In 1671, following Henry Morgan’s destruction of the old city, the Spanish moved their city 8 kilometers southwest to a rocky peninsula on the foot of Cerro Ancón.  This new location was easier to defend as the reefs prevented ships from approaching the city except at high tide. The new city was also easy to defend as a massive wall surrounded it, which is how Casco Antiguo (“old compound”) got its name.

In 1904, when construction of the Panama Canal began, all of the Panama City existed where Casco Antiguo stands today.  Yet, as population growth and urban expansion pushed the boundaries of the city further east, the city’s elite abandoned Casco Antiguo, and the neighborhood rapidly deteriorated into an urban slum.

However, today, Casco Antiguo is gradually undergoing a strenuous renovation, and the buildings that have already been restored give a sense of its original splendor. International recognition of these efforts by the community resulted in the area being declared a Unesco World Heritage Site in 2003.

Casco Antiguo is located in San Felipe neighborhood.  Here, visitors will find a touch of Colonial, European and Neoclassical art.  You will also find religious, governmental and civil architecture, all in a charming urban space.  Its narrow streets and different facades have become the ideal setting for some Hollywood movies.  John Travolta, Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig’s latest Bond movie have been filmed here.

The streets and buildings in the old quarter served as backdrop for moments crucial to Panama’s birth as an independent republic, and witnessed the first footsteps as well the very last breaths of the nation’s forefathers.

Some points of interest while at the Casco Antiguo: