A trip to Fort San Lorenzo

travel

This sign well sums up the state of neglect

A trip to Fort San Lorenzo

photos by Eric Jackson

The Panama Historical Society's train ride to Colon and back to celebrate the Panama Railroad's 150th anniversary left people with a day to spend on the Atlantic side, and part of that day was taken up by a visit to Fort San Lorenzo.

The original fort was built in the middle to late 16th century, but when Henry Morgan rampaged though Panama in 1670 and 1671 he destroyed the original wooden fort and massacred its defenders, and the present fort was rebuilt of more substantial materials afterwards.

Besides being a key military outpost, Fort San Lorenzo was a Spanish prison right up until Panamanian independence from Spain in 1821. A number of leaders of Latin America's independence movement were held as political prisoners here.

Fort San Lorenzo is a national park set in a protected natural area, but it's not very well maintained. Even though we visited in the dry season the road to get there was in poor shape, and the need for ordinary maintenance --- let alone restoration work on large and small scales --- is obvious at a glance.

Although they are crumbling around the edges, these arches designed by an Italian military architect and build tby black slaves have stood the test of time

A dungeon with a view!

Woe to those who tried to sail past Fort San Lorenzo's guns

The fort commands the entrance to the Chagres River, which at one time was the principal approach to Panama City

Such cannons as are displayed at the walls are not in historically accurate mountings, and others are just left lying around in the uncut grass

This watchtower was built after Henry Morgan's men destroyed the original fort

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