Historic Summary of the Isthmus of Panama


The Isthmus of Panama makes its appearance in the world map for the first time when, in 1501, the Spanish explorer Rodrigo Galvan de Bastidas discovers its Atlantic coast, resulting in the first exploration of the land. The Spanish crown sent subsequent expeditions to the New Continent. The strategic location and the incomparable territorial narrowness of the isthmus was recognised when, in 1513, explorers crossed the isthmus and discovered the South Sea (Pacific Ocean). The city of Panama was founded in 1519, to be the first city founded on the Pacific coast of America.

Spanish Colonial Period (1501-1821)

The discovery and systematic conquest of South America followed the foundation of Panama. Almost immediately, the 'Royal Route' and the 'Route of Crosses' were created - the first routes via which the riches from the empires of America were transited to the coffers of the Spanish Crown. All of this generated the famous festivals of Portobelo, the programmed arrivals of fleets of galleons and the establishment of a Royal Audience in 1539.

The ambition and greed of other European powers of the time (e.g. England, France, Holland) were not slow to follow. Faced with this menace, a whole defensive system was designed and built at Panama, in the form of bulwarked fortifications (and subsequently platforms), the Portobelo examples being the most outstanding and the Castle of San Lorenzo (Atlantic Coast): both were declared World Heritage in 1980. As a consequence of a pirate attack led by the Englishman Sir Henry Morgan, the city of Panama was destroyed in 1671 and left in a state of majestic but impotent ruin. (This was declared a monumental historic ensemble in 1918.) In 1673, the new city of Panama was established at a different location: a walled site with an urban but military layout that was declared World Heritage in 1997, referred to as the 'Old centre'.

Colombian Period (1821-1903)

Following independence from Spain, Panama became a department of the New Grenada (Colombia). Between 1850 and 1855 and as a consequence of the golden lure of California (USA), a railway was built, becoming the second route through the Isthmus. This led to the creation of an incomparable Atlantic city, Colon, that was declared a historic monumental ensemble in 2002. Following the establishment of Colon, the French initiated the construction of a level canal (1885-1895), that was to be the third and last route through the Isthmus, but failed in this attempt.

Republican Period (1903-present)

Finally, the Isthmus separated from Colombia and became an authentic republic in 1903, accompanied by majestic buildings of neo-classical type. The Northern Americans bought the rights to the building works of the canal and converted it into a lock canal, which they finished in 1914, resulting in a majestic and unique engineering work, representing an important industrial legacy for the rest of the world. All these historical and cultural steps have left a cultural mark and a rich and varied architectonic production in the urban ensembles of Colon, the Old Centre and the Canal Zone.

Cultural Heritage of Panama

World Heritage (declared by UNESCO)

· Castle of San Lorenzo Royal of Chagres (built between 1595 & 1779, declared in 1980)
· Fortifications of Portobelo (built between 1600 & 1800, declared in 1980)
· National Park of Darien (declared in 1981)
· International Park la Amistad (declared in 1990)
· Old Centre and Bolivar Hall (founded in 1673, declared in 1997)

National Heritage

Panama today possesses four Historic Monumental Ensembles (Historic Centres), various archaeological pre-Colombian sites and 35 Historic Monuments (buildings and individual structures). Currently, there is an ongoing process to identify, delimit and declare as Historic Monumental Ensembles, various villages of the central provinces that are characterised by an extensive vernacular heritage; there is also a process to do the same with the Panama Canal.

Factors of risk for the heritage of Panama

Important efforts are being undertaken to guarantee the preservation and the development of the CMH and MH. However, risk factors exist that are of natural, human, cultural or governmental management character, the last two being the most serious ones.

Governmental management and cultural factors

Deficiency in the inventory, monitoring, control and governmental management: a) The inventory and documentation works of the CMH are being undertaken but are still far from being finished. This is due to:
    1. insufficiency of inter-institutional co-ordination
    2. lack of economic resources and qualified personnel
    3. non-existence of a plan and a national commission that examines a programme and requires compliance
    4. lack of pressure from NGOs, private organisations and society in general.
b) The monitoring, control and maintenance by the responsible entities and heritage officials (National Institute of Culture - INAC; Panama Institute of Tourism - IPAT; National Authority of Environment - ANAM) has improved, but it is still insufficient. This is due to:
    1. problems of accessibility of some CMH due to distance, and the failure of certain entities (institutions) to decentralise
    2. the economic resources assigned by the State are minimal and ridiculous
    3. lack of qualified and experienced personnel.
c) The State management is shaped in the following way:

CMH Portobelo and the Castle of San Lorenzo

In 2000 an 'Inter-institutional Commission' directed by ANAM was created, which, among others, is working on the process of territorial distribution and cadastral rezoning. Even if they have achieved certain goals, including actual studies of preservation (driven by the World Monument Fund), the following deficiencies are present:
    1. ANAM is not the most ideal entity to be responsible to draw up management plans on the built heritage
    2. the process is exceedingly long and bureaucratic
    3. insufficient inter-institutional co-ordination
    4. the consulting programme has not been totally opened to NGOs or private organisations.
CMH Old Panama

Together with the previous CMH, it is the historic centre that is doing the best in its total rehabilitation, thanks to an existing official policy that has achieved:
    1. Law decree 'Number 9 of 1997' that establishes among others the fiscal and economic incentives that have promoted a large part of the private rehabilitation;

    2. The 'high level commission', currently the 'Office of the Historic Centre' (OCA) that is working on:
      a. inventory and classifying (cataloguing)
      b. rules of intervention
      c. works of sign-posting, advertising, illumination, access and vehicular traffic
      d. management master plan.

    3. The 'School workshop Panama' (sponsored by the Spanish Agency of Co-operation) that is working in training qualified labour according to the old customs of preservation, and restoration of the Obarrio Mansion.
    4. Creation of a series of trusts and foundations that is good at raising funds (private and State) to manage concrete projects of restoration and renovation.


Apart from these undeniable achievements, the official management still shows the following deficiencies: · the economic resources assigned by the state are minimal and ridiculous;
    · monitoring and maintenance of the deficient structures that bring about deterioration by natural factors;
    · lack of a clear system of demarcation, identification and heritage signs;
    · Political instability. Lack of a clear, defined and stable policy in respect to heritage.
    · Insufficient inter institutional co-ordination and a ridiculously long bureaucratic process;
    · Vulnerable laws and administrative structures;
    · Prevailing impunity when it is time for administering sanctions;
    · Difficulty in the opening of the consulting to NGOs and private organisations;
    · State interventions badly planned, designed and executed without the appropriate control and monitoring.
Cultural Problems
    · lack of interest and apathy
    · the word 'maintenance' is unknown
    · lack of education and vision
    · inclination of the imposed values of other predominant cultures
    · culture of egoism and 'little importance'.

Human Factors

Territorial Invasions: Uncontrolled invasions and settlements over the CMH, threatening its physical integrity. One cannot count on peripheral zones of transition ('buffer zones') that should offer protection to the geographical limits of the CMH.

Environmental contamination: Contamination and structural deterioration caused by heavy uncontrolled vehicular traffic and the existence of roads that must be relocated.

Development and urban transformation: Developments and transformations as a consequence of lack of plans and effective regulation of zones, use of land, protection, development and density.

Private and State Negligence: Negligence when it is time to maintain and take care of heritage.

Tourism: Tourism has still not been properly planned and controlled, promoting the abuse and deterioration of heritage.


Natural Factors

Excessive humidity and rainy precipitation: The excessive and constant humidity, typical of the tropical region, is one of the most feared and common sources of deterioration, affecting the walls of calicanto and brick masonry, the patina of the stones, the structures of exposed wood, etc, favouring the proliferation of botanical attack. The rainy precipitation is exceedingly intense and aggressive, with a rainy season of nine months. The deficient canalisation of certain waters causes deterioration by floods; lines and pipes of obsolete drainage cause blocking, filtering, structural weakening, erosion, and so on.

Excessive heat and change of temperature: The excessive heat and the sudden change in temperature are typical of the tropical region, producing expansions and contractions in the stonework with the consistent appearance of serious cracks. Because they are not being treated, these cracks can weaken the structures to the point of structural instability.

Salinity and wind erosion: Due to the fact that all the CMH are located in front of the sea, there is constant wearing from salinity and wind erosion. Over time and facing lack of maintenance, this erosion can consume several inches of material. This is one of the principal problems of the CMH in Old Panama.

Botanical and biological attack: The combination of humidity, rain and sun promote botanical attacks, typical in all the CMH, from almost every type of mushrooms, climbing plants, weeds and parasitic plants. This natural attack is one of the most common and aggressive. Not being treated appropriately, the roots of these organisms reach an unthinkable depth, provoking the collapse of the structure.

The tropical region is rich in all types of biological organisms that seriously affect wood. Inside the most common ones we have termites that can cause serious structural problems after their activity consumes a large part of the wood sections. This is a typical problem in the CMH of the Old Centre where one can find a great number of buildings with wood structures dating from the 19th and 20th centuries.

Recommendations

In our case, the risk factors of the cultural type and governmental management are the most serious. As a result, we propose the following alternative solutions:
  • Exercise a more efficient and constant pressure mechanism, from the international community, so that the governments are forced to preserve, manage, promote and report regularly on the State of our heritage.
  • Create of high level multidisciplinary commission, without any political ties, that brings together State representatives, NGOs and the private sector that draws up a national master plan of preservation, management and promotion of tourism heritage.
  • Creation of multidisciplinary sub-commissions, without any political ties, which bring together state representatives, NGOs and the private sector to draw up concrete plans of preservation, management and promotion of tourism heritage of each CMH individually.
  • Establish laws and legal mechanisms so that governments, without distinction for party tendencies, establish and maintain a clear, definitive and aggressive policy for preservation and development of heritage. Guarantee that these policies can be administered efficiently without political pressure nor bureaucratic delays.
  • Arm work teams, of the State and private sector, who can as quickly as possible finish the inventory documentation, investigation, cataloguing and rules of intervention over heritage.
  • Establish laws and administrative mechanisms that force and guarantee the inter-institutional co-ordination of all the sectors involved, avoiding the delayed bureaucratic process.
  • Establish laws and administrative mechanisms that allow official heritage entities to fully exercise their monitoring, protection and sanction over interventions in the CMHs, without distinction on whether they are being undertaken by the private sector or by the State.
  • Establish academic plans for degree, postgraduate and masters courses in the University of Panama for the training of qualified professionals.
  • Establish materials and extracurricular plans in the primary and secondary schools that promote the values of respect, admiration and maintenance of heritage.


Arch. Daniel Young-Torquemada, Secretary
ICOMOS Panama