Casco Viejo, Miraflores Locks, & Amador
Day One - Panama - 2017
A three-in-one day tour to some of Panama’s most well-known sights.
Map Credit: OpenStreetMap
1. Casco Viejo #1
The Plaza de la Independencia commemorates Panama’s independence from both Spain and Colombia, the latter of which was achieved in 1903.
My first day in Panama was spent on a three part tour of sights around Panama City. After meeting at the American Trade Hotel, we headed to Independence Plaza where we got a brief history lesson of Panama from our guide. Long story short, the United States would assume control of the Panama Canal project started by the French (who erroneously assumed its construction would be as simple as their construction of the Suez Canal) in return for both nations’ assistance in Panama achieving its independence from Colombia. The agreement is still considered controversial to some, but many issues of sovereignty were settled in 1977 with the Carter-Torrijos Treaty, which ceded U.S. control of the Canal Zone to Panama in 1999. Nonetheless, the United States and France’s influence resulted in Panama’s divorce from Colombia. Independence Plaza has statues of many important figures from Panama’s separatist period.
2. Casco Viejo #2
Casco Viejo was built in 1673 and was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997.
Along our walk, we enjoyed Casco Viejo’s fantastic architecture, a mix of Spanish and French influences.
3. Casco Viejo #3
4. Casco Viejo #4
This plaza was named in 1883 in honor of Simon Bolivar, the Venezuelan military leader who led territories in what are now Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia, Peru, and -of course- Panama to independence from the Spanish Empire.
5. Casco Viejo #5
The San Francisco de Asis Church was built in 1678…
6. Casco Viejo #6
...And its interior was most recently restored in 1998.
Photographer’s Comment: I realize this is a pretty janky photo - I took it without a tripod, and the lighting was terrible. This was also one of those cases where a photograph looks great on the camera’s display, but terrible full-sized. Nonetheless, I wanted to share how fantastic this church’s interior is in case anyone was on the fence about stepping inside.
7. Casco Viejo #7
Palacio Bolivar has served as a convent, military barracks, college, and government office since its construction in 1673.
8. Casco Viejo #8
The Arco Chato (Flat Arch) and its surrounding stone works are all that remain from a Dominican Church, the Church and Convent Santo Domingo, which burned down in 1756. The flat arch, at the bottom left of the photograph, is considered an engineering marvel, and has many legends surrounding its creation.
Photographer’s Comment: It is very much possible to get a straight-on photo of the arch and the surrounding church if you enter the church’s grounds; however, our walking tour did a quick walk-by, and I didn’t have a chance to head back later on my trip.
9. Casco Viejo #9
10. Casco Viejo #10
11. Casco Viejo #11
12. Casco Viejo #12
The controversial Cinta Costera Viaduct surrounds Casco Viejo, providing a way for traffic to bypass the historic center of Panama City.
13. Casco Viejo #13
Past the Cinta Costera Viaduct, dozens of ships await their turn to transit the Panama Canal west from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic.
14. Casco Viejo #14
In contrast to Casco Viejo’s old world charm, the neighborhoods to its north are filling rapidly with skyscrapers as a result of rapid economic development.
15. Casco Viejo #15
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16. Miraflores Locks #1
The original version of the Panama Canal was opened in 1914 and lifted ships 26 meters (89 feet) for transit across the Continental Divide and then back down to sea level - a journey of 82 kilometers (51 miles).
I had longed to see the Panama Canal since I was a child, and -around mid-day- I finally arrived at the Miraflores Locks, one of the original sets of locks from the initial U.S. construction. Arguably the construction of the Miraflores Locks (as well as the other original locks, Pedro Miguel and Gatun) had the most profound impact on modern transportation and, perhaps, modern commerce itself as they effectively dictated the sizes of the world’s largest commercial vessels - a size known as “Panamax.”
17. Miraflores Locks #2
The Miraflores Locks were completed in 1913.
Despite being 100-years older than nearby Cocoli, Miraflores is still the visitors’ locks of choice, likely due to their proximity to Panama City…
18. Miraflores Locks #3
…However, I prefer to think that visitors like its old-school charm and functionality appealing.
19. Miraflores Locks #4
Multiple boat operators offer day cruises from Panama City, through the Miraflores and Pedro Miguel Locks to Lake Gatun, and back to Panama City.
20. Miraflores Locks #5
While the original locks on the Panama Canal can handle two-way traffic, Panamax ships cannot transit the nearby Culebra (formerly, Galliard) Cut at speed in both directions; therefore, traffic is generally limited to Pacific-to-Atlantic ships until mid-afternoon, and Atlantic-to-Pacific ships during the evening.
21. Miraflores Locks #6
Past the Miraflores Locks are the Pedro Miguel Locks and the Centennial Bridge, the latter of which was built in 2004.
One thing to note about this photograph in particular is that you can see two little grey locomotives along the right side of the lock which are aiding the larger first ship through the lock; essentially, the locomotives pull the ship along while also ensuring the ship doesn’t hit the edges of the lock itself. This method has been used with great success since the canal opened.
22. Miraflores Locks #7
The nearby Cocoli Locks were opened in 2016 to accommodate NeoPanamax traffic; while Miraflores and Pedro Miguel Locks combine to lift ships from sea level to the level of Lake Gatun, Cocoli accomplishes this in one step; as such, ships transiting Cocoli appear to pass above Miraflores Locks.
23. Miraflores Locks #8
Tour operators in Panama City have the lock transit schedules down to a science, and it is amazing how the once crowded pavilion overlooking Miraflores Locks cleared out so quickly and completely once the last ship made it through. This gave me an opportunity to peacefully reflect on this amazing engineering marvel.
24. Amador #1
After departing Miraflores Locks, we traveled to Amador, a causeway area south of Casco Viejo. This area once housed a U.S. military installation, but now is home to many restaurants, a natural history museum, and an animal preserve, where I saw this sloth resting in a tree.
25. Amador #2
Towards the very end of Amador, you can see all of the ships awaiting passage through the Panama Canal up close. As I understand it, the wait here is typically one to two days, but on occasion it can grow to be as long as a week; however, this is still evidently more economical from both a financial and time perspective relative to traveling around South America.
