Although Panama is the main hub for both Americas, of vessels sailing through vast ocean waters and aircrafts cutting across the sky, it is relatively unknown and underrated. The capital of the country – though beautiful – has two different faces.
Two oceans
Regarded as an engineering wonder and one of the greatest human achievements of the 20th century, the Panama Canal connects the waters of the Atlantic with the Pacific Ocean and is one of the most important waterways in the world. It is 80 kilometres long and makes the way from San Francisco to New York shorter by over 14 000 kilometres! Unfortunately, during ten years of the canal construction, 25 thousand workers lost their lives while hacking their way through the dense Panama jungle or due to malaria and yellow fever. The turbulent history of the canal construction is presented in the museum housed in the visitors centre by the Miraflores Lock. From there, you can observe the operation of huge engines hauling ships into the lock. When the gates shut down, the chambers are filled in with water. Then, the water level evens out, and the ship may sail in GatúnLake and continue its cruise. The level difference here is 16 metres, and the chambers are filled in with 100 million litres of water in about 15 minutes.
To Touch the Sky
Skyscrapers in Panama are impressive. The glass panorama is the most exclusive part of the city, and its heart beats in the Districts of Punta Pacifica and Punta Paitilla. It is the financial centre of Panama (renowned for low taxes and a lack of legal cooperation with other states), and the luxury skyscrapers house over 100 seats of international banks. Along the Pacific shore leads Avenida Balboa – the longest street in the city. Just like Panama’s currency (replaced with dollar in practice), it was named after Vasco Núñeza de Balboa – a Spanish explorer and conquistador, the founder of the first European colony in America.The sight of the glass houses is truly breath-taking, but watching it from the Old Town may be a bit depressing.
Looks Can Be Deceiving
The historical centre of Panama is Casco Viejo, dating back to 1673. It boasts a plethora of colours, a colonial atmosphere, picturesque squares, and stalls, where you can buy souvenirs from Native Americans of Guna and Guayani tribes. Dressed in characteristic colourful attire, they walk along paved streets among thousands of Panama hats. The name of the latter may be misleading; few people know that Panama hats originally come from… Ecuador. In the past, Panama was the centre of international trade in the straw hats. They became really famous when the twenty-sixth US president, Theodore Roosevelt, visited the construction site of the Panama Canal wearing such a hat. Thanks to him, the hats were all the rage in the US and later conquered European and Asian markets. Casco Viejo is an important place in the history of Panama, because there, on Plaza de la Independencia, Panama’s independence from Colombia was announced in 1903. Unfortunately, the Old Town was neglected for a long time, and the restoration carried out in the 90’s only made things worse. A lot of inhabitants who could not afford living in the new restored district had to move out. Those who managed to make ends meet decided to stay. Now, they barricade themselves for a night in derelict neoclassical town houses, where mattresses serve as doors and window bars as a laundry rope. Although they live in ruins, they keep some of their belongings on the streets. Sitting in their old armchairs, they observe tourists amazed by colourful elevations of beautiful buildings guarded by the police from time to time. The vast Old Town, full of colourful stalls, crowded squares, and majestic churches is a pleasant and safe place for walking and exploring Panama’s mysteries. In the daytime. At night, most streets are dark, and common sense tells you that not all secrets of the city need to be revealed.
Deep in the Sand
Several kilometres from the city, there is a seemingly ordinary beach – Venado. On the beach, there are plenty of shells, a few bars, a lifeguard, and silt brought by ships waiting for crossing the canal. In 1951, archaeologist Samuel Lothrop discovered 202 skeletons (later 167 more were found) buried there a few metres underground. He described his findings in detail, concluding, on the basis of the remains, that cannibalism, violence, and body mutilation were common practices in pre-Columbian Panama. Other scientists – Nicole Smith-Guzmán and Richard Cooke analysed all the documents and skeletons (some of them were placed in Harvard) once again and concluded that their age, sex, and type of body injuries were completely normal. On the Venado Beach, burial ceremonies were held just like at many cemeteries in other places in the Gran Coclé region. Unfortunately, there is no board commemorating the burial place of Native Americans. Gold artefacts discovered in tombs are displayed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and The Art Institute in Chicago.
The streets of Panama are full of people with Asian features. They are descendants of workers employed at the construction of the Panama Canal who stayed in Central America, trying their hand in business. Immigrants, Native Americans, and the locals live in perfect harmony, and their diversity is an integral part of the country’s culture. Panama is a city of contrasts, where wealth surrounds poverty, modernity tries to eclipse history, colourful elevations reflect in glass walls, and small stalls of Native Americans bravely resist huge shopping centres. Only Panama – the most modern capital of Latin America – offers so many remarkable colours.
