Wandering Historic Casco Viejo

If you're like me, and have a photography fetish for very old dilapidated architecture, you'll simply be in heaven when wandering the streets of Panama's old town. No visit to Panama City is complete without a trip to the historic district known as Casco Viejo. This area of the city is jam packed with history. You can feel it oozing from the numerous four century old buildings and cobblestone streets. Long neglected, the area became a notorious slum for what seems a century. Once UNESCO inscribed this area as a World Heritage Site, someone had the bright idea of creating a massive restoration project. As a result, Casco Viejo is currently caught in a funky time warp. The distant past, the recent past, the present, and the future of Panama co-exist in this remarkable location. The restoration projects are plentiful, and provide a glimpse of the future of the area. Swank restaurants,
boutique hotels, gift shops and art galleries pepper the cityscape, lending an upscale urban chic vibe among a vast poor local residential area, that for generations have called this barrio home. Walking down any one of what seems an infinite number of narrow streets, I'm treated to a voyeur's delight. The huge arched front doorways are left open, as local residence go about their daily lives, oblivious to (or just ignoring?) the many camera toting tourist.


The french and Spanish colonial style is characteristic of the area, and photo ops are abundant. I am particularly fond of the massive abandoned architecture completely gutted out at least a century ago. Ferns and vines climb walls and fill staircases. Whole rooms, once grand parlors or cathedrals, now reclaimed by vegetation. The flora now call these buildings home. This can only be viewed from the street, through an elaborate cast iron gate. It's actually the coolest urban landscaping motif I've ever seen. It seemingly exists as an unplanned byproduct of decades, if not centuries, of neglect. One of the many dichotomies I contemplate asIwander these streets.






As long as the investment money continues to flow, and the restoration projects continue onward, Casco Viejo is shaping up to be one of the hippest urban neighborhoods on the planet. It took only a few hours hoofing around these cobble-stones alleyways for me to fall in love with this section of Panama City. Prices here have skyrocketed in recent years, due to heavy speculation. It appears there are more buyers willing to hold or flip property, rather that get their hands dirty and make something out of that three century old ruin. Kudos to the visionaries who scale the scafolding to restore 30 ft. arched door ways, recreate 17th century tile work and install modern plumbing. Future travelers will owe a debt of gratitude to these folks for creating a world class destination.

On the other hand, the poor being displaced from the massive gentrification are likely far less grateful. One can only hope, the investment taking place here opens enough opportunities for the people of these barrios to thrive allong with the sawnky clubs, fine dining, and art galleries. It's the energy of the local culture that contribute greatly to the charm of Casco Viejo. Remove too much of it, and the place runs the risk of becoming a contrived tourist trap. It's a fine balance that I hope can be achieved.