THE TOWN THAT MORGAN SACKED, PANAMA LA VIEJAJun 26 '02 (Updated May 09 '05) Write an essay on this topic.The Bottom Line Well worth a look. Today a rather small and insignificant bridge spans the Rio Abajo near where it empties into the Pacific Ocean in the eastern edges of Panama City. Most traffic circumnavigates this route through a run down residential area taking the new toll expressway to travel between Toucaman International Airport and shimmering high rise towers of downtown. Once though the bridge that spanned this river was called the King's Bridge. It was the start of a very important road. It was a road over which the riches of the new world were shipped to the old one. It was the start of the Camino Real, the Royal Road. It ran from one ocean to another, and it started at what is now called Panama La Vieja, Old Panama. The first European to cross the isthmus of Panama and sight the Pacific Ocean was the Spanish Conquistador Pedrarias Davila in 1519. Soon after the Spanish established a small settlement here. This grew into a fair sized town of some 10,000 with churches, shops, warehouses and other businesses over the years. The main purpose of the town was to act as a transhipment point for the gold and other precious metals being brought out of Peru. It was easier and faster to ship them north than attempt to sail around Cape Horn, the tip of South America. Here it was unloaded and stored in massive warehouses waiting the next stage of the journey. Eventually convoys of mules, well protected by the Spanish King's soldiers would carry it across a well-worn trail through mountains and jungle to the Caribbean coast. At the port of Portobello it would be loaded on ships for the quick trip to Havana. From here the treasure ships would join up with others from Mexico and Cartagena to form a massive armada which would sail back to Spain. Naturally this was a tempting prize for any pirate or buccaneer worthy of the name. Havana, Cartagena and the other cities though were all well defended by strong stone forts and numerous Spanish cannons. Even the treasure ships themselves were well armed. One daring English Privateer, Henry Morgan discovered what he thought was the weak link in the system. Panama City like all the others was of course well defended. The Spanish had built a fort on a point of land to protect the harbour and town from attack. It and the cannons and walls that surrounded the town though were designed to repel attacks from the sea. In 1671 Morgan with force of over 2000 men and thirty-eight ships attacked and sacked Fort San Lorenzo on the Caribbean coast. Afterwards rather than sail off to the safety of his base in Jamaica he did the unthinkable. He and his men crossed over the isthmus, fighting their way through almost impassable jungle. It took almost two weeks and his men arrived exhausted, sick and weak from hunger but they were on the Pacific coast. Without hesitation they stormed across the King's Bridge and attacked the town from the rear. The forts, walls and cannons of the Spanish defenders were useless and after a brief and bloody battle the Spaniards surrendered. What followed was a thorough and bloody sacking even by the standards of the day. It would take Morgan's men three weeks to gather all the loot in the region and sate their various appetites. Then they set back the way they had come. This time they had more than 300 mules with them to carry off the spoils of war. After this, the Spanish authorities realised that the settlement was vulnerable to attack and abandoned it. A new site to the west on the easily defended San Felipe peninsula was chosen and many of the buildings were moved here stone by stone. The city's fortunes waned in the years to come as did that of Spain. It was not until the 19th Century and the arrival of the transcontinental railway and later the canal that Panama City again began to flourish. Most of the original city site still stands. Many of the buildings are mere piles of stone now but efforts to preserve and even restore some of them are ongoing. The first place to visit is the information centre and museum. Inside are various artefacts recovered from the excavation site and on display. An excellent scale model of the original settlement combined with an audio visual display showing its history up until Morgan's attack is here too. The centre also contains a restaurant and several excellent craft shops. The area of the original settlement encompasses an area of several acres. Well kept lawns and a few trees allow one to easily wander around and examine the remnants of the buildings. The first stop is the information centre. Here a small but well laid out museum displays artefacts recovered from the site. It gives one an idea of what life must have been like here then. The highlight of the museum is a large scale model of the original town. An audio visual display with multi-lingual taped narration and small lights on the model show the progress of Morgan's attack. The information centre also contains a cafeteria and several souvenir and craft shops. both the selection and prices here are excellent. Across the road is the entrance to the site itself. Admission is $1.50 US and the site is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily. The first thing one notices is the largest of the partially demolished structures. this was the Cathedral. The ruins have in recent years been used for a backdrop to several festivals. In addition more than one couple has exchanged marriage vows here. Beside the Cathedral are the remains of the Bishop's residence, the town hall, and the Royal customs house. All of these are in and around the Plaza Major, the main square of the town. farther afield are several other groupings of ruined buildings. Six of them are the remains of churches, monasteries and/or convents. A testimony to the power of the Catholic Church in Spain's colonies. One of these is the famous Church of San Jose. It was here that the famous golden altar resided. The priest it is said painted it to look like wood to deceive Morgan during the attack. The church was rebuilt at the site of the new town, and it's prized altar were moved there. The site can be easily reached by bus or taxi from anywhere in the city. Organised tours of Panama La Viega can be arranged with several of the local tour companies. It is also a part of a day trip which includes other sites in the city and the canal. Tour guides can also be arranged at the site, although languages other than Spanish cannot be guaranteed. However the site is not large, nor easy to navigate especially after viewing the display in the museum. More Articles on Panama The Panama Canal http://www.epinions.com/content_61126446724 The Golden Altar and the Church of San Jose Panama City http://www.epinions.com/content_2661195908 The Heron Palace Panama City http://www.epinions.com/content_2624168068 Fort San Lorenzo Colon http://www.epinions.com/content_2943328388 El Valle http://www.epinions.com/content_2802622596 Noriega’s Beach House Rio Hacho http://www.epinions.com/content_60507459204 Royal Decameron Beach Resort Costa Blanca http://www.epinions.com/content_64792727172 Banana Beach Bar Rio Hacho http://www.epinions.com/content_2622857348 The US Legacy in Panama http://www.epinions.com/content_2712903812  |
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