Panamá Viejo, or Old Panama, was the original Panama City and the first permanent European settlement on the Pacific coast of the Americas. Its ruins, near the modern capital, tell the story of Spanish ambition, transoceanic trade, and the pirate raid that destroyed it.
Foundation in 1519
The city was founded on August 15, 1519, by the Spanish governor Pedro Arias Dávila (Pedrarias). Located on the Pacific shore, it became the launching point for Spanish expeditions south along the coast, including Francisco Pizarro’s conquest of the Inca Empire in the 1530s.
Gateway of Empire
Panamá Viejo grew rich as the Pacific terminus of the transisthmian trade route. Silver and gold from Peru arrived by ship, then crossed the isthmus by mule train along the Camino Real to Caribbean ports for shipment to Spain. Goods flowed the other way too, making the city a bustling hub of commerce with a cathedral, convents, and prosperous merchant houses.
Life in the Colonial City
At its height Panamá Viejo housed several thousand residents and was one of the most important cities in the Spanish Americas. Its economy depended on trade, and its population included Spanish colonists, enslaved Africans, Indigenous people, and a growing mixed community. The city’s wealth, however, also made it a tempting target.
The Sack of 1671
In 1671, the Welsh privateer Henry Morgan crossed the isthmus and attacked Panamá Viejo. During the battle the city was destroyed by fire, an event whose exact cause is still debated. The devastation ended the life of the original city.
A New City and a Lasting Ruin
Rather than rebuild on the same spot, the Spanish relocated the city in 1673 to a more defensible peninsula a few miles away, founding what is now the historic district known as the Casco Antiguo (Casco Viejo). The ruins of Panamá Viejo were left behind.
Today the site is preserved as a monument, including the iconic stone cathedral tower that still stands. In 1997 the ruins of Panamá Viejo, together with the Historic District of Panama, were inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, honoring their importance in the history of the Americas.
Visiting Today
Visitors can walk among the ruins and climb the cathedral tower for views over the site and the modern skyline beyond, a striking contrast between colonial origins and contemporary Panama.
Explore related history in our guides to the Spanish colonial era in Panama and the Camino Real and Portobelo trade.
