Panamá Viejo Ruins

Ciudad de Panamá · Panama · Ruin

A monk saved the golden altar from Henry Morgan by painting it black — the rest of the city burned with its people in 1671.

Legend says the city's golden altar was saved from the pirate Henry Morgan by a monk who hastily painted it black, so the raiders walked past it. The altar stands today in the church of San José in Casco Viejo. The rest of Panamá Viejo fared worse: the city went down in flames in 1671, and at night visitors and guards tell of ghostly figures among the walls and sounds attributed to the victims of the massacre.

The city was founded in 1519 as the first European settlement on the Pacific coast and became the hub for Peruvian silver bound for Spain. After the fire the site was abandoned and rebuilt further west. The cathedral tower and stone ruins remain as a World Heritage Site — a city that burned and was never cleared away.

FAQ

Wo befindet sich Panamá Viejo Ruins?

Panamá Viejo Ruins liegt in Ciudad de Panamá, Panama.