Panama Viejo & Casco Viejo

Ruins of Panama Viejo

While my sister was with us, we took half a day to drive up to Panama City (where church and the mall are). First we stopped to see ruins of Panama Viejo, that is, “Old Panama”, where the first panama city was. It was founded in 1519 by Spain, and was a major holding place for gold and other treasures being taken from South America to Europe. As such, it became a popular hangout for pirates. In 1671, Captain Henry Morgan (yes, THAT Captain Morgan) sacked the entire city. With the help of over a thousand buccaneers, he took control for almost a month, and left it in shambles. Soon the residents that were left decided to just start over again in a new spot a couple miles away.

Water cistern

What we saw were not entire buildings, but ruins of what were left of the buildings after several hundred years of decay and being scavenged for building materials. We saw ruins of several old churches, convents, and a tall lookout tower used by clergy to oversee the city.
After seeing the ruins, we took a shuttle to the museum, which was small but still nice. They had a nice diorama of how the old city looked, along with some artifacts from the time of European settlement but also from earlier times as well.

I enjoyed seeing this site. It was only a few dollars to get in and rarely do I get to see stuff that old at home (most of Michigan’s documented history goes back only to the 1830s, when white settlers first arrived). It was very hot, and I wouldn’t recommend going during the heat of the day like we did. We also underestimated the time that it would take. I was happy to spend a couple hours there, but it cut our time at Casco Viejo short. Of course this was poor planning on our part as well… we should have known that we’d be at McDonalds for 30 minutes waiting for food (not eating... waiting!). The one thing I learned about Panama is that you wait in traffic, you wait to get bus tickets, you wait for your food, wait wait wait. Everything takes twice as long as you think it will.

Casco Viejo

​Casco Viejo was the second site for Panama City, established after Henry Morgan ransacked the first one. Over the years, Panama City grew and expanded rapidly, and Casco Viejo became a kind of slum area for poorer residents, while richer folks moved to new parts of the city. It became run down and dilapitated. Recently there has been some restoration in the area, using the old colonial buildings for hip coffee shops, resturants and hotels. Casco Viejo reminded me a lot of Antigua Guatemala- narrow streets, a beautiful town square, and stately old buildings. Of course I really enjoyed this place as well. 

Though it's not particularly known for historical sites, we did stop to see an old Catholic church. I love how big and beautiful some Catholic churches are. It's interesting to see things like graves embedded in the floors and walls, and this particular church had some relics on display. To be honest, it was kind of freaky. But still kinda cool. I'm not aware that these traditions continue in our local Catholic church (I've only been there for weddings and funerals) but I could be wrong. Maybe they just hide the bones in the back... ;)

Casco Viejo was a neat place to see. It was a nice respite from the hustle and bustle of the city and a fun place to hang out.

Til next time,
​-Bethany