Cathedral Basilica of Santa Maria la Antigua – Panama

While we were staying in Panama City, we made our way to an older section of the city known as Casco Viejo. It sits right along the water on a small peninsula, not far from the modern skyline. Just beyond these old buildings, you can see the tall, glass towers of the newer city, but here the streets are narrower and buildings are older.

Panama City was actually twice built twice. The original city, founded in the early 1500s, became an important center for trade, but in 1671 it was destroyed during an attack led by the privateer Henry Morgan. After that, the Spanish did not rebuild on the same site but instead moved the city to this more protected location and began again.

At the center of this new city, they built a new cathedral: The Metropolitan Cathedral Basilica of Santa Maria la Antigua. It was not a reconstruction of the original church, but a fresh beginning. Still, they carried the name forward, linking the new city to the one that had been lost.

In an open square in the old city, stands this cathedral, with its three doors and twin towers. It is the natural heart of the city. This place reflects Spain’s nearly 300 years of influence.