Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Sack of Panamá: Sir Henry Morgan's Adventures on the Spanish Main,
by Peter
Earle, details the Welsh pirate's looting of Panamá in 1671.
The Empire Expands
In 1519 a cruel and vindictive Spaniard named Pedro Arias de Ávila (or Pedrarias, as
many of his contemporaries called him) founded the city of Panamá on the Pacific side,
near where Panama City stands today. The governor is best remembered for such acts as
ordering the beheading of Balboa in 1517 on a trumped-up charge of treason, as well as
ordering murderous attacks against the indigenous population, whom he roasted alive or
fed to dogs when the opportunity permitted.
Despite his less than admirable humanitarian record, Pedrarias established Panamá as
an important Spanish settlement, a commercial center and a base for further explorations,
including the conquest of Peru. From Panamá, vast riches, including Peruvian gold and
Oriental spices, were transported across the isthmus by foot to the town of Venta de
Cruces, and then by boat to Nombre de Dios via the Río Chagres. Vestiges of this famous
trade route, which was known as the Sendero Las Cruces (Las Cruces Trail), can still be
found today throughout Panama.
As the Spanish profited from the wealth of plundered civilizations, the world began to
notice the prospering colony, especially the English privateers lurking in coastal waters.
In 1572 Sir Francis Drake destroyed Nombre de Dios, and set sail for England with a
galleon laden with Spanish gold. It was also during this expedition that Drake climbed a
high tree in the mountains, thus becoming the first Englishman to ever set eyes on the
Pacific Ocean.
Hoping to stave off further ransacking and pillaging, the Spanish built large stone fort-
resses at Portobelo and Fuerte San Lorenzo. However, these fortifications weren't
enough to stop the Welsh buccaneer Sir Henry Morgan from overpowering Fuerte San
Lorenzo and sailing up the Río Chagres in 1671. After crossing the length of the isthmus,
Captain Morgan destroyed the city of Panamá, made off with its entire treasure and ar-
rived back on the Caribbean coast with 200 mules loaded with loot.
After Panamá burnt to the ground, the Spanish rebuilt the city a few years later on a
cape several kilometers west of its original site. The ruins of the old settlement, now
known as Panamá Viejo, as well as the colonial city of Casco Viejo, are both located
within the city limits of present-day Panama City.
The famous crossing of the isthmus included 1000 indigenous slaves and 190 Span-
iards, including Francisco Pizarro, who would later conquer Peru.
