The tower
Views from the top.
xiquinhosilva — CC BY 4.0 · xiquinhosilva — CC BY 4.0 · xiquinhosilva — CC BY 4.0 · xiquinhosilva — CC BY 4.0
The remains of the first city founded by the Spanish on 15 August 1519, the first European city on the Pacific coast of the Americas and a key stop for shipping Peruvian silver and gold to Spain, until the Welsh privateer Henry Morgan attacked it in 1671, burning and destroying it, so its people moved to Casco Viejo. Among green lawns by the shore stand stone ruins: walls of convents and houses, an old stone bridge and, most striking, the tower of the old cathedral, whose modern stairs visitors climb for views over the ruins, the sea and the modern skyline on the horizon. It has been on UNESCO's World Heritage list since 1997. The visitor centre's museum shows models of the old city, tools and pottery from the excavations, and tells of its daily life, trade and fall. Paths between the scattered buildings are long. The site is exposed to the sun, so go in the morning with water and a hat.
Views from the top.
Among lawns.
City models.
Panamá Viejo district, east of the city on the coast
Panamá Viejo is the ruined first city destroyed by Morgan in 1671; Casco Viejo is the city built after it in 1673.