Panamá Viejo

Light up Panama Viejo

For Panamanians, the ruins of Panama Viejo and, especially, the tower of its cathedral, are one of the main national symbols. The site is also one of the biggest tourist attractions in Panama City, as well as a promenade and recreation area for its inhabitants and a place of visit for the school population.

It is also the scene of one of the greatest research, conservation and enhancement efforts that have been carried out in a monumental historical complex in the country.

Its 28 hectares are part of the first city founded by Europeans on the shores of the Pacific Ocean, the oldest of all the mainland capitals in the Americas.

The role of Panama as one of the most important expedition centers in the history of the Spanish conquest and colonization, as well as its strategic function in the map of the commercial routes of the time, marked since then the destiny of the isthmus as a territory at the service of international transit.

As a result of the attack of the pirate Henry Morgan in 1671, the city was ruined. Two years later he moved to what is now known as the Old Town, leaving the site of old Panama abandoned for more than two centuries. This made it possible to preserve valuable material remains of the colonial past and pre-Hispanic times, which allow us today to study the origins of the Panamanian capital.

The Archeological Site of Panama Viejo, inscribed on the World Heritage List since 2003, is managed by the Patronato Panamá Viejo, a non-profit and mixed regime association composed of the Kiwanis Club of Panama, Ministry of Culture, Authority of Tourism of Panama, Banistmo and RILEMO Foundation.

We invite you to enjoy it and illuminate the story.