History of Panamá

Prehistory and the time précolombienne

The oldest traces of cultures précolombiennes to the Panamá go back to approximately 12.000 years. At that time, they lived Cueillette and hunting. Then, towards 3.000 before our era, the men turned gradually to the Agriculture. The hunters and gatherers sédentarisèrent themselves around 1.500 years before our era thanks to the culture of the Maïs.

Perhaps on arrival of the Spaniards, between six hundred and thousand and one million people lived in the area. Various tribes coexisted, they were treated on a hierarchical basis (“clergy”, elite of the army, nobility).

Discovered and Conquest (1501-1539)

Christophe Colomb touches the Panamanian coasts during its fourth voyage, in which it skirts the coasts of the Honduras until the Isthme of Panama. But the first of the Spanish colonizers to traverse grounds Panamanian is the clerk Rodrigo de Bastidas. Rodrigo de Bastidas, with his/her Bartolomé brother and his Fernando son, unloaded in May 1502, with the ships " Capitana" , " Gallega" , " Biscaína" and " Santiago de Palos". After having sought the West-Indian islands, he managed to traverse the coasts which go from the Cape Gracias has Dios (Thanks to God) (Honduras) until Cariari (Puerto Limón in Costa Rica). Colomb arrives at bay of Caribaró (current bay of Almirante) on October 6th, 1502, while continuing towards the lagoon Aburemá (Chiriquí). The October 17th, it arrives on the coasts of Veraguas, where the natives deliver several gold coins to him and it hears of splendid gold mines in the sector. During its course close to the coasts of Veraguas, Colomb arrives at the mouth of the river Calovébora, therefore it passed by the mouth of the river Chagres, previously called of Lagartos, until arriving at Puerto Retrete, (that which Bastidas had called El Escribano). November 2nd, 1502, it arrives at a bay that it subsequently baptized name of Portobelo. With the ambition to find the gold mines of which he had intended to speak, Colomb turns over quickly to the coasts of Veraguas, arriving on January 6th, 1503 at the mouth of a river which the natives called Quiebra (currently called Belén). February 24th, 1503, Colomb founds what would be the first Spanish establishment in continental territory: Santa María de Belén, leaving the load of the latter to his/her Bartolomé brother. Once created the colony, they make a peace treaty with several indigenous tribes, mainly with that of cacic Quibián, which met Colomb on board the one of its ships. The Spanish invaders entered thereafter in conflict with the Indians, Bartolomé having ordered the arrest of Quibián and all its family. Quibián succeeds in escaping while being thrown from the river since the small boat where it was connected and Spanish believed that it had drowned. Once returned, he convinces the other tribes to attack Santa María de Belén. After several victorious attacks of the Indians, Santa María de Belén is given up by its inhabitants who embark for Spain. The family members of Quibián, who were retained prisoners in the holds of the Spanish ships, try to escape while throwing themselves from the sea, but it are stopped by the Spaniards and are hung.

The Colonial Mode (1539-1821)

Panamá belonged to the Spanish empire between 1538 and 1821. In the Hispanic colonies one applied two types of laws in general: the peninsular ones (applied to Spain, islands adjacent and Africa) and laws of overseas or colonial. One applied in firstly the laws of Castille and Leon, which were the first protective states of the voyages of discovery.

There then did not exist yet of peninsular unit. The colonial Laws (also called Laws of the Indies, according to Laurentino Díaz López, in its work the Right in America during the Hispanic period , consisted of " The whole of the legal standards or legal tendencies which appear by will of the Spanish monarchs or the authorities legitimately made up in America, as delegation of the kings, and the purpose of who were to fix and regulate the political relations, administrative, penal, civil, economic and social between the inhabitants of the Indies Occidentales".

One applied initially the laws called Lois of Burgos, approved on December 27th, 1512. These laws originate in the concern of the Crown caused by the reports/ratios of the Dominican fathers on the ill treatment of the Indians. Ferdinand d' Aragon the Catholic ordered the creation of an assembly of theologists and lawyers, in order to find a solution with the problem. Although the members of the assembly pled for the freedom and the human treatment of the Indians, they also judged that those were to be subjected to the Spanish payment, so accelerating the process of evangelization. After the controversy launched by Bartolomé de Las Put, of new laws are promulgated with Barcelona on November 20th, 1542, at the request of the Emperor Carlos V.

The Royal Audience of Panamá

It included the province of Terra Firma, i.e. current the Isthme of Panamá. Its installation took place in at the beginning of 1539 in the town of Panamá, on arrival of the listeners Francisco Pérez de Robles, Lorenzo Pérez of Serna, Pedro de Villalobos and of the Alonso bachelor of Montenegro. Its president was Francisco Pérez de Robles, which replaced the governor Pedro Vásquez d' Acuña. He managed it until 1543, when one created the Hearing of the Borders (Guatemala) and ordered the dissolution of the Hearing of Panama. During the existence of the Audience of Panama, one carried out various forwardings to exploratory ends and of discovered new territories. However, the administration of Pérez de Robles was characterized by its corruption, which caused disastrous situations which involved its judgment and its dismissal.

Pedro Ramirez de Quiñones, who was judge resident in the lawsuit of Pérez de Robles, took her succession. It received the title of corregidor of Panamá and Number of Dios, under the authority of the Audience of the Borders. In 1563, the Crown of Spain orders the transfer of the Audience to Panama, closing that of Guatemala. The tasks of transfer were with the load of Lope García of Castro. The Royal Audience was reinstalled on May 15th, 1565. Manuel Barrios de San Millán was appointed provisional president, until the arrival of the holder, Alonso Aryennes of Maldonado. The jurisdiction of the Royal Audience of Panamá extended from the port of Buenaventura (Colombia) to the gulf of Fonseca (Nicaragua). It will be again dissolved in 1718 following the bad conduct of its members.

The isthmus remained under the authority of the Vice-royauté of Peru, which caused internal problems and a situation of anarchy, which led to a new Royal Promise to pay (July 21st, 1722), which restored the Audience. Finally, by Royal Promise to pay of June 20th, 1751, being given the economic problems of the province of Tierra Firma. The final dissolution of the Royal Audience of Panama east ordered. One creates a military government depend on the Vice-royauté of New Grenade| (Colombia) and of the Royal Audience of Santa Fe of Bogota. For this purpose, one creates in Panama the General Command of Terra Firma.

Encomienda

The Indian Load to reward the services rendered by the colonists, the Crown established the system repartimientos and loads, known as the Indian Load. This system consisted the distribution by the Crown of the natives who lived in certain places with the colonizers.

This distribution was valid during the life of what is encomendero and its heir; this it had the obligation to take care of the natives, the catequizar and to take care of its wellbeing. In an equal way, it was to defend the territory him one whom entrusted. Vasco Núñez de Balboa started in Panama the system of loads by melting Sainte María what is Ancienne of Darién. While being founded the Town of Panama, the Governor Pedrarias Dávila distributed 27 cacicazgos between his additions. One distributed 9.964 natives in 83 loads.

The Emperor Carlos V ordered to abolish this one system of loads thanks to the abuses and to vexations with to which they were exposed to the natives, and the Governor of Panama, Sancho de Clavijo, sent a provision in which he reiterated the provisions taken in a Real Promise to pay of 1549, where one ordered to put the new Laws into practice, by thus removing the system of loads in Panama. This abolition produced major problems in the colonies, mainly in Peru.

With the arrival of Virrey Blasco Núñez it Takes care, that it was to found the Hearing of Lima and to carry out with the Real Promise to pay of abolition of the institution, which is encomenderos, directed by Gonzalo Pizarro, brother of Francisco, they were raised against the Crown, with the intention to withdraw from the territory of Peru of the real authority. Seized Virrey by the rebellious forces, obtains to escape while addressing itself to north to organize an army to fight what is encomenderos. This rise reflects the isthmus, since one of its strategies is to capture the Panameña Place, to avoid the sending of reinforcements to the forces of the Crown which they fight in Peru.

African slaves

The first black slaves arrived at the Isthmus of Panama in the forwarding of the Governor Diego de Nicuesa, those which worked to raise Nom of God of it.

In the same way, when Pedrarias Dávila founded the Town of Panama on August 15th of 1519, it used with black slaves to build the first buildings of the latter. When the Crown sanctioned like illegal the treatment of the natives like slaves, one authorized the trade of black slaves to replace them in work in the properties and the mines. Panama became a distribution center of the Draft.

However, by the commercial characteristics of the Isthmus, the black slaves were used mainly for the transport of the goods which passed by Camino Real or the Way of Crossings. It is difficult to indicate and identify the places of origin of the black slaves in Panama during the colonial time. Certain historians think that they came from Guinea, others of the north of the Angola and south of the Senegal. Because of cruelty with which they were treated, the slaves fled and hid in the forests, they received the name of Cimarrons . The latter conducted several attacks against the colonial authorities and attacked the roads of Panama, which put in serious danger transport and the communication between the two oceans. In 1548, occurs a massive escape black slaves, who organize themselves in kingdom with at their Bayano head Ist.

Another kingdom was creates in 1549, which was directed by Felipillo Ier, in the Gulf of San Miguel. The colonial authorities engage the Captain Francisco Carreño then, to fight the cimarrones.

One charged the Captain Gil Sánchez with the command of a quota aiming at the village of Chepo, where one found Bayano. The cimarrones actively collaborated like guides of the pirates and corsairs who arrived at Panama during the colonial time.

In Panama, one officially maintained the slavery of the blacks until the period known as Départementale , i.e., for the time when Panama was plain in Large Colombia. The General Jose Hilario López Valdés, President of the Republic of the New Grenade (Colombia) made vote on March 21st, 1851 the law which abolished slavery.

After the Spanish empire

November 21st, 1821, Panama obtains its independence by belonging to Large Colombia.

At the time of the bursting of the néo-Grenadian civil war in 1831, Panama separates during more than one year of the New Grenade, with the intention to form a Colombian Confederation, by maintaining its autonomy.

In 1855, the state of Panama is created, federated with the New Grenade (current Colombia).

Creation of the channel of Panamá

January 1st 1880, the French Ferdinand de Lesseps, begins work of the Canal of Panamá, but gives up following human losses (tropical fevers) and financial gigantic. Work will be resumed by the United States.

Creation of the State

Panama is separated from the Colombia in 1903, yielding to perpetuity the zone where the channel with the the United States will be built against 10 million dollars and an annual hiring of 250.000 dollars as from 1912, following a rebellion by the independence group Amador Guerrero supported by warships of the United States.

Omar Torrijos

The general Omar Torrijos is very discussed, seen like a dictator or the person in charge of important social progress. It summer the Head of State, but not the president of the Republic.

In 1977, it signs the Traité Torrijos-Casing, with the US president Jimmy Carter, making it possible Panamá to find sovereignty on the channel of Panamá.

Omar Torrijos dies in 1981 in an air crash. Some will see there an attack orchestrated by the CIA.

Handbook Antonio Noriega

In 1984 Manual Noriega, ex-agent of the CIA, becomes general of the Armed forces of Panamá, and between 1987 and 1989 he is regarded in a certain way as the Head of State. In spite of a civil massive opposition, that Ci held the reindeers of the capacity

After the presidential elections of 1989 were cancelled, the United States invades the country in December 1989, to reverse Noriega, during the operation named Operation Just Cause, according to official figures, 650 people died between civilians and soldiers during the operation. Guillermo Endara, its competitor with these elections, becomes president of the country.

The December 31st 1999, following the treaty of Torrijos-Casing, the United States gave again sovereignty with Panamá.

Martín Torrijos

The May 2nd 2004, the new president Martín Torrijos (center coalition “Party news”), wire of the ex-chief of state Omar Torrijos is elected with nearly 20 points in advance on the former president (1989-1994) Guillermo Endara (Left Solidarity, right-hand side), with 80% of participation in the elections.

See too

External bonds

http://www.members.tripod.com/~Panamahistoria/histoire.htm

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