The History

The first European city built along the Pacific Ocean in the Americas, Panama Viejo, was established in 1519 by Pedro Arias Davila during the Spanish Colonial era.

Situated along a shallow cove, its prime location quickly created a trading metropolis, most notably of gold and silver. Although the settlement was prospering, the ships that transported treasures back to Spain quickly caught the eye of pirates.

In 1671, the attacks came ashore as the famous pirate, Captain Henry Morgan, went for the jugular, ransacking and pillaging Panama Viejo to the point of destruction.

When it was all said and done, thousands of people had perished and the city was left in ruins.

Rather than re-build, the survivors moved and established a new town in what is presently known as Casco Viejo (completed in 1673).

The peninsula in which the new city was settled upon served as a natural geographic defense system while walls, which are still standing to this day, were built as reinforcements.

Fast forward to 1997, Panama Viejo was established as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is now the most well-funded archaeological site in the entire country.