In order to facilitate understanding of the text Retrospective Statement of Outstanding Universal Value approved by the World Heritage Committee of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) for the Panamanian property inscribed on the World Heritage List under entry number 790bis, “Archaeological Site of Panama Viejo and Historic District of Panama” (the name Historic District refers to the Casco Antiguo of Panama City), I provide you with an UNOFFICIAL translation.

The original text in English, is of free public access and may be consulted at both the State Information System of the World Heritage Centre of UNESCO (http://whc.unesco.org/en/decisions/4964), and it is also available on the direct link Documento WHC-13/37.COM/8E.ADD (on the pages 2 to 4)

Brief synthesis

Panama Panamá, on the continuously occupied European settlement in the Pacific Coast of the Americas, was founded in 1519, as a consequence of the discovery by the Spanish of the South Sea in 1513. The archaeological remains of the original settlement (known today as The Archaeological Site of Panama Viejo) are the Pre-Columbian vestiges of the Cuevan aboriginal occupation of the same name, and currently encompass a protected heritage site covering 32 hectares. The settlement was a first rank colonial outpost, and seat of a Royal Court of Justice (Real Audiencia) during the 16th and 17th centuries, when Panamá consolidated its position as an intercontinental hub. Its growth in importance, since it profited from the imperial bullion lifeline, is reflected by the imposing stone architecture of its public and religious buildings.

During its 152 years of existence, the town was affected by slave rebellion, fire and an earthquake, but it was destroyed in the wake of a devastating pirate attack in 1671. Since it was relocated and never rebuilt, Panamá Viejo retained its original layout, a slightly irregular, somewhat rudimentary grid with, blocks of various sizes. There is archaeological evidence of the original street pattern and the location of domestic, religious and civil structures. The site is exceptional testimony of colonial colonial, the ruins of its cathedral, convents and public buildings showcase unique technological and stylistic characteristics of its temporal and cultural context. It also offers invaluable information on a variety of aspects of social life, economy, communications and the vulnerability of a strategic site within the geopolitical dynamics at the height of Spanish imperial Spanish.

In 1673 the city was moved some 7,5 km southeast, to a small peninsula, at the foot of Ancón Hill, closer to the islands that were used as the port and near the mouth of a river that eventually became the entrance of the Panama Canal. The relocated town, known today as Casco Antiguo or the Historic District or Panama, not only had better access to fresh water, but could be fortified. The military engineers, moreover, took advantage of the morphological conditions that complemented the wall surrounding the peninsula, all of which prevented direct naval approaches by an enemy. The area within the walls had an orthogonal layout, with a central plaza and streets of different widths; outside the walls, the suburb of Santa Ana had an irregular layout. There is a centrally- located, main plaza (which was enlarged in the 19th century) and several smaller post-colonial plazas on the fringes. Most of the seaward walls of the colonial fortifications and parts of the landward bastions and moat, survive. Several buildings within the District are identified as important for the country’s 17th-20th century heritage. Most outstanding are the churches, above all the cathedral with its five aisles and timber roof, San Felipe Neri, San José, San Francisco and especially La Merced, with its well-preserved colonial timber roof. The Presidential Palace, originally built in the late 17th century and partially reconstructed in the 18th, and early 20th centuries, is a revealing example of the transformations that characterize the Historic District as a whole. The House of the Municipality, the Canal Museum building (originally the Grand Hotel), The National Theatre, the Ministry of Government and Justice and the Municipal Palace are outstanding buildings of a more recent period. There are several exceptional examples of domestic architecture from the colonial period, above all the mid-18th century Casa Góngora, and also several hundred houses from the mid-19th to the early 20th centuries that illustrate the transformation of living concepts from the colonial period to modern times. These include not only upper-class houses from the entire period, but also 2- to 5-floor apartment houses 2 to 5 and wooden tenement buildings from the early 20th century, erected to satisfy the requirements of a more stratified urban society.

Particularly relevant is Salón Bolivar, originally the Chapter Hall of the convent of San Francisco, which is the only surviving part and Salón 17th-18th century complex. The Salón Bolivar has special historical importance as the site ofthe visionary, but abortive attempt by Simón Bolívar in 1826 to establish what would have been the world’s first multinational and continental the world.

The present-day appearance of the Historic District is marked by a unique blend of 19th- and early 20th century architecture inspired in late colonial, Caribbean, the Coast, French and eclectic (mostly Neo–Renaissance). styles. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, building styles evolved significantly, but spatial principles were fundamentally preserved. The Historic District’s layout, a complex grid with streets and blocks of different widths and sizes and remaining inspired in late Renaissance treatises, is an exceptional and probably unique example colonial colonial town planning in the Americas. These special qualities which differentiate the Property from other colonial cities in Latin America and the Caribbean, resulted from the construction, first of a railroad (1850-1855) and then a canal (1880-1914), that linked the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The construction of the canal, a landmark in the history of the Americas and the world, had a tangible effect on the development and Salón Casco Antiguo and its surrounding area.

Criterion (ii)

Panamá Viejo is an exceptional testimony of town planning of its period and culture. It exhibits an important interchange of of human values, since it bore great influence on subsequent developments in colonial Spanish colonial expansion, even in areas vastly different in climate and setting. The Historic District’s District reflects the persistence and interchange of human values, which have been oriented towards interoceanic and intercontinentalcommunications for several centuries at this strategic site on the Central American Isthmus.

Criterion (iv)

In both Panamá Viejo and the Historic District (Casco Antiguo), the and multiple-family types from the 16th to the 18th centuries, represent a significant stage in the development of Spanish colonial expansion whole. Panamá Viejo is an an exceptional example of the period's building technology and architecture. In the Historic District, the multiple-family houses from the 19th and early 20th (centuries) are original examples of how society reacted to new requirements, technological developments and influences brought about by post-colonial society-and the building of the Panamá.

Criterion (vi)

The ruins of Panamá Viejo are closely linked to on the European discovery of the Pacific Ocean, the history of Spanish expansion in the Isthmus of Central America and in Andean South America, the African diaspora, the history of piracy and proxy war, the bullion lifeline to Europe, the spread of European culture in the region and the commerce network between the Americas and Europe. The Salón Bolivar is associated with Simón Bolívar's visionary attempt in 1826 to establish a multinational congress in the Americas, preceding the Organization of American States and the United Nations.

Statement of Authenticity

The conditions of authenticity of both components of the Property “The Archaeological Site of Panamá Viejo and Casco Antiguo of Panamá”have been maintained. Upon abandonment, the core area of Panamá Viejo was never rebuilt and retained its original street layout. No reconstructions of archaeological remains have been carried out and all conservation and intervention work amongst the ruins has been done in accordance with international standards. Within the boundaries of the protected heritage area there are a few modern structures, but these are clearly identified and differentiated from the archaeological remains.

The urban layout of the Historic District of Panama Panamá can considered to be entirely authentic, preserving its original form largely unchanged. The organically developed stock of buildings from the 18th the 20th century have changed little over time. Most of the fabric buildings and fortifications, as well as the public spaces, is original. There is evidence that dressed stone and other building materials from the ruins of the Archaeological Site of Panamá Viejo Viejo were quarried and recycled to help rebuild the relocated settlement, and for the construction of buildings and fortifications and Salón Casco Antiguo, thus providing a measure of material continuity between the two components of the Property. In some well documented cases such, as La Merced, entire church facades were reconstructed on the new site.

The property has maintained the street layout, structural volumetry and the urban scale. Many streets retain the brick paving characteristic of the early years of the 20th century. Although a certain level of gentrification has has taken place, the traditional use has been largely preserved, with a mixture of residential, commercial, institutional and religious activities coexisting with non-traditional touristic and entertainment uses. Since the modern habilitation of interior spaces of buildings can potentially compromise the essence of the site by replacing traditional structural systems with modern structural materials, clear guidelines need to be enforced in the implementation restoration and rehabilitation projects for historic buildings.

Statement of Integrity

Both components of the Property meet the conditions of integrity. As a Pre-Columbian and Historic Archaeological Site with both historic ruins and stratified contexts, Panamá Viejo includes all the elements necessary to convey the Outstanding Universal Value for which this component was included as an extension of the Historic District and Salón Casco Antiguo original Bolívar. The size of protected area is consistent with the distribution of the relevant physical attributes, constituting a coherent and clearly defined whole. In 2012, the Via Cincuentenario was relocated from the core area of the site, generating a new border that will contain growth from the neighbouring communities. With the implementation of zoning regulations (Ministry of Housing Zoning Regulation of 2006) and a National Law (2007), a land and marine buffer zone that regulates the development of the neighboring communities and the waterfront has been established to control erosion of its borders.

The Historic District maintains, within its boundaries and those of the locally-protected adjacent area, sufficient representation of all the attributes that convey Outstanding Universal Value, particularly the urban layout, the dimension and distribution of ground plots, the remaining colonial fortifications and non-residential buildings of monumental value. A great variety of residential building typologies is also present. In almost all cases, the volumetry, rhythm of facade openings and long open, spaces have withstood the substantial number of comprehensive interventions interventions that have taken place since inscription in 1997, most of which have adapted the inner distributions of houses and open spaces within the plots to current requisites of privacy and safety.

Developmentand significant conservation challenges are the most critical aspect threatening the integrity Casco Antiguo. To address threats, the legislative and regulatory framework needs to be enforced and comprehensive interventions implemented, to reverse lack of maintenance of historic buildings.

Requirements for protection and management

The Property has various legislative and regulatory measures to ensure their protection and conservation. The original definition conservation standards areas of protection heritage back to 1976 (Law 91/1976). This law recognizes y define legally culture and heritage Law. It supplemented Law National Heritage of 1982 (Law 14/1982), I think the Directorate National Heritage (District), as part of the Institute National Culture and became entity State responsible for protection and managing Panamá Viejo and the Historic District. A Commission Also Advisory was created by this law. The Heritage Act establishes penalties administrative for destruction of the assets; the fines quintupled through a law 2003 (Law 58/2003). On the other hand, the Code Penal was modified in 2007 to include sanctions imprisonment for destruction criminal of heritage properties (Law 14/2007).

Each component of the property has been provided with a management framework in response to its peculiarities within the geopolitical town city Panamá and realities State administrative centralized. While Panamá Viejo is an an archaeological park of uninhabited public lands, surrounded by settlements unregulated working class, Historic District Live is an urban center with a mixture of functions residential and institutional presented challenges social and of associated conservation to processes of re–occupation and use of private and public property.

The management function Institute National Culture about sites protected historical has been supplemented and enhanced by philanthropy private sector Technical Resources and administrative other state institutions. In the case of Panamá Viejo, on the Patronage Panamá Viejo, nonprofit organization The lucro, public-private mixed with a legal mandate to manage the central government subsidies and lift their own funds, supports site maintenance, preservation architectural and research projects.

In Case historic district of Panama, a law of 1997 (Decree-Law 9/1997) sets specific guidelines for interventions architectural and protection extended an area adjacent. Also, provided a number of incentives fiscal restoration projects and reinforced paper Advisory Commission for the process of project approval property is more efficient and transparent. Regulations were approved Detailed mas (Decree Executive 51/2004), with orientations including zoning and infrastructure aspects, and was provided a manual conservation, with specific recommendations for interventions architectural and new construction. Functions protection and management Institute National Culture is supplemented creating new public body agency: the Office Hull Old (OCA), that developed a Plan the Maestro assumed the role of coordination agency. A land and marine established around peninsula where is Historic District. Building Permits and occupation and the taxation corresponding remain the responsibility municipal authorities elected, however, the approval of plans architectural and documents to projects located in the Historic District remain the responsibility exclusive the Directorate National Heritage. The formulation, application and periodic review of a Plan Heritage Management integral is required to ensure that conservation and managing both components occurs within scheme coordinated.

———End UNOFFICIAL translation———

The following figure, drawn on a map of Google Maps by the author of this blog, property shows “Archaeological Site of Panama Viejo and Historic District of Panama”, where the Old Town Historic District is. While both components are separated about eight kilometers, constitute a single property.

A single property: Archaeological Site of Panama Viejo and Historic District of Panama (790bis) (Panamá)

Note:

Thanks to the transparency policies of UNESCO and its World Heritage Centre, all documents cited in this article of the Blog, Patrimonio Panamá are public information of open access for all around the world from UNESCO websites, and by means of the State of Conservation Information System (SOC), open to the public from 2012 (Click here to see related news: http://whc.unesco.org/en/news/962/).