In the footsteps of the buccaneers

PANAMA:. One of the most characteristic sights in Panama is the tower of Panama La Vieja, once the tallest building it is now perhaps the one with the most history. This year we celebrate 490 years since the first stone was for the of the foundation of Panama city by Pedrarias Davila.

Panama was inhabited by the Cueva Indians long before the first Spaniards came to establish a city. Much more than just ruins, the remnants of the Spanish city are located along the Cincuentenario Avenue adjacent to the Panama Viejo neighborhood.

For a relaxing afternoon and a walk through history, a visit to the archeological site of Panama La Vieja is a must.

Start of with the visitors center; two modern buildings at the north end, it has a museum, an archeology laboratory, a gift shop and a magnificent view of the bay and the Corredor Sur.

Before walking around the actual monuments, the visit to the Museum will give you an insight on Panama's daily life in the XVII century.

It has two exhibition rooms where you will see pieces found in the excavations done at the site. Entrance is $3 for adults, $2 retirees and.50 cents for children.

Bilingual guides are available and helpful. They are well versed in the history of the old city and have all the juicy bits about the daily life of the settlement.

Once out of the visitors center you can start of walking south to the colonial city. There are footpaths with boards containing information in English and Spanish that will guide you through the homes, the convents, and the governments buildings.

Take the stairs up the tower to admire the green and the blue and the contrast between Panama's past and present.

For shopaholics, and souvenir collectors there is a artisan market close to the tower.

The city was divided by social class and origin. On one side there were the Spanish with their families and on the other were the mulatos, descendents of African slaves mixed with Spaniards.

The city, though built on an unhealthy spot with a lack of fresh water, was an important link for the merchandise and treasures coming from the Pacific, passing through Venta de Cruces to the Caribbean sites of Portobelo and Nombre de Dios. The wealth of Panama was a magnet for British buccaneers and Henry Morgan, following in the piratical steps of Francis Drake and others, attacked the city on 1671.

He disembarked at the San Lorenzo fort (on the Caribbean) with 35 ships and 1,200 men. They marched though the thick jungle for 2 days, starving. Legend says they had to boil their leather boots and drink the funky liquid to appease hunger. Once they reached Panama, they fought the Spaniard in what history knows now as The Matasnillo Battle. But it wasn't Morgan who burned the city, it was its governor, Juan Perez de Guzman who ordered the city to be burned.

Nonetheless, Morgan took 175 mules packed with gold ad silver and 600 slaves as his bounty.

The site is managed and cared for by a Board of Trustees made up of the National Institute of Culture (INAC), the Kiwanis Club, the Tourism Authority (ATP) and the HSBC bank. The board manages the scientific works on the site, promotional and educational activities and conservation.

The site was declared UNESCO World Heritage on July 5, 2003. Despite this honor, the site faces the threat of the congested Cincuentenario avenue. Vibrations, smog and heavy traffic endanger the site.

This avenue was built in 1950 by President Remon Cantera and it split in half the convents of San Francisco and La Merced. One of the key elements to help protect Panama heritage is the redirection of the avenue away from the archeological site.

Julieta de Arango, executive director told the Panama Star the site is visited by some 5000 visitors each month, and and it receives logistical support from the finance Ministry (MEF) and the Mayors's office.

The site is protected by national police, and tourist police and it can be visited from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The site is also a natural refuge for birds on their migratory trip south.

Selected areas can be rented for public and private events. Today come to the site to enjoy a theatrical representation of the poem “Incidente de Cumbia” at the Conception Convent at 7:00 p.m.

On Friday August 14, include a a concert by the National Symphonic Orchestra at 7:00 p.m., folkloric representations and an art exhibition.