Why go
Understanding that move makes both historic areas easier to read. Panamá Viejo shows the footprint of the first Pacific settlement; Casco Viejo shows how the city rebuilt on a more defensible peninsula. The contrast gives a clear starting point for exploring Panama City.
The full story
The Spanish founded the first city in 1519 at the site now known as Panamá Viejo. Its Pacific position made it a departure point for expeditions to Peru and a stage in the movement of gold and silver across the isthmus toward Caribbean ports. The ruins left there are the remains of a working colonial city, not the old quarter seen in many street photographs. After Henry Morgan's attack and the fire of 1671, the city was rebuilt several kilometres to the southwest. Its new site, established in 1673, was a peninsula that could be defended more easily. That later settlement is Casco Viejo, also called Casco Antiguo. Its streets and buildings reflect centuries of change beyond the original colonial plan. Visiting the two places in that order turns a simple before-and-after story into a visible journey across the city.