Introducing Colón Province
The mere mention of Colón sends shivers down the spines of travelers and Panamanians, but there is more to the province than its notorious capital. Stretching along the Caribbean coast from Veraguas Province in the west to the Comarca de Kuna Yala in the east, Colón Province is mostly undeveloped and virtually inaccessible, but steeped in a rich, accessible history.
During the colonial era, gold and silver bound for Spain were stored at the Caribbean coastal towns of Nombre de Dios and Portobelo. These were once the world’s wealthiest cities, attracting scores of pirates. In 1572 the English privateer Francis Drake sailed into Nombre de Dios and plundered its riches before reducing the city to ashes. In 1739 Portobelo was sacked by Admiral Edward Vernon, forcing Spain to finally abandon the Panama crossing in favor of sailing around Cape Horn. Today, the ruined city of Portobelo and the nearby fortress of Fuerte San Lorenzo stand as testaments to the faded glory of the Spanish empire.
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