Gross Revenue of $2.411 billion and Net Income after expenses of $1.309 billion per year.
All vessels crossing the canal must pay a toll based on their weight. The highest single toll ever charged was in 2008 when a Disney cruise ship paid $330,000.
Conversely, in 1928 American adventurer Richard Halliburton swam the length of the canal and based on his weight his rate came to 36 cents.The remarkable engineering of the Panama Canal showed exceptional foresight that has enabled the system to function for 100 years. Inevitably cargo ships have increased in size, with 50% of the vessels passing between 2009 and 2012 already using the maximum width of the canal. The canal expansion was begun in 2006 and when completed next year will double the canal’s capacity and enable handling of the new larger than Panamax vessels.
Posted August 4, 2014
Lucia Haines - Panama Realtor Inc.
Depending how you look at it, Panama is really such a young country with a young history. It officially turned 100 years old on November 2003. But if you really scrutinize the history of Panama, the US helped us succeed from Colombia, and the US formed a real integral role in the development of Panama with the first transcontinental railway in the world, the Panama Canal, and the Canal Zone and all the military bases. And it wasn’t until December 31, 1999 that the US pulled...
Depending how you look at it, Panama is really such a young country with a young history. It officially turned 100 years old on November 2003. But if you really scrutinize the history of Panama, the US helped us succeed from Colombia, and the US formed a real integral role in the development of Panama with the first transcontinental railway in the world, the Panama Canal, and the Canal Zone and all the military bases. And it wasn’t until December 31, 1999 that the US pulled out its forces entirely. So depending on how you look at it, Panama is about to turn 14 years old this November, so it is a really, really young country, it has a lot of growing up to do, and there is a lot of opportunity for growth.
Part of the history of Panama are the “Zonians,” who lived in the Canal Zone, an area of 5 miles on either side of the Panama Canal, excluding Panama City and Colón. The Canal Zone was basically like a US colony in Panama. It was made up of a series of townships and military bases, like Fort Clayton for example, and many of the residents came from the United States, most of them from the South, actually; a lot of people from Mississippi and Florida. There were three generations of these people, “Zonians,” they are called, because they are from the Canal Zone, and they pretty much ran the Canal. The Canal Zone was a really interesting place in which to grow up.
In the Canal Zone, everybody worked for the Panama Canal Company or the US government. There were a lot of US military and State Department people as well. So everybody kind of knew everybody else. It was like a small village. Everyone worked at the same place, they went to the same schools, and it was basically a US colony in Panama, which is the best that I can describe it.
A lot of those folks who grew up in Panama, whose parents worked for the Panama Canal and who worked for the Canal themselves, still come back; they have ties to Panama. There was a lot of mixing. You would have Americans and Panamanians mixing, so a lot of family ties were created, and a lot of people still come back to Panama. The same goes for the people from the Caribbean or West Indies. They had been working on the Canal, and their descendants still live in Panama. There is a large West Indian community in Rio Abajo, and you can find a lot of restaurants in Rio Abajo offering West Indian food.
Posted October 29, 2014
Maria Amelia Pezzotti
We have a museum in our development in Cubitá, which is located in the city of Chitré, a little over two hours west of Panama City. It is the first and only private museum in the entire country of Panama. You will find out about Panama’s history in that museum.The country’s history began when the Spanish colonized the indigenous people who were living here. They colonized the area and fought with the Indians. They spent years colonizing the country and...
We have a museum in our development in Cubitá, which is located in the city of Chitré, a little over two hours west of Panama City. It is the first and only private museum in the entire country of Panama. You will find out about Panama’s history in that museum.The country’s history began when the Spanish colonized the indigenous people who were living here. They colonized the area and fought with the Indians. They spent years colonizing the country and had children with the indigenous people. Because of that we now have a race called the mestizo, which are the offspring of the Spanish and indigenous people. Our development, Cubitá, is actually the original name of the area of Azuero. (Chitré is at the northern end of the Azuero Peninsula in Panama. The Azuero Peninsula is known as retaining much of the culture of historical Panama.) “Azuero” is the last name of a Colombian colonizer, but it is a Spanish name.
Later on, all these communities began to rise in Panama because of the train tracks along what is now the Panama Canal that brought people from other places into Panama. The Chinese came. The French came as well. The British came to work.
Panama has always been very receiving of foreigners. That is how we have a very eclectic race. One of the reasons why we built the museum in the development in Cubitá is because we want people to know our identity. When we get to know our identity, then we learn to love who we are. If you don’t know where you came from, it is very hard to know yourself. Some Panamanians are losing their identity as Panamanians while the country is getting developed.
I am a second generation Panamanian. My mother is from Cuba and my father is from Italy so my last name is not Panamanian at all but I am still Panamanian because I was born here. No matter where your parents came from, if you were born here, you are Panamanian.
There are lots of Panamanians who were born here, who have their families here for several generations, but do not feel Panamanian at all. I am not pure Panamanian but I feel more Panamanian than them because I know our history. One’s identity is very important. If you don’t have the identity then all these traditions like the polleras, the dances, the music, the food, etc. will be gone if we don’t take care of them. The only way to take care of these traditions is to rebuild our identity as Panamanians.
(Pictured: Making pottery in Hererra Province, Panama. Hererra is in the Azuero Peninsula and includes Chitre.)
Posted April 30, 2016