Visit to Panama

The original city was founded in 1519 by Pedro Arias Davila, known as Pedrarias the Cruel, because of his eradication of all but three of the local Indian tribes during his tenure in Panama.  Davila used the city as a place to store Incan gold before it was shipped to Spain.  The original city was sacked and burned in 1671 by a group of buccaneers led by Henry Morgan.  The city was rebuilt within a year, this time on a peninsula 18 miles away and surrounded by a strong wall.  This old Spanish city is now the in the middle downtown Panama City.