Panamá Viejo Cathedral Tower
Spanish colonial builders (individual architects not recorded) · Panama City, Panama · 1626
The ruined cathedral tower at Panamá Viejo is one of the clearest surviving markers of the original Panama City. Its masonry height contrasts with the lower archaeological remains around it, making the former urban centre visible within today's metropolitan landscape. The cathedral belonged to a larger colonial settlement destroyed in the seventeenth century. Walking the surrounding grounds helps reconnect the tower with streets, religious buildings and public spaces, giving it a different meaning from that of an isolated scenic ruin. Visiting: The cathedral remains are inside the ticketed archaeological site. The date refers to the historic cathedral campaign.