Seminary in Panama: Old Colonial City of Panamá

You may recall that some days ago I posted about having visited the Colonial Centre of Panama City. This is the second city, that replaced the one destroyed by the Welsh pirate, Captain Henry Morgan. Last week, while things were quiet during the fiesta, I returned to have another look at this area which is really quite beautiful. It is, of course, quite the tourist trap, but is still inhabited by the locals.

Much work has been done to restore the area to its former beauty but a lot remains to be done. Many of the buildings are in a very bad state of repair and, frankly, some of the buildings that people are living in are not even fit for animals - dark, damp, and unsafe structurally. There are many buldings here that aren't here - all that remains is a well-painted facade which creates the illusion that the beautiful building has been restored but it is, literally, a question of painting over the cracks.

Some of the deterioration is due to age - after all, this city was largely built during the 1700s, but is evident that there has been little commitment to maintenance over the centuries. Fire is also responsible for some of the damage - many of the buildings had brick facades but everything else was wooden - and in an area where buildings are built so close together it is obvious that fire is a constant danger. Of course, some of the damage was also done during the famous invasion of Panama by the USA when General Noriega was overthrown. Nonetheless, with all the cracks and peeling paint, it is clear that this was once a very beautiful place.

Where the work has been done, it has been done well. This area, in fact, has many different types of tourist accomodation with bars and restaurants as well. I have never been there at night but I am told that it gets quite busy and that there is a lovely atmosphere. Prices, however, are going to make sure that the Panamanians don't go there very often. I bought four fruit juices at a bar and was charged $20 - anywhere else this would have cost less than $5.

We entered the old city through a street market where there wasn't room to lift your hand, never mind to swing a cat. This area is called "Sal si puedes..." which means, "Get out if you can...". This is not a reference to the market or to any physical danger - it has to do with the fact that the old city was surrounded by a wall and the gates were closed at a certain hour. Once they were closed there was no way in or out. "Sal si puedes..." refers to this period and is a name that has stuck.

Here are some photos of the old city to give you a taste of it
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