Visiting Panama Viejo
Our Panama 2024 trip was more of a working trip than a sightseeing trip, but we still got to see a few of the sites while we were there, and it was interesting to learn some of the history of Panama.
One of the places we visited was Panamá Viejo, or Old Panama. Panamá Viejo was the original Panama City, although it was destroyed in 1671 during a raid by Henry Morgan1. After that, Panama City was built on a new site a few miles away. However, some of the ruins of the original city remain, and they are now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The largest remaining structure is the Old Panama Cathedral with its bell tower. The bell tower may have also served as a lookout for approaching invaders. Given its height, you could see people coming from a long way off from up there.
The cathedral was built between 1619 and 1626, and as you might expect, much of the rest of the cathedral is in ruins, but it is still interesting to see and imagine what it was like back then.
You can climb up the stairs inside the bell tower to check out the view, so of course we did, and what a view it was. You can see ruins of other structures down below, and the newer parts of Panama City as well.2
Yes, the stairs are newer and not original to the tower, so they are safe. And there are signs as you go up telling you about the different levels of the tower in case you need to stop and catch your breath along the way.
I liked this contrast between the Old Panama and the New Panama. The people of the day thought the bell tower was tall, but it is quite small when compared to the large buildings of our day.
Panamá Viejo was the kind of place that Laura and I could have spent all day at, wandering around the different ruins. But there was not much time, and we had to move along. We were happy to get to go, and we would love to have an opportunity to spend longer there in the future. History is fun!
See more from our Panama 2024 Trip!
Looking Back from the Future
I sometimes wonder what people will think in 500 or more years in the future as they look back on us. Will they wonder why we spent all our time looking at big rectangle things that sat on furniture or were mounted to our walls? Or will they wonder why we spent even more time looking at little rectangle things that we held in our hands? Will they think that our architecture is interesting, or just “quaint”? Will they laugh at our cars, our kitchen appliances, our clothes?
Who knows what they might think? But wouldn’t it be interesting if they say about us, “Those people really knew how to love one another!” What if that is what we are known for in the future, more than our styles, architecture, technology, or whatever else?
We may not be able to make everyone love each other, but we can certainly do our part!
*So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. - 2 Timothy 2:22 ESV
About the Photos
I gave these my usual processing touches, but I did not go overboard. However, I have more photos from Panamá Viejo that I did not include yet, so I might try to do something interesting with them in future posts. Stay tuned!
Photo: Each photo is a single Raw exposure, processed in Raw Therapee and GIMP.
Camera: Sony Alpha A7 II, iPhone 14 Pro
Lens: Rokinon 35mm f/1.8
Date: October 10, 2024
Location: Panamá Viejo, Panama
