Panamá Viejo

Panama Viejo is the oldest continuously occupied European settlement on the Pacific coast of the Americas, founded on August 15, 1519 by Pedro Arias Davila. The ruins cover 32 hectares preserving early colonial urban planning with a rudimentary grid pattern. Archaeological excavations have uncovered evidence of pre-Columbian Cuevan peoples, demonstrating over 700 years of pre-Hispanic occupation before European contact. The city was sacked and burned in 1671 by English pirate Henry Morgan, after which residents relocated 7.5 km southeast to found Casco Antiguo. UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997, extended in 2003.