History of Panama

• There have been people living in Panama for over twelve thousand years. The native people included the Chibchan, Chocoan, and Cueva. The Cueva were the largest group; they are linked to the Kuna people who remain the largest indigenous population today.
• In 1501 Rodrigo de Bastidas was the first European to sail to Panama, and Christopher Columbus arrived one year later.
• September 25, 1513 the Balboa expedition established the first permanent settlement in the Americas.
• The Isthmus of Panama was a vital part of Spanish colonization as the country was the trade route through the Americas, as it remains an important trade zone today.
• Panama was a part of the Spanish Empire for over 300 years until the 1820s.
• Panama was one of the main stops in the slave trade routes transporting African slaves into the Americas for around 200 years.
• In 1821, Panama declared independence and joined the Republic of Colombia, or Gran Colombia, until the 1880s.
• The construction of the Panama Canal beginning in 1880 by the French. The French could not financially support the endeavor, and the United States took over the canal in 1902. Both the French and United States imported thousands of laborers including Chinese, West Indian, and African. With the people came their languages, customs, and cultural influences, namely African instruments, music, and dance forms that are equally evident in all of Latin America today.
• Though Panama became independent from Colombia in 1903, the canal zone was economically and territorially dominated by the United States until 1999.
• The United States had a strong military and economic presence in Panama, which is why Panama is arguably one of the most Americanized countries of Latin America.
• There has been a history of tension, though, between the US and Panama. On January 9, 1964 riots broke out in the Panama canal zone when Panamanian students hung a Panamanian flag alongside the U.S. flag. The canal zone police, operated by the U.S., torn down the flag causing violence between Panamanians and the police. 21 Panamanians and 4 U.S. soldiers were killed. Martyr’s Day is a holiday in Panama that commemorates this tragic event.
• The United States under George H. W. Bush invaded Panama in 1989 to oust dictator Noriega in Operation Just Cause.