Santiago: History

Pre-20th-Century History

Columbus' first three voyages westward towards Asia were in search of land, though his fourth and final voyage was undertaken to find a water passage that would, by his calculations, pass south of Asia into the Indian Ocean. To the north, the admiral had already discovered Cuba, which he believed was part of eastern Asia, while to the south, he had found South America, which he described in his log book as a 'New World'. As a result, Columbus believed that the Atlantic Ocean flowed through a strait between them, and he was determined to find it.

The year was 1502, and the great explorer spent most of it commanding his little worm-eaten fleet up and down the Caribbean coast from Venezuela to Nicaragua. Unable to find a strait, but seeing gold-laden natives in the region, the admiral cast anchor at the mouth of the Río Belén - the river that today constitutes the boundary between Veraguas and Colón Provinces. He was determined not to return to Spain empty-handed.

In February 1503, Columbus gave orders to establish a colony on a hill beside the river's silt-filled mouth. The Quibian, the area's native inhabitants, disapproved. Armed with spears, the tribe massacred an exploratory party that had gone up the Río Belén. When Spanish corpses came floating down the river, Columbus loaded the ships and set sail for Hispaniola (the island of modern-day Dominican Republic and Haiti). In his journal, Columbus wrote: 'I departed, in the name of the Holy Trinity, on Easter night, with the ships rotten, worn out, and eaten with holes'. He died three years later believing he'd seen Asia, unaware that he'd found instead the second-largest landmass on Earth.

The conquistadors, not ones to forget reports of gold in Veraguas, returned to the area two decades later, and eventually overcame the Quibian. They soon found gold, established mines, and in 1560 founded the town of Concepción (which has since disappeared), 10km (6.2mi) west of the Río Belén. African slaves were brought in to extract the gold and to run the smelter, though the mines were completely spent by 1590. Soon after, many miners left for newfound gold deposits in Colombia, while others took to farming throughout Pacific Veraguas and the Península de Azuero.

Explorer and naturalist Berthold Seemann traveled to the isthmus of Panama in 1849 to take samples of flora and fauna. At this time, the population of Santiago and district was around 5000, with the majority being of Spanish ancestry. They bred cattle, manufactured hammocks and, of course, made Panama hats. In addition, some of the wealthier families invested in mining.

Modern History

Throughout the the 20th century, the people of Santiago continued to make their living in agriculture, particularly in cattle ranching. Consequently, it has developed into a center for rural activity.

Recent History

For the casual tourist, there's little reason to stop in Santiago. Most of the town's commerce and services, including stores, banks, gas stations, Internet cafes, restaurants and hotels, are along the Interamericana and Av Central, which splits off from the highway. Another reason for passing through is that Santiago serves as a convenient base for visiting the Iglesia San Francisco de Veraguas (San Francisco of Veraguas Church).

Back to top ^