• A row of nine vaulted spaces called bóvedas, or “the vaults”
  • Part of Panama City’s colonial fortification built in the 18th century
  • 1983 – One of the first parts of Casco Viejo to be restored
  • Originally functioned as a Spanish dungeon and later as a jail, storehouse and offices

You’ll still hear gruesome stories about dungeons in the seawall, where prisoners were left at low tide to drown when the tide rose. Whether this actually happened is still a subject of lively debate among amateur historians.

  • A plaque on the walkway commemorates the firing of cannon shots to drive away a Colombian warship and consolidate Panama’s independence from Colombia in 1903

 

Next: Paseo Esteban Huertas