An afternoon exploring the architectural ruins of Panamá Viejo.
With a Saturday to myself I decide to head north to visit the archaeological ruins of old Panama before the city moved to where I am currently staying. It’s a slightly overcast day, humid and warm, and I hope to be able to complete my visit before afternoon thunderstorms threaten to douse the city with rain.
I call an Uber and ride it through the city past skyscrapers and street art, taking in what I can on one of the few forays I’ll take through the city.
The Uber drops me off at the entrance to the site. He seems to indicate it’s a new entrance, somewhat removed from the archeological site itself. I walk into the complex and buy a ticket. It’s about a kilometer walk to get to the ruins. A shuttle service runs along the path but I don’t feel like waiting for it and start walking. It’s low tide and through a gap in the trees I can look out over the seabed to a highway beyond.
Soon I come to the first of the ruins, a pillar of stones supported by wooden scaffolding. Just beyond I reach the Iglesia de la Concepcion beside the Convento de la Concepción, one of the largest and best-preserved buildings on site. Founded in 1598 by four nuns from lima, the church and cloister were completed by 1604. Unfortunately, the cloister collapsed in the 1621 earthquake of Panama City.
From the convent I head deeper into town. Ruins mark foundations and buildings tightly packed together. Former convents and churches and the home and offices of the Catholic Bishop of the colony stand in ruins.
Towards the end of the city, the 131 foot Torre de la Catedral stands over the entire complex. I walk around the grounds around it and see people standing at the top through the windows. I walk over and climb the 115 steps for the views out towards the skyscrapers of the new city and out over the ocean.
Climbing back down I visit the museum, wandering through its two buildings and reading about the history of the site. From the entrance i look back at the tower. It’s amazing seeing it against the backdrop of the modern skyscrapers a few blocks away.
By the time I leave the musuem the skies have darkened. The shuttle is nowhere to be seen and so I begin the walk back to the entrance. Lighting forks across the sky and I quicken my step. the shuttle passes when I’m only a few hundred meters from the gate.
I stop inside the gift shop to buy postcards and to call an Uber. When I step out the rain has started. I wait for the Uber under an overhang and race to it when it arrives, leaving one old city behind for another, passing through the modern en route. 🇵🇦
