Panama City is a very multicultural city, having considerable populations from a variety of different countries. The majority speak Spanish, and many also speak some sort of English. Customer service is gradually improving, but remains shockingly poor at hotels. However, in the streets, Panamanians are often quite pleasant and helpful and would welcome the opportunity to offer you some advise.
There is excellent shopping, ranging from high-end boutiques in the malls surrounding Paitilla and the banking sector around Via Espana to genuine bargains near La Central (Central Avenue, which has been converted into a pedestrian walkway) and the outdoor mall Los Pueblos. Additionally, many areas of the City have a plethora of ethnic shops (mainly Chinese and Indian).
The Amador Causeway, the region directly east of the canal’s Pacific entrance, is being developed as a tourist attraction and nightlife hotspot. The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute maintains a station and a small museum on the island of Naos. On the causeway, a new museum, the Biomuseo, was just constructed in 2014. It was created by American architect Frank Gehry, who is best known for the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao and the Los Angeles Disney Concert Hall. The Parque Municipal Summit is located just outside the municipal boundaries.
WORLD HERITAGE SITES
Panamá Viejo
Panamá Viejo (“Old Panama”) is the name given to the architectural remnants of the Monumental Historic Complex of the first Spanish settlement on the Americas’ Pacific coast, built on August 15, 1519 by Pedro Arias de Avila. This city served as the headquarters for the expeditions that ultimately defeated the Inca Empire in Peru in 1532. It served as a stopover on one of the most significant trade routes in the history of the American continent, leading to the great fairs of Nombre de Dios and Portobelo, through which the majority of Spain’s gold and silver was taken from the Americas.
The UNESCO committee decided to inscribe this property as a world heritage site based on cultural criteria (ii), (iv), and (vi), taking into account that Panama was the first European settlement on the Pacific coast of the Americas, in 1519, and that the Historic District preserves an intact street pattern and a significant number of early domestic structures that bear witness to the nature of this early settlement.
Casco Viejo or Casco Antiguo
Built and occupied in 1671 in the aftermath of the privateer Henry Morgan’s destruction of Panama Viejo, Panama City’s historic area (also known as Casco Viejo, Casco Antiguo, or San Felipe) was designed as a walled city to safeguard its people from future pirate raids. UNESCO named it a World Heritage Site in 2003.
Casco Antiguo has a variety of architectural styles reflective of the country’s cultural diversity: Caribbean, Republican, art deco, French, and colonial architecture coexist in an area comprised of over 800 structures. Casco Antiguo is home to the majority of Panama City’s major landmarks, including the Salón Bolivar, the National Theater (established in 1908), Las Bóvedas, and Plaza de Francia. Additionally, there are several Catholic structures, including the Metropolitan Cathedral, La Merced Church, and St. Philip Neri Church. St. Joseph Church’s remarkable golden altar was one of the few things rescued from Panama Viejo during the 1671 pirate siege. During the siege, it was covered in mud and then discreetly relocated to its current site.
The Cinta Costera 3 in Casco Viejo
The historic sector, which is undergoing renovation, has developed into one of the city’s primary tourist attractions, second only to the Panama Canal. Both the public and commercial sectors are attempting to restore it. President Ricardo Martinelli completed the “Cinta Costera 3” addition to the Cinta Costera marine highway viaduct in 2014, encircling the Casco Antiguo.
There were demonstrations prior to the construction of the Cinta Costera 3 project. Much of the opposition surrounding the proposal centered on the prospect of Casco Viejo losing its UNESCO World Heritage designation. Casco Viejo was not included to the List of World Heritage Sites in Danger by UNESCO on June 28, 2012.