Panama City

Casco Viejo (General)

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Jose Kevo
Jose Kevo
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Casco Viejo (General)

  • May 14, 2007
  • Rated 5 of 5 by Jose Kevo from Middle-of-Nowhere, Missouri
Casco Viejo (General)

After Sir Henry Morgan sacked and destroyed the original settlement in 1671, Casco Viejo (also known as San Felipe) was Spain's answer to fortification. Second, but to none, the subsequent attempt at establishing Panamá City engrossed the grand colonial capital I'd came expecting to find. Including this historic district on itineraries should be inescapable, but cautious travelers could easily skip the City's defining attribute.

Casco Viejo is listed as one of Panama City's most erratic neighborhoods. Permanence has decayed into nothing more than housing slums over the last 300-years. While that fact is unavoidable, daring to visit here was not. Edged with fascination, wandering the maze of cobblestone streets was the only place which captured repeat visits.

Massive renovation projects are reviving lost splendors of government and municipal buildings. Wealthy capitalists are transforming entire blocks with affluent sidewalk businesses, crowned with overhead balconies of upscale apartments. "For Sale" signs, everywhere insinuate where the area is headed. For now, it's all the in-betweens of where it's coming from that should cause greatest concerns.

In addition to heavy presence of military and law enforcement, Casco Viejo has an active force of tourist police. Licensed tour guides are also roaming. Between these, and well-meaning locals, expect to be frequently coddled and hovered around to insure well-being at all times.

Based on reputation alone, my hesitant approach casually faded into self-guided privilege. The Photo Tour visualizes why's. Here's other considerations for the how's:

-- Understanding local Fears and Paranoia in-general helps prepare for legitimate concerns of Casco Viejo, including redirected paths if straying towards unsafe areas. The Tourist Traps segment lists specific instructions for strollers.

-- There's so much to see crammed within this compact area, back-tracking is inevitable. Some intersections had signs with arrows pointing towards numerous attractions in all directions. Lonely Planet does have a comprehensive Walking Tour Map with sufficient details, which alleviated need for a guide.

-- The Panama Canal Museum, located across from Plaza de la Independencia, is definitely a "must see", but hardly the extent. In addition to listed points of significance, I was allowed to go poking around several interesting administration and private buildings simply from asking. Speaking Spanish obviously helped. Some buildings required security clearance.

-- The Presedential Palace, known as Palacio de las Garzas, is sealed-off only to traffic. Heavily armed soldiers will redirect paths, amid friendly conversation, towards the appropriate side street where another group searched belongings. Beyond this point, feel free to walk right up to the front steps and look through gated entry.

-- Trendy expat-owned cafes and dilapidated corner bodegas are rivaled by sidewalk vendors hawking foods and drinks. By day, the overall ambience is rather subdued, whether by suspicions or intense heat. However, it leaves no doubt that this is not a place to be after dark unless accompanied by a local.

From journal Blue Bayou; the Visionary's Wager

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