Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
History
The crossroads of the Americas, the narrow isthmus of Panama has always
played a central and even strategic role in the history of the Western Hemi-
sphere, from hosting the biological exchange of species to periodic encoun-
ters - and clashes - between many cultures. Once an overland trade route
that linked the great civilizations of ancient Peru and Mexico, in the post-Co-
lombian conquest it became the overland route for the siphoning off of Inca
treasures. With two oceans so near, transit is a longtime theme. As the
Panama Railroad once brought prospectors to the California gold rush,
today the Panama Canal has become the roaring engine of global com-
merce.
Panama: Four Hundred Years of Dreams and Cruelty,
by David A Howarth, chronicles the
history of the isthmus from Balboa's 1513 exploration through 1964, with scintillating tales
of conquistadors and buccaneers.
Lost Panama
The coastlines and rainforests of Panama have been inhabited by humans for at least
10,000 years, and it's estimated that several dozen indigenous groups including the Kuna,
the Ngöbe-Buglé, the Emberá, the Wounaan and the Naso were living on the isthmus prior
to the Spanish arrival. However, the historical tragedy of Panama is that despite its rich
cultural history, there are virtually no physical remains of these great living civilizations.
Unlike the massive pyramid complexes found throughout Latin America, the ancient
towns and cities of Panama vanished in the jungles, never to be seen by the eyes of the
modern world. However, tales of lost cities still survive in the oral histories of Panama's
indigenous communities, and there is hope among Panamanian archaeologists that a great
discovery lies in waiting. Considering that much of Panama consists of inaccessible
mountains and rainforests, perhaps these dreams aren't so fanciful.
What is known about pre-Columbian Panama is that early inhabitants were part of an
extensive trading zone that extended as far south as Peru and as far north as Mexico. Ar-
chaeologists have uncovered exquisite gold ornaments and unusual life-size stone statues
of human figures as well as distinctive types of pottery and
metates
(stone platforms that
were used for grinding corn).
