Morgan's march on Panama
Panamá Viejo, Panama
What happened
In 1670 the Welsh privateer Henry Morgan sailed from Jamaica to attack Spanish Panama. His force captured Fort San Lorenzo at the mouth of the Chagres River, then went up the river and across the isthmus. On 28 January 1671 they defeated the Spanish militia outside Panama City, and a fire destroyed the city.
Why it matters
Panama City was the first permanent European settlement on the Pacific coast of the Americas. The attack came after England and Spain had signed a peace treaty, though Morgan later said he had not known of it.
What came next
Morgan was arrested and sent to London in 1672 to calm Spain's anger, but he was knighted in 1674 and returned to Jamaica as its lieutenant governor. Panama City was rebuilt a few kilometres to the west, and the ruins of the old city, Panama Viejo, became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997.
Did you know?
Accounts disagree about who started the fire: some say Morgan's men did, and others say a Spanish officer ordered the gunpowder magazines blown up.
Timeline
- 15 August 1519Pedro Arias Davila founds Panama City.
- 1670Jamaica's governor commissions Morgan to act against Spain.
- 28 January 1671Morgan's force defeats the defenders outside Panama City.
- 1672Morgan is arrested and sent to London.
- 1997Panama Viejo becomes a UNESCO World Heritage Site.