Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
the city, the Spaniards kept many soldiers here, and their presence kept the buccaneers
away.
In 1671, 1200 pirates led by Captain Henry Morgan ascended the Río Chagres and
proceeded overland to Panama. Although the city was not fortified, it was protected on
three sides by the sea and marshes, and on the land side was a causeway with a bridge to
allow tidal water to pass underneath. But to the bewilderment of historians, when Mor-
gan and his men neared the city, the Spanish soldiers left this natural stronghold and con-
fronted the buccaneers in a hilly area outside town.
It was the first of many mistakes in battle. After the Spanish force fell to pieces nearly
everything of value was either plundered and divided up or destroyed by fire.
For the next three centuries the abandoned city served as a convenient source of build-
ing materials. By the time the government declared the ruins a protected site in 1976
(Unesco followed suit in 1997), most of the old city had already been dismantled and
overrun.
So little of the original city remains that its size, layout and appearance are the subject
of much conjecture. Today, much of Panamá Viejo lies buried under a poor residential
neighborhood, though the
ruins
are a must-see, even if only to stand on the hallowed
grounds of one of Central America's greatest cities.
For safety reasons it's best to explore the area during the daylight hours.
Mercado Nacional de Artesanías
MARKET
(National Artisans Market; Av 6 Sur; 9am-6pm)
Panamá Viejo buses will drop you off at the
Mercado Nacional de Artesanías behind the first remnant of ruins as you approach from
Panama City.
Museo de Sitio Panamá Viejo
MUSEUM
( 226-8915;
www.panamaviejo.org
; Av 6 Sur; admission US$3; 9am-5pm Tue-Sun)
The high-
lights are an impressive scale model of Panamá Viejo prior to 1671 as well as a few sur-
viving colonial artifacts. Signs are in Spanish, though a brochure and tape recording re-
count the site's history in English. An optional extra is climbing Mirador de la Torre, the
lookout tower.
The cost of entry depends on what you wish to see, with the higher price including
both Museo de Sitio Panamá Viejo and a trip up to the
mirador
(admission US$3 to
US$6, children US$0.50). Children under eight are not allowed to go up the tower.
