Why go
The ruins give a physical starting point for Panama City's story. They show where the early Pacific settlement stood before the city moved, and make the distinction between Panamá Viejo and the later Casco Viejo unmistakable when planning visits to both sites.
The full story
The settlement at Panamá Viejo was founded in 1519 under Pedro Arias Dávila. Its position on the Pacific made it a base for expeditions toward Peru and part of a trading route that carried precious metals across the isthmus to Caribbean ports. The surviving archaeological fabric belongs to that first city, even though the name can sound similar to Casco Viejo. In 1671, Henry Morgan's force attacked and sacked the city. A fire destroyed it, but accounts differ over who started the blaze. The essential consequence is clear: Panama City was rebuilt several kilometres away on a peninsula that could be defended more easily. That second site became Casco Viejo. The ruins therefore explain an urban move, not merely a dramatic pirate story. Look at the remains as the footprint of a city that once connected the Pacific to trans-isthmus trade. Then compare them with the street network and civic buildings of the rebuilt quarter. The two sites are related, but they are not the same place.