Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Panama's first peoples also lived beside both oceans, and fished in mangrove swamps,
estuaries and coral reefs. Given the tremendous impact that fishing has had on the lives
of isthmians, it seems only fitting that the country's name is derived from an indigenous
word meaning 'abundance of fish.'
New World Order
In 1501 the discovery of Panama by Spanish explorer Rodrigo de Bastidas marked the
beginning of the age of conquest and colonization in the isthmus. However, it was his
first mate, Vasco Núñez de Balboa, who was to be immortalized in the history books, fol-
lowing his discovery of the Pacific Ocean 12 years later.
On his fourth and final voyage to the New World in 1502, Christopher Columbus went
ashore in present-day Costa Rica and returned from the encounter claiming to have seen
'more gold in two days than in four years in Spain.' Although his attempts to establish a
colony at the mouth of the Río Belén failed due to fierce local resistance, Columbus peti-
tioned the Spanish Crown to have himself appointed as governor of Veraguas, the stretch
of shoreline from Honduras to Panama.
Following Columbus' death in 1506, King Ferdinand appointed Diego de Nicuesa to
settle the newly claimed land. In 1510 Nicuesa followed Columbus's lead, and once
again tried to establish a Spanish colony at Río Belén. However, local resistance was
once again enough to beat back Spanish occupation, and Nicuesa was forced to flee the
area. Leading a small fleet with 280 starving men aboard, the weary explorer looked
upon a protected bay 23km east of present-day Portobelo and exclaimed: '
¡Paremos
aquí, en nombre de Dios!'
('Let us stop here, in the name of God!'). Thus was named the
town of Nombre de Dios, one of the first Spanish settlements in the continental New
World.
Much to the disappointment of Columbus' conquistador heirs, gold was not abundant
Panama. Add tropical diseases, inhospitable terrain and less than welcoming natives to
the mix, and it's easy to see why Nombre de Dios failed several times during its early
years as a Spanish colony. However, a bright moment in Spanish exploration came in
1513 when Balboa heard rumors about a large sea and a wealthy, gold- producing civiliz-
ation across the mountains of the isthmus - almost certainly referring to the Inca empire
of Peru. Driven by equal parts ambition and greed, Balboa scaled the Continental Divide,
and on September 26, 1513, he became the first European to set eyes upon the Pacific
Ocean. Keeping up with the European fashion of the day, Balboa immediately proceeded
to claim the ocean and all the lands it touched for the king of Spain.
