Panama’s Endangered Historic Places

The World Monuments Fund has just added three sites in Panama to its “100 Most Endangered Sites for 2010” watch list. These are two cemeteries and the heart of Colon City, Panama. The Mount Hope and Corozal Cemeteries are the final resting places for West Indian workers who came to work on both the Panama Canal Railroad in the middle of the 19th century and the Panama Canal at the beginning of the 20th. As the world advances old, historic buildings tend to be torn down to make place for new. This is the concern in Colon where there is an effort underway to preserve the historic center of the city.

Local preservationists such as Roberto Reid are pleased with the attention drawn to preserving sites in Panama. Mr. Reid’s “Silver People Chronical” web site (http://www.thesilverpeoplechronicle.com/) is a treasury of the history of West Indian immigrants who came to work, survived the ordeal, and stayed to become part of the fabric of life in the Republic of Panama.

The deterioration of the UNESCO World Historic Site at Portobelo has been in the news recently, both the concerns of UNESCO and the efforts of the new administration to get preservation efforts back on track. The sites listed above are being deal with privately, not through the UN or national government.

If local efforts at historic preservation in Panama interest you, Mr. Reid’s site is a good source of information. Not only that but you can pick up a good recipe or two as well, as the following web page demonstrates. (http://www.thesilverpeoplechronicle.com/2009/10/pot-of-rundon-and-sensuality-calling.html)

According to their web site, the World Monuments Fund is the leading private organization dedicated to saving the world’s most treasured places. Since 1965, in more than 90 countries, their experts have been racing against time, applying proven techniques to preserve important architectural and cultural heritage sites around the globe.

Through partnerships with local communities, funders, and governments, the fund attempts to inspire an enduring commitment to safeguard the world’s historic legacy for future generations. The site notes that nearly 85 percent of the fund’s revenue goes directly toward preservation projects, fieldwork, advocacy, and educational programs.

For more information:

World Monuments Fund
95 Madison Avenue, 9th floor
New York, New York 10016
Phone: (001) 646-424-9594
wmf@wmf.org