Panama

Panama, officially the Republic of Panama is a country located in Central America. Its neighbors are Costa Rica to the west and  Colombia to the southeast, and has access to the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea.

Panama is not a very well-known Countryhumans character yet.

Appearance
Panama is often seen in a hoodie which is grey and white and black or navy jeans. They're also (sometimes) drawn with an armband with the flag of Panama on it. Occasionally they're seen in traditional clothing, like the Pollera.

Personality
Panama is fun and caring, but can also be pretty short-tempered, especially if you try to insult them or their culture, which they are very proud of. They are very artistic and creative, and love sharing their creations with others. They have a rich, colourful personality.

They're trying their best to be recognized more worldwide.

Interests
Panama likes doing baseball a lot, they also like playing soccer a little bit. They do not want to be bossed around like many countries.

They love to party, and are content with large gatherings of people to celebrate. Festivals are very important to them, and they enjoy them immensely.

Flag Meaning
The Flag of the Republic consists of a divided rectangle of four quarters: the upper field close to the pole white with a blue star of five points; the upper field further from the pole, red; the lower field near the pole, blue; and the lower one further from the pole, white with a red star of five points.

The blue represents the Conservative Party and the red represents the Liberal Party. The white stands for peace and purity; the blue star stands for the purity and honesty of the life of the country, and the red star represents the authority and law in the country.

Other symbols
Coat of Arms: Panama's coat of arms is conformed by ten stars at the top, representing the country's ten provinces; a Harpy Eagle, the country's national bird which represents sovereignty, the eagle holds a ribbon in his beak with the words "PRO MUNDI BENEFICIO" (At the service of the world); a sable and a rifle in a "resting" position meaning the abandonment of belic acts; a pickaxe and a shovel meaning labor; a sunset representing the hour in which Panama proclaimed independence from Colombia; a cornucope with gold coins meaning riches and lastly, a winged wheel meaning progress.

Flower of the Holy Spirit: The country's national flower. Panama Tree: The country's national tree. Pollera: The national folk costume.

Etymology
There was a fishing village that bore the name "Panamá", which purportedly meant "an abundance of fish", when the Spanish colonizers first landed in the area. The exact location of the village is unknown.

Origin of languages
Panamanian Spanish is the Spanish version used in Panama. This version bears similarities with the Spanish verbalized in the seaside areas around the Caribbean notably Cuba, the Dominican Republic, as well as Puerto Rico and the Atlantic shore of Colombia and Venezuela

Organizations and Affiliations
Association of Caribbean States (ACS) Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) Andean Development Corporation/Development Bank of Latin America Organization of American States (OAS) United Nations Organization (UN) International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) World Trade Organization (WTO) United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

Precolumbian era
Before the arrival of Europeans, the territories of Panama were inhabited by various ethnic groups that were organized into chiefdoms, these peoples had in common that their various languages came from an idiomatic family known today as Chibchenses languages. However, these peoples formed diverse groups so they did not constitute a unified political unit.

As a result of the Spanish chronicles of the 16th century, it has been possible to determine the extension of the peoples that existed in Panama at the time of the conquest of America. In addition to the chronicles, Panamanian and international historiography has used language, goldsmithing and other cultural aspects to establish the area of territorial influence of the different indigenous nations.

Among the indigenous nations that inhabited the isthmus, the Cuevas stood out, whose territory included the southwest of Panama, both on its Caribbean and Pacific coasts, including the Darien. The Atrato River has been set as the eastern limit of the cave domains, while, to the west, the territory would extend to Chame in the Pacific and Quebore (Indio River) in the Caribbean.

The most important cave chiefdoms were those of Pocorosa, Comagre and Careta; whose territories occupied the current region of Guna Yala. On the Pacific coast, the chiefdom of Chochama stood out, occupying a good part of the Gulf of San Miguel, as well as the coast between Chimán and Chame Bay, the Las Perlas archipelago and the islands of Chepillo, Taboga, Taboguilla and Otoque. .

However, in the eastern part of the isthmus there were peoples who did not speak the cave. Among them are the Chuchures, of the Nahua language, who settled in Nombre de Dios. On the other hand, “those from Birú�? were reported by Pascual de Andagoya and located by Romoli in the upper basin of the Tucutí River, and those from ‘Quarequa’ or ‘Careca’ who “had been conquering from towards the back of the Darien�?.

In the central part of the isthmus lived a plural number of indigenous nations that did not share common language or phenotypic characteristics. The Spanish chronicles point out that these chiefdoms maintained constant warlike confrontations between them for territorial control.

Among the manors found by the Spanish during the conquest, in territories of the current province of Coclé, mention is made of Periquete, Totonaga, Taracuru, Penonomé. However, it has been established that the chief Acherse, who commanded all these territories, lived in Natá.

In the geographical area of ​​the current Azuero peninsula, the chiefdoms of Escoria, Usagaña, Quema, Guararé, Pocrí and Paris have been documented. However, it is known that the chief Cutatara of Paris had dominated the rest of the neighboring chiefdoms through war.

In the central part of the current province of Veraguas the chiefdom of Tabraba was established; towards the north was the chiefdom of Urracá that was in the area of ​​the present Santa Fe; With the advance of colonization, this territory sheltered an important indigenous resistance.

In the current provinces of Bocas del Toro and Chiriquí, a plural number of indigenous tribes developed, among which the Guaymíes, Dorasques and Dolegas stand out. These tribes were scattered both on the coasts of the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea; as in the Cordillera Central.

Virreinal time
The Isthmus of Panama was visited for the first time by the Spanish conquerors during the expedition of the Triana scribe, Rodrigo de Bastidas, in 1501. Bastidas sailed the Caribbean coast of the current province of Colón and the islands of the archipelago of the Comarca de San Blas. On his fourth voyage, Columbus reached the Atlantic coast of the isthmus. On November 2, he reached a beautiful bay in the current province of Colón, which he christened the name of Portobelo or Puerto Bello.

The Kingdom of Tierra Firme, within which was the Isthmus of Panama, was divided between Diego de Nicuesa, who obtained the governorship of Castilla de Oro, which ran from the Atrato River in the Gulf of Urabá to Cape Gracias a Dios and Alonso de Ojeda, Nueva Andalucía, from the Atrato River to Cabo de la Vela.

Santa María la Antigua del Darién was the first city founded by the Spanish permanently, on the mainland of the American continent. It was founded by Vasco Núñez de Balboa in 1510. Santa María la Antigua del Darién was the capital of the territory of Castilla de Oro until the founding of Panama City by Pedrarias Dávila in 1519. A few years after the transfer of the capital to the City of Panama, Santa María la Antigua del Darién, was abandoned and in 1524 the city was attacked and burned by the natives.

In 1513, Vasco Núñez de Balboa undertook the conquest of the territories of the caciques Careta, Ponca and Comagre, where he heard for the first time of the existence of another sea by Indígena Panquiaco, eldest son of Comagre, where it was told of a kingdom south of a population so rich that they used tableware and utensils in gold to eat and drink.

The unexpected news of a new sea full of riches was taken into account by Vasco Núñez de Balboa, who organizes an expedition that departs from Santa María La Antigua on September 1, 1513. On September 25, Núñez de Balboa goes ahead To the rest of the expedition, he enters the Chucunaque river mountain range, and before noon he manages to reach the top of the mountain range from where he can see the waters of the new sea on the horizon.

When the expedition reached the beaches, Núñez de Balboa raised his hands, in one was his sword and in the other a banner of the Virgin Mary, he entered the waters up to the level of the knees and took possession of the South Sea in the name of the sovereigns of Castile.

Vasco Núñez de Balboa baptized the gulf where the expedition arrived as San Miguel, because it was discovered on the day of San Miguel Arcángel, September 29, and the new sea as Mar del Sur by the route taken by the exploration of the isthmus heading south. This fact is considered by the History of Panama, as the most important chapter of the conquest after the discovery of America.

In Panama, parks and avenues have been named after Vasco Núñez de Balboa. In Panama City, off the coast, a monument dedicated to his memory and the feat of the discovery of the South Sea stands. In his honor, the official currency of the Republic of Panama has been baptized with the denomination of Balboa, his face appearing on the obverse of some coins. Likewise, the main Pacific port of the Panama Canal and the district that encompasses the Pearl Islands archipelago, also bear his name.

The highest decoration awarded by the Government of the Republic of Panama to outstanding and outstanding personalities is the Order of Vasco Núñez de Balboa in its different degrees. It should be noted that Panama is the only country in Latin America that honors the memory of a Spanish conqueror at such a high level.

Panama City was founded on August 15, 1519 by Pedro Arias Dávila, known as Pedrarias, being the first Spanish city on the coasts of the South Sea or Pacific Ocean and the oldest on the mainland that exists to this day as a city Its foundation replaced the previous cities of Santa María la Antigua del Darién and Acla, becoming the capital of Castilla del Oro. On September 15, 1521, it received the title of City and a Coat of Arms conferred by Carlos. I of Spain as well as its official motto that continues to this day Very Noble and Very Loyal Panama City. Panama City became the starting point for the exploration and conquest of Peru and a transit route for shipments of gold and wealth from the entire Pacific coast of the American continent that were sent to Spain.

In 1671 the city is attacked by the forces of the Welsh pirate Henry Morgan with the intention of looting it. For security measures and the population and property, the Captain General of Tierra Firme, Juan Alonso Pérez de Guzmán orders to evacuate the city and blow up the powder stores causing a gigantic fire that totally destroyed the city. The ruins of the ancient city still remain, including the tower of its cathedral and are a tourist attraction known as the Historic Monumental Complex of Panama Viejo, recognized as a world heritage site.

Panama City was rebuilt in 1673, located 8 km southwest of the original city on the slopes of Ancón Hill, known today as the Old Town of the city.

On August 15, 1519, Pedrarias Dávila founded Our Lady of the Assumption of Panama on the shores of the Pacific Ocean, which apart from responding to the instructions given by King Ferdinand to erect villages, became the center of discovery and activity. obtaining wealth, with the departure of expeditions to the isthmus of Central America and Peru. Simultaneously with the founding of Panama, Pedrarias sent his lieutenant Diego de Albítez to repopulate Nombre de Dios in the Atlantic Ocean, a site that had been discovered by Christopher Columbus and occupied with some thatched huts by Nicuesa in 1510. Between the two ports, there was established the Camino Real de Nombre de Dios, a land route that crossed the Isthmus of Panama for the transport of goods and precious metals between the two oceans.

Gaspar de Espinosa in the company of the pilot Juan de Castañeda set out in July 1519 with an expedition that would visit the lands of the caciques Paris, Escoria and Chagres, making a reconnaissance of the northern coast of the South Sea, aboard the ships of Balboa, the San Cristóbal and the Santa María de Buena Esperanza. In Punta Burica he disembarks ready to undertake his journey back to Panama by land, while Juan de Castañeda continued his navigation north until he reached the Gulf of Nicoya in Costa Rica. On his way back, Espinosa was capturing indigenous people in order to take them to Panama to be distributed in encomiendas. In 1520, Gaspar de Espinosa established the seat of Natá, in fertile territories, quickly becoming an agricultural center and on the border with Veragua. Pedrarias declares the foundation of Natá on May 20, 1522, which was attacked by the natives led by the powerful chief Urracá, who grouped around him the peoples of the Chiriquí and Veraguas regions, creating an opposition to the Spanish advance in the area for almost a decade. In 1531 the great Indian chief Urracá died.

Pedrarias, interested in finding a marine strait that communicated both seas, dedicated himself to organizing a series of expeditions such as that of Gil González Dávila and Andrés Niño who sailed and disembarked in present-day Costa Rica and later in Nicaragua. Thanks to the indigenous González Dávila, he learned of the existence of two large lakes, Nicaragua and Managua, mistakenly thinking that it was a strait between the seas.

Another expedition organized by Pedrarias was that of Captain Francisco Hernández de Córdoba, accompanied by Gabriel de Rojas, Francisco Campañón and Hernando de Soto, who set out at the end of 1523, with the mission of founding populations throughout the land visited by Gil. González and Andrés Niño. Hernández de Córdoba visited part of Costa Rica and in 1524 founded the seat of Brussels near present-day Puntarenas, on the shores of Lake Cocibolca he founded the city of Granada and north of Lake Managua he erected the seat of León.

In 1523, Hernán Cortés had concluded the conquest of the Aztec Empire and in order to find a passage or strait between the two seas, he sent Pedro de Alvarado to Guatemala and Cristóbal de Olid to present-day Honduras, creating a situation of quarrels with Pedrarias.

By 1526, both the explorations sent by Pedrarias from Panama and those by Cortés from Mexico had shown that the long-awaited strait of the sea did not exist in Central America. By then, six years had passed since Fernando de Magallanes on November 28, 1520, discovered the Strait of Patagones that today bears his name at the southern end of the continent.

On May 20, 1524, Pedrarias authorized the expedition of Francisco Pizarro, Diego de Almagro and the priest Hernando de Luque, which left on November 14 from Panama to conquer Peru.

The Chagres River represented a possibility for the Spanish authorities to serve as part of a navigable trans-isthmian route. For this purpose, in 1527 the Governor Pedro de los Ríos instructed Hernando de la Serna, Miguel de la Cuesta and Pedro Corso to make explorations in the Chagres River, which determined that it was favorable to be used in a way to communicate both seas.

In 1529, �?lvaro de Saavedra Cerón was the first to propose the construction of an interoceanic canal through the Isthmus of Panama, but in 1533 Gaspar de Espinosa wrote to King Carlos I of Spain pointing out that the Chagres River could be made navigable at a very cost. low, being the most useful route in the world, stating that a canal for navigation can be dug. On the orders of the Spanish Crown, other explorations were made in the Chagres River during the Governments of Antonio de la Gama and Francisco de Barrionuevo without encouraging results.

The Camino Real de Nombre de Dios was almost impassable during the rainy season, so a new route was considered. In 1536 the Municipality of Panama was authorized to build a warehouse in Venta Cruz or Cruces on the banks of the Chagres River, seven leagues from Panama City (equivalent to 7 hours of walking, on foot). Faced with the deplorable conditions in which the Camino Real de Nombre de Dios was found, in 1569 the Viceroy of Peru, Francisco de Toledo, ordered the construction of another road that passed through Cruces, which was called Camino Real de Cruces. Most of the old town of Cruces is found under the waters of Gatun Lake in the Panama Canal, although a part of the remains of its old site are still visible at the site of Venta de Cruces.

As a result of the explorations in Central America and Peru, there is a depopulation of the main settlements in the isthmus. This situation is mentioned by Pedro Cieza de León in 1535, in a description of Panama City where he indicates that having the old conquerors died, the new settlers did not think of living in Panama for longer than necessary to become rich, without a view to colonizing and establishing themselves. on the isthmus. Panama ceased to be the usual center of exploration, discoveries and conquest to become the point of passage for precious metals and American products destined for Europe, and at the same time as a trading center for European manufactures with which the Spanish Empire supplied the West Indian markets. The transit route function was the role assumed by the Panamanian territory for little more than two centuries in the Spanish colonial era.

The main objective of the fairs held on the Atlantic coast of the Isthmus of Panama, first in Nombre de Dios in 1544 and from 1597 in Portobelo, had the primary objective of supplying European goods to American markets and sending precious metals from Peru to Spain. The importance of this commercial exchange event is evident in the data provided that indicate that between 1531 and 1660, of all the gold that entered Spain from the New World, 60% crossed the Isthmus of Panama. The last fair was held in Portobelo in 1737.

The introduction of blacks as slaves from Senegal and the Congo, offered resistance as the Indian did before, with uprisings and attacks on the Camino Real de Cruces, by black maroons such as Felipillo and Bayano. The coexistence between white Creoles, Indians and blacks brought a mixture of races to the isthmus.

The Kingdom of Tierra Firme and the Royal Court of Panama Through the Royal Decree of February 30, 1535, the Royal Court of Panama is created and the titles of Governor, Captain General, and President of the Royal Court are confused in the Headquarters of Panama, creating a Central Government for the so-called Kingdom of Tierra Firme, whose jurisdiction included the Governorate of Veragua and the Province of Castilla de Oro up to Buenaventura and the Atrato River.

The Kingdom of Tierra Firme at first constituted an Autonomous government of the existing viceroyalties in the 16th century, later it would be placed under the jurisdiction of New Spain, Viceroyalty of Peru and finally it would be extinguished with the creation of the General Command of Tierra Firme 1751, under the jurisdiction of the Viceroyalty of New Granada.

Several Royal Cédulas of Emperor Carlos I configured the territory:

From February 16, 1533:

From February 30, 1535:

During the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, Panama was the target of constant attacks by pirates, corsairs, filibusters and buccaneers, such as Francis Drake, who suffered a final defeat against Spanish troops in 1596, and Henry Morgan, as well as some Scottish attempts to colonize. the Darien, in territories called by them as New Caledonia.

By 1746 the South Sea fleets were using the Cape Horn route, which although longer in distance, turned out to be safer. In 1753, the registry ships were allowed to use the port of Buenos Aires and with the reforms of Carlos III in 1764, the ports of Spain and the Indies began to open to trade, which meant economic prostration for the Isthmus. The fields acquire economic importance weakening urban life.

The need to implement the economization of the expenses of the government of Tierra Firme and to put an end to the state of agitation in which the intemperance of the Oidores kept the country, determined the definitive extinction of the Court of the Hearing of Panama by Certificate of June 20 of 1751 and therefore of the Kingdom of Tierra Firme. The Territories were ruled by a purely military government, under the command of Manuel Montiano, under the authority of the Viceroy of New Granada and, in contentious matters, of the Royal Audience of Santafé. The seat of Panama continued to be a suffragan of the Archbishopric of Lima. and then the General Command of Tierra Firme was created, whose limits were preserved from the Atrato to the boundaries of the Captaincy of Guatemala, including the provinces of Panama, Darien, Veraguas and Portobelo.

The separatist movements transform the isthmus into an exporter of royalist armies, since the situation in Spain and its viceroyalties had worsened and the movements were leading to separatist wars.

The independence of the 13 Colonies from the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1776 to become the United States, increased the independence movements of Spain by several Panamanians, who advocated a regime of commercial and civil liberties, against the worn out monarchical regime. In 1812 the Viceroyalty of the Isthmus of Panama was established in response to smuggling and reestablishing trade through the isthmus.

The Napoleonic invasion of Spain and the victories of Simón Bolívar in Boyacá weaken the power of the Spanish crown in America, impoverishing commerce on the isthmus. In 1815, Simón Bolívar in his prophetic letter from Jamaica speaks of the association of the states from the Isthmus of Panama to Guatemala in a single nation, which is viewed with admiration by Panamanians.

Spain's independence
The Panamanian movement for independence from the Spanish Crown has specific references that began on November 10, 1821 with the events of the First Cry of Independence in the Villa de Los Santos, the legend of Rufina Alfaro and the acts of Colonel Segundo de Villareal, which had the support of other populations such as Natá, Penonomé, Ocú and Parita.

The royalist army of Panama City was under the command of Colonel José de Fábrega, a native of Veraguas, which was taken advantage of by the isthmeans, obtaining the complicity of Colonel Fábrega, patriotic societies and the clergy, who contributed financially to the movement. On November 28, the City Council convened a Cabildo Abierto and in a solemn act, in the presence of the military, civil and ecclesiastical authorities, and in the absence of the middle commanders and the soldiers of the royalist army, which at that time was fighting against the independence forces of Antonio José de Sucre in Quito, the ties that tied the Isthmus of Panama with Spain were declared broken. Among the illustrious figures were José Higinio Durán y Martell, Bishop of Panama, Carlos de Icaza Arosemena, Mariano Arosemena, Juan de Herrera, Narciso de Urriola, José de Alba, Gregorio Gómez, Manuel María Ayala, Antonio Planas, Juan Pío Victorias, Antonio Bermejo, Gaspar Arosemena and Casimiro del Bal.

On November 30, 1821, the war frigates Test and Vengeance arrived at the Bay of Panama accompanied to search for the rest of the Spanish troops. The Spanish captains José de Villegas and Joaquín de Soroa signed a peace treaty with General José de Fábrega (promoted to General and appointed civil and military chief of the isthmus by Simón Bolívar) on January 4, 1822, between the Spanish monarchy and the patriots where they agree not to aggression to the territories of the isthmus and the withdrawal of the troops and all the ships of the Spanish Crown of the new isthmus nation.

The lack of budget, the little military weapons that were available and the insecurity of being reconquered by Spain, endangers continuing with the independence adventure of the isthmus, so they propose the union with some of the new American nations, Among them the neighbors of the Central American union and Peru, which that same year had declared themselves independent, on September 15 and July 28, respectively, However, Panamanian patriots admiring the leadership and vision of Simón Bolívar, for the previous membership of the isthmus to the Viceroyalty of New Granada, they take the measure of voluntarily joining Gran Colombia, a new nation ratified that same year at the Cúcuta congress. under the ideals of Bolívar.

Union to Gran Colombia
Declared its independence from Spain, on November 28, 1821, the rulers of Panama made the decision to voluntarily join Gran Colombia, which was made up of the territories that belonged to the Viceroyalty of New Granada, which included the royal audience of Panama already belonged.

The Amphictyonic Congress of June 1826, under the ideal of Simón Bolívar, brought together in Panama City representatives of the new countries of the American continent such as Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Central America, the United States, Colombia, Chile, Mexico and Peru. as a confederation in defense of the continent against possible actions of the League of the Holy Alliance made up of the European powers and their claims of lost territories in America.

In 1826, the same year that the famous Bolivarian International Congress was held in the Isthmus capital, Panama rejected the Bolivarian constitution. Furthermore, this remarkable event was not an obstacle for the first attempt at separation to take place in that year. It happens that the Colombian congress ignored the requests for commercial franchises for the isthmus, which frustrated the aspirations of the isthmus merchants. Consequently, a separatist movement arose to turn Panama into a Hanseatic country, under the protection of the United Kingdom and the United States. The movement was, however, repressed by the Colombian military stationed in the isthmus.

In 1830, a movement occurred that attempted to separate Panama from Greater Colombia, which was going through political chaos. This enormous country was dissolved in the late 1820s and early 1830s, due to the political differences that existed between supporters of federalism and centralism, as well as regional tensions between the peoples that made up the republic. Venezuela and Ecuador made the decision to separate from the confederation, General Antonio José de Sucre had been assassinated and Bolívar desisted from the government. General José Domingo Espinar, Military Commander of the Isthmus, declared the separation of Panama on September 26, 1830, not agreeing with the instability of the government of Joaquín Mosquera, Bolívar's successor. Espinar offers Bolívar the government of the isthmus, to fight for the adhesion of the other countries of the confederation, however Bolívar was ill and declines the offer, asking Espinar to reintegrate the Isthmus back to Colombia. Panama was reintegrated into the confederation on December 11, 1830.

General Fábrega did not support Espinar's decision to reinstate the isthmus and left for Veraguas, leaving Colonel Juan Eligio Alzuru in charge of military control of Panama City. Espinar's enemies convince Alzuru to imprison him and send him into exile. With the idea of ​​proclaiming himself a dictator, Alzuru seeks support from the Panamanian people and their nationalist sense, resulting in the Separation of Panama on July 9, 1831. Alzuru became a dictator and loses the support of the Panamanian population. Upon arrival at the isthmus of Colonel Tomás Herrera, in cooperation with Fábrega and other illustrious Panamanians, Alzuru was arrested and shot. Months later, the nation of the isthmus returns to New Granada. However, the lack of leadership of Simón Bolívar, shows among Panamanians that being part of the Republic of New Granada was unnecessary, thus creating societies and parties with separatist ideals in Panama.

Union of Panama to the Republic of New Granada
Separated from Gran Colombia, the departments that made up the northern and southern regions, two new countries emerged called the State of Venezuela and the State of Ecuador.

The Provinces that geographically occupied the central part of the disintegrated Gran Colombia, which at that time comprised the old departments of Boyacá, Cauca, Cundinamarca, Magdalena and Istmo decided to form a new State.

Through the Agreement of Apulo (carried out on April 28, 1831), General Rafael Urdaneta, the last president of Gran Colombia, handed over command to Domingo Caicedo (May 3, 1831). The provisional name adopted by the Republic of Granada from that moment on, was proclaimed as the State of New Granada.

On February 29, 1832, the National Convention, made up of the representatives of the provinces of Antioquia, Barbacoas, Bogotá, Cartagena, Mompós, Neiva, Pamplona, ​​Panama, Pasto, Popayán, Socorro, Tunja, Vélez and Veraguas, sanctioned a new constitution Through which the country was called the Republic of New Granada.

Separation of Panama from New Granada and the Creation of the State of the Isthmus of 1840 The State of the Isthmus was a former independent republic that encompassed the Isthmus of Panama; it was constituted on November 18, 1840, separating from the Republic of New Granada.

With the exception of the definitive separation in 1903, it would be the most successful of the separation attempts that Panama would have. Its only head of state was General Tomás Herrera. Independence was not recognized by New Granada, although it was recognized internationally by Costa Rica.

The Granada war of 1839 under the command of General José María Obando, who 10 years ago assassinated Sucre, launched the region into an armed conflict, which the inhabitants of the isthmus felt alien and preferred to avoid. Desisting from entering the war, a popular junta was created, meeting in Panama City on November 18, 1840, to declare the separation of Panama from New Granada for the second time, under the name of the State of the Isthmus. Headed by Colonel Tomás Herrera, the first Panamanian constitution is written, the economy and political institutions of the nation are organized. Costa Rica and the US recognized the new country. After months of negotiation, the Bogotá government managed to convince Colonel Herrera to reintegrate the isthmus under the agreement not to punish the isthmus secessionists. Ignoring what was agreed upon, once the isthmus was reinstated, Colonel Herrera was banished and removed from the military ranks.

When the Isthmus of Panama was reintegrated to New Granada in 1841, the New Granada authorities contemplated the idea of ​​negotiating with the United Kingdom, France and the United States, guarantees for New Granada to maintain control and sovereignty over the Isthmus of Panama and their habitants. With that purpose, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of New Granada, Manuel María Mallarino and the US business manager Benjamin Bidlack, signed the Mallarino-Bidlack treaty on December 12, 1846, in which New Granada requested the United States. To guarantee the possession and sovereignty of the Isthmus of Panama, offering in exchange advantages for the transport through Panamanian territory of its merchandise, mail and passengers. Likewise, the United States is committed to guaranteeing the neutrality of the isthmus and free transit between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, leading to the entry of the US Army into Panamanian territory and opening the door to interventionism in Panama. With this treaty, relations between Panama and the United States were formally initiated, resulting in a delay in the separation of the Isthmus of Panama from New Granada, by preventing emancipation movements during the second half of the 19th century.

Second Separation of Panama from New Granada
In 1850, General José Domingo Espinar and E. A. Teller, editor of the newspaper "Panama Echo", carried out a revolution in the early morning of September 29, which ended with the second separation of Panama from New Granada. Obaldia, governor of the Isthmus, did not agree with this separation since he saw the isthmus not yet prepared to assume control of its destiny, convincing them to desist and rejoin the isthmus again.

The centralist structure that had been implanted in the Republic of New Granada after the dissolution of Gran Colombia and that was ratified by the constitution of 1843, was quickly affected by the separatist feelings of the different regions of the country, particularly in those very far from the capital, such as those found on the isthmus of Panama, which demanded internal autonomy.

Justo Arosemena, statesman elected representative of the Isthmus before the Grenadian Congress, considered the main theoretician of Panamanian nationality, achieved on February 27, 1855, that the creation of the Federal State of Panama was incorporated into the constitution, through a Legislative Act. , the first federal state within New Granada: Panama.

The gold rush in California, produced the migration of travelers from all over the world through various routes, making Panama the shortest and most feasible route between the east and west of the American continent, making the idea of ​​the construction of roads resume communication such as canals and railways for the passage of goods and passengers. The rights for the construction and administration of the work by the United States in Panamanian territory were negotiated by the government of Bogotá through the Paredes-Stephens Agreement. On January 28, 1855, the Panama railway was inaugurated by the president of New Granada, the Panamanian José de Obaldia, as one of the most important engineering works of that time that crossed the isthmus. Under the leadership of William J. Aspinwall, John L. Stephens, and James L. Baldwin, the construction of the railroad is completed, demonstrating great courage and resistance to heavy labor and fighting disease.

On April 15, 1856, a series of violent events occurred between Panamanians and Americans known as the "watermelon slice" incident. American Jack Olivier decides to buy a slice of watermelon from the Panamanian José Manuel Luna, which he ate and for which he refused to pay a real or 5 cents. This sparked an argument that ended when Olivier drew a gun and fired, then escaping from the scene. This caused a fight between Panamanians and Americans, where the railway facilities were set on fire, causing the US soldiers to repress the Panamanian population, with a balance of 16 American dead and 2 Panamanian dead. The United States government accused the New Granada Police of having sided with Panamanians and allowing them to raid and loot American property, indicating their inability to maintain order and provide adequate protection for American transit through Panama.

On September 19 of that year, the US Army landed a military detachment to protect the railway station and restore order in Panama City. This occupation is considered the first case of armed intervention in Panama by the US government, in order to guarantee neutrality and free transit through the isthmus. On September 10, 1857, the New Granada government accepted its guilt and signed the Herran-Cass Treaty, paying compensation of US $ 412,394 (US dollars in gold), for the damages caused by the Panamanians.

The Sovereign State of Panama within the United States of Colombia Through the Political Constitution of Colombia of 1863, Panama became a Sovereign State under the scheme that constituted the United States of Colombia a federalist nation.

On July 5, 1874, the Compagnie Universelle du Canal Interocéanique was founded by Count De Lesseps, with the purpose of building a level canal through Panama. The French began the work in January 1881, but the great expenses and the little existing control, added to the ignorance of the form of transmission of diseases in the region such as yellow fever and malaria became the main obstacle for the construction of the channel. Among the highly skilled workers who came to the isthmus for the construction of the canal from France was the French engineer Phillipe Bunau-Varilla, a graduate of the École Polytechnique and the École de Ponts et Chaussées, who at the age of 27 is appointed Acting Chief of the Canal Company.

The Compagnie Universelle du Canal de Panama was intervened and liquidated on September 15, 1889. As probable causes to explain the failure, mismanagement, corruption, high mortality from tropical diseases and the non-acceptance by Count de Lesseps of no change the level canal project for one of locks, as an alternative and engineering recommendation to complete the work. In desperate efforts to save the company's money, Bunau-Varilla is authorized to sell assets and rights in the isthmus to the United States. The French adventure on the isthmus lasted ten years at a cost of approximately 1,400 million francs and a loss of human life close to 20,000 dead.

With the Political Constitution of Colombia of 1886, Panama became a department of the Republic of Colombia, subject to the direct authority of the Government, and administered according to special laws. Between 1899 and 1902 the War of the Thousand Days between liberals broke out and conservatives, turning the isthmus into a bloody battlefield where a large part of the Panamanian youth die, as reflected in the battles of the Calidonia Bridge in July 1900 and that of Aguadulce in February 1901. On November 22, 1902 conservatives and liberals signed in the American warship "Wisconsin", the pact called "Peace of the Wisconsin", where the conflict is ended. In November 1902, Victoriano Lorenzo was captured, arguing that he did not share the peace agreement and that he would take up arms again. The Colombian government, fearful that the Panamanian guerrilla would be released, decides to sentence him to death, presenting him as a common criminal. On May 15, 1903, the liberal caudillo Victoriano Lorenzo was executed in Panama City. His body was never released to his family and friends.

In January 1903 the Herran-Hay Treaty was signed between the United States and Colombia to finalize the construction of the canal through Panamanian territory, which was later not ratified by the Colombian Senate on August 12.

Separation from Colombia
Although it is true that Panamanian independence from Spain was a movement alien to the Bolivarian revolution, the voluntary union of the isthmus with Gran Colombia, in search of a better future under the leadership of Simón Bolívar, was a decision taken by the isthmus in 1821, which was marked by the adverse situations experienced in the different Colombian republics such as civil wars, political confrontations and a bad economic situation.

After 17 attempts at separation and 4 declared separations with a subsequent reintegration to Colombia, the failure of the canal's construction by the French, the Thousand Days War transferred to Panamanian territory, the execution of the liberal leader Victoriano Lorenzo, the The Colombian Senate's rejection38 of the Herrán-Hay treaty for the construction of the interoceanic canal by the United States serves as a trigger for a new separatist movement led by José Agustín Arango, Manuel Amador Guerrero, Carlos Constantino Arosemena, General Nicanor A. De Obarrio, Ricardo Arias, Federico Boyd, Tomás Arias and Manuel Espinosa Batista.

According to some historians, the Isthmus politician José Agustín Arango secretly conspired with Wall Street investors to prepare the separatist movement and formed a clandestine revolutionary junta destined to separate the isthmus from Colombian sovereignty, and thus be able to negotiate directly with the United States the construction of the interoceanic canal through Panama, since the United States explored the possibility of building the road between Nicaragua and Costa Rica. For his part, Manuel Amador Guerrero secretly traveled to the United States in search of support for the plan. Likewise, the movement obtained in Panama the support of important liberal leaders and the support of the military commander Esteban Huertas, agreeing to implement the separatist plan for an undefined day in November 1903.

Insistent rumors about a movement in Panama City led Colombia to mobilize the Tiradores Battalion from Barranquilla, with instructions to replace Governor José Domingo de Obaldia and General Esteban Huertas, who no longer enjoyed the confidence of the Bogotá government.

On the morning of November 3, 1903, the Shooter Battalion landed in Ciudad de Colón, under the command of Generals Juan B. Tovar and Ramón G. Amaya. The armed contingent had to be transported to Panama City through the Panama Railroad, who acted in complicity with the separatist movement. However, the generals and high officials agreed to transport themselves to Panama City without their troops.

Once they arrived in Panama City, Tovar, Amaya, and their officers were arrested on the orders of General Esteban Huertas, who commanded the Colombia Battalion, whose leadership they intended to replace.

General Huertas' decision to support the separatist movement and arrest the Colombian generals depended on the support provided by General Domingo Díaz who, together with the people of the Santa Ana suburb, took up arms, forming an army of more than a thousand Panamanians ready to defend the separation. The naval fleet anchored in the bay of Panama surrendered without offering resistance.

In Colón, the troops of the Shooter Battalion remained under the command of Colonel Eliseo Torres, who were subdued by the separatist forces and forced to set sail from the isthmus to Colombia.

Panama City was in shock and in the neighborhoods the shouts of celebration and celebration of the nascent Republic of Panama could be heard. On the night of November 3, 1903, the Municipal Council of Panama City, chaired by Demetrio H. Brid, met under the will of the people to be free and to establish their own, independent, and sovereign government, without the subordination of Colombia, under the name of the Republic of Panama, a decision that immediately found support in the rest of the country in the following days in towns such as Natá de los Caballeros, Chitré, Soná, Santiago de Veraguas, among others. Given the emergence of a de facto government, Demetrio H. Brid then became the first de facto President of the Republic of Panama.

The Municipal Council of Panama, through its President, established a Provisional Government Board on November 4, being made up of José Agustín Arango (President), Federico Boyd and Tomás Arias, who held office until February 19, 1904 when the National Constituent Convention appointed Manuel Amador Guerrero as the first Constitutional President of the Republic of Panama.

There were several attempts by the Colombian government to reverse the separation of the isthmus, from high-level meetings between representatives of Bogotá and Panama City, political offers such as the approval of the canal treaty that had been rejected and the transfer of the capital of Colombia to Panama City, as well as a failed military invasion attempt through the Darien jungles and even the invocation of the Mallarino-Bidlack treaty that required the United States to militarily submit the Panamanian people in order to reestablish Colombian sovereignty over the isthmus. However, the decision for Panamanians was already made and the Republic of Panama was quickly recognized by Latin American nations, the United States and the European powers.

On March 30, 1922, the United States Congress ratified the Thompson-Urrutia treaty, a treaty that was signed in 1914, which granted Colombia an indemnity of 25 million dollars, with the purpose of "eliminating all the disagreements produced by the political events that occurred in Panama in 1903 ", in addition to granting Colombia the right to free transit through the canal for warships and troops. As a result of said treaty, the exchange of ambassadors, Nicolás Victoria Jaén for Panama and Guillermo Valencia for Colombia, which marks the beginning of diplomatic relations and the recognition of both countries.

Republican era
Once the Separation of Panama from Colombia was declared, the new government, through its plenipotentiary ambassador Philippe-Jean Bunau-Varilla, achieved the signing of a treaty for the construction of an interoceanic canal through the isthmus with the government of the United States of America. . The Hay-Bunau Varilla Treaty allowed the construction of the road that had been left unfinished by the French group of Ferdinand de Lesseps and the government of Colombia. The amazing engineering work was completed in 1914 using advanced technology for the time such as electric motors with reduction systems to move the lock gates, railroad track systems to mobilize the tons of excavated material and the construction of Gatun Lake, the largest artificial lake in the world up to that time. Some aspects of public health were relevant since they were considered as one of the obstacles that led to the failure of the French company. The sanitation and fumigation of the areas, as well as the reconstruction of the aqueducts and sewers of the cities of Panama and Colón were decisive.

The canal treaties granted the administration of a 10-mile wide strip of land along the interoceanic route to the government of the United States, which even though the sovereignty of Panama was recognized, generated situations of conflict between both nations in subsequent decades.

The political controversies arising from the interpretation of the treaties were considered a threat to Panamanian sovereignty and accentuated the differences between the authorities of the Isthmus and those of the Canal Zone. In 1914, President Belisario Porras raised for the first time the need for a new treaty on the Panama Canal.

The Arias-Roosevelt Treaty of 1936, signed by Presidents Harmodio Arias Madrid of Panama and Franklin Delano Roosevelt of the United States, annuls the principle of US military intervention in the internal affairs of the Panamanian state, changing the legal concept of a country protected by States. United to guarantee their independence.

In 1948, the Colon Free Zone was created as an autonomous institution of the Panamanian state, by President Enrique A. Jiménez, through a free zone that takes advantage of the geographical position, port resources and the canal as a passageway for world shipping routes. The signing of the Remón-Eisenhower Treaty of 1955, between Presidents José Antonio Remón Cantera of Panama and Dwight David Eisenhower of the United States, grants new economic advantages and the payment of leases to Panama for the canal.

The Bridge of the Americas, the structure on the Panama Canal that connects the isthmus by land, was inaugurated on October 12, 1962.

On January 9, 1964, students from the National Institute lead a movement that demands the raising of the Panamanian flag along with the American one in the canal area, according to the Chiari-Kennedy agreements of 1962, ending in student riots and confrontations with the population. civil. As a measure to control the situation, the governor of the Canal Zone authorizes the US military to open fire on Panamanian civilians, leaving 21 dead and more than 300 wounded. The President of Panama Roberto F. Chiari, in an unprecedented situation in the American continent, breaks diplomatic relations with the United States of America and declares that they will not restart until it is agreed to open negotiations for a new treaty. In April of that year, both nations resumed diplomatic relations and US President Lyndon Johnson agreed to begin talks with the purpose of eliminating the causes of conflict between the two nations.

In 1965, Panama and the United States signed the Robles-Johnson Declaration, between Presidents Marco Aurelio Robles of Panama and Lyndon Johnson of the United States, in which topics such as canal administration, exploration for a level canal by a new route, and the defense of the waterway.

On October 11, 1968, just a few days after Arnulfo Arias Madrid assumed the presidency, the middle commanders of the National Guard, led by Boris Martínez, carried out a coup, in the official statement the coup plotters indicated that: the attempt to Violating the popular will in the legislative elections, as well as the illegal integration of the Electoral Tribunal, had led them to adopt the decision to assume power through a provisional government that would prepare the return to democratic order establishing the beginning of a military dictatorship that it brought exiles, assassinations, disappearances and corruption to the country. A year later, Brigadier General Omar Torrijos assumes command of the National Guard. In 1972, the military government of General Torrijos issued a new Political Constitution in which he was recognized as the leader of the revolutionary process of October 11 and head of the Panamanian state; in 1977, General Torrijos as head of State of Panama and the president Jimmy Carter, signed the Torrijos-Carter Treaties that establish the handover of the administration of the Panama Canal and the closure of all US military bases in the territory of Panama.

Torrijos implemented a populist policy, with the inauguration of schools and the creation of jobs, the redistribution of agricultural land (which was the most popular measure of his government). The reforms were accompanied by a major public works program. It also faces the North American multinationals, which are demanding wage increases for workers and the redistribution of 180,000 hectares of uncultivated land. In February 1974, following the OPEC model for oil, it tried to form the Union of Banana Exporting Countries with the other Central American states to respond to the influence of these multinationals, but did not obtain their support. His policy promotes the emergence of a middle class and the representation of indigenous communities. In 1981 General Torrijos died in a plane crash.

In August 1983, General de Cuatro Estrellas, Manuel Antonio Noriega, was promoted to commander-in-chief of the National Guard, who transformed the armed institution into the Defense Forces of Panama. During the following years, the country is economically blocked by the US and falls into an economic and social recession, as it suffers a contraction of GDP for two years in a row (1987: -1.8), (1988: -13.3 ). In May 1989, by instructions of General Noriega, the electoral results for presidential elections were annulled, suspending the Constitution in September and assuming control of the Panamanian nation as head of the War Cabinet, declaring Panama in a state of war with According to Panamanian national sources, social institutions, government agencies, and civil society, there are estimates that there were almost 3,000 fatalities among soldiers of the Panama Defense Forces and the civilian population.

The Commission for the Defense of Human Rights in Central America estimated between 2,500 and 3,000 civilian deaths and the Commission for the Defense of Human Rights in Panama estimated the number of civilian deaths at 3,500.

On December 20, 1989, the US Army invaded Panama, capturing General Noriega who was brought before the US courts, marking the end of the military dictatorship in Panama.

Guillermo Endara Galimany, winner of the 1989 elections that were annulled by General Noriega, assumes the position of president and restores constitutional order. On February 10, 1990, the government of President Endara issued an executive decree in which it reorganized the police force. According to the executive decree, the Defense Forces of Panama were abolished retroactively to December 22, 1989 and in in its place, a National Police, a National Maritime Service, a National Air Service and an Institutional Protection Service were created, later on November 15, 1992 a referendum on constitutional reforms was held, including the abolition of the Army, which was rejected by almost 60% of the votes, some time later, the old Legislative Assembly approved the abolition of the army, which led the nation for the first time since 1968 to a transparent electoral process in 1994, where the opposition candidate Ernesto Pérez wins Balladares.

Mireya Moscoso, widow of former President Arnulfo Arias, wins the elections in 1999, becoming the first woman to preside over the Panamanian government. On December 31, 1999, 22 years after the signing of the Torrijos-Carter treaty, the Republic of Panama assumes full control of the Panama Canal.

In May 2004 Martín Torrijos Espino, son of General Omar Torrijos, wins the elections. He held the position from September of the same year, until June 30, 2009.

On July 1, 2009, businessman Ricardo Martinelli took possession of the government administration until 2014. In February 2011, the vice president and former foreign minister, Juan Carlos Varela, announced that the extradition of Manuel Antonio Noriega was a fact. For its part, the United States Department of Justice reported that it had no problems for Noriega to return to the country, where he would answer to justice for various crimes committed.

In the presidential elections of May 4, 2014, Juan Carlos Varela was elected as president and Isabel Saint Malo as vice president, by the "El Pueblo Primero" alliance made up of the Panameñista Party and the Popular Party, with the 39, 1% of the votes (724 762 votes). Varela succeeded Martinelli as president of Panama on July 1, 2014.

Government
The Republic of Panama is an Independent and Sovereign State, settled in its own territory, where the individual and social rights established in the Political Constitution are observed and respected. The will of the majority is represented by free suffrage.

Public Power emanates from the people and is exercised through three Bodies: Legislative; Executive and Judicial, harmonized in separation, united in cooperation and limited by the classic system of checks and balances.

Geography
The most dominant features of Panama are the forested, volcanic-in-origin, mountains that extend from its Costa Rican border to Colombia, South America. Significant ranges include the lengthy Central Mountains, as well as the San Blas, Talamanca, and TBsara.

The sandy beach coastlines of Panama merge into forested lowlands that rise into the foothills of the inland mountain ranges.

The eastern third of Panama (the Darien province) is a sparsely populated land of rain forests, rivers and swampy lowlands bordered by high mountain peaks. The Darian Gap, fronting the border with Colombia, is an inhospitable, almost impassable thick jungle.

The northern coastline is ringed by the hundreds of small islands that form the Bocas del Torro and San Blas Archipelagos. Significant islands along the southern coastlines include the Pearl Islands (of Survivor fame), Taboga, Cebaco, and Coiba.

Hundreds of rivers drain the land, mostly small; significant ones include the Charges, Chepo, Chucunague, San Pablo, Santa Maria, and Tuira.

Total area of Panama is 75,417 km2.

Family
Italy - great grandparent Greece - great grandparent Spain - grandparent Portugal-Pictogram.png Portugal - pibling Bolivia-Pictogram.png Bolivia - sibling Colombia-Pictogram.png Colombia - parent Costa Rica-Pictogram.png Costa Rica - sibling Ecuador-Pictogram.png Ecuador - pibling Venezuela-Pictogram.png Venezuela - pibling Cuba-Pictogram.png Cuba - sibling Mexico-Pictogram.png Mexico - sibling Argentina-Pictogram.png Argentina - sibling Brazil-Pictogram.png Brazil - cousin Chile-Pictogram.png Chile - sibling Peru-Pictogram.png Peru - sibling El Salvador-Pictogram.png El Salvador - sibling Honduras-Pictogram.png Honduras - sibling Nicaragua-Pictogram.png Nicaragua - sibling Guatemala-Pictogram.png Guatemala - sibling Paraguay-Pictogram.png Paraguay - sibling Uruguay-Pictogram.png Uruguay - half-sibling United States-Pictogram.png United States - sibling Belgium-Pictogram.png Belgium - sibling Philippines-Pictogram.png Philippines - stepsibling Puerto Rico-Pictogram.png Puerto Rico - sibling Dominican Republic-Pictogram.png Dominican Republic - sibling Haiti-Pictogram.png Haiti - sibling Jamaica-Pictogram.png Jamaica - sibling

Friends
Costa Rica-Pictogram.png Costa Rica United States-Pictogram.png United States Argentina-Pictogram.png Argentina Chile-Pictogram.png Chile Brazil-Pictogram.png Brazil Paraguay-Pictogram.png Paraguay Uruguay-Pictogram.png Uruguay Mexico Canada

Neutral
Venezuela

Enemies
Spanish Empire

Opinions
WIP

Trivia
WIP

Gallery
WIP

Trivia

 * Panama is mostly seen with Costa Rica.
 * Panama is often drawn with hoodies, although the climate in the country is actually very hot most of the time.
 * Costa Rica can be considered Panama's best friend, as the two get along really well, often seen as a great example of a relationship between two countries.