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When I arrived in Portobelo, I was greeted by a collection of ramshackle houses and other buildings. There were very few people in the streets of this run-down town of just under 3,000 inhabitants.
There was absolutely no indication that this tiny fishing village was once one of the wealthiest and most important port towns under the Spanish crown. It was from Portobelo where gold from Peru and many other parts of the New World were shipped to Spain.
History of Portobelo
Christopher Columbus stopped in Portobelo and supposedly gave it its name on his fourth voyage to the New World in 1502. The Spanish took advantage of the deep natural harbor and founded the town in 1597. The town became so rich that it was constantly under attack from English pirates such as Henry Morgan.
As time progressed, the Spanish built fortifications to protect their interests. Many of them survive to this day, making Portobelo a UNESCO World Heritage site along with Fort San Lorenzo. The site was unfortunately listed as “in danger” by UNESCO in 2012 due to deterioration from the elements and lack of maintenance. The photo below of an interpretive panel illustrates this point.
Royal Customs House
The most important site in Portobelo lies on its small main plaza. The Royal Customs House (Real Aduana), or Counting House (Contaduría), was built in 1630 to serve as the counting house for the gold that was plundered by the Spanish. The gold was stored here until it could be shipped to Spain. Up to 233 soldiers were stationed in this building at one time.
The building contains a small air-conditioned museum with a US$5 admission (as of June 2021). A short film greets visitors and explains the history and importance of the town.
Fort San Jerónimo
Just outside the Royal Customs House is the 17th century Fort San Jerónimo (Fuerte San Jerónimo). It was the biggest of the three remaining forts built to protect the bay.
One interesting fact about the fort is that most of the cannons are situated exactly where the Spanish soldiers left them when they went home in 1821.
Fort Santiago
Another fort, Fort Santiago (Fuerte Santiago) and its castle sit at the entrance to town, while Fort San Fernando (Fuerte San Fernando) sits across the bay. Boats can be hired to take you Fort San Fernando, but I didn’t bother to go.
Santiago de la Gloria Castle
There’s also Santiago de la Gloria Castle (Castillo Santiago de la Gloria), a ruined fort near Fort Santiago. An old Spanish lookout, Mirador Perú, is on a hill above Fort Santiago. From there, you can get good views of the bay.
San Juan de Dios Chapel
A couple of restored churches are located in Portobelo. San Juan de Dios Chapel (Capilla San Juan de Dios) is the smaller one located a few steps from Fort San Jerónimo.
Church of San Felipe
The bigger more important church is the Church of San Felipe (Iglesia de San Felipe). It houses the famous Black Christ statue, which was apparently found by fishermen floating in a box at sea. A huge festival for the statue is held every 21 October drawing people from all over Panama.
Getting Around
It’s impossible to get lost in Portobelo. There is one main road through town. Also, it seemed like a ghost town and a bit eerie at times walking among run down buildings, but it was perfectly safe. I had hoped to get lunch but none of the restaurants seemed to be functioning when I was there at 1pm. I had to settle for an ice cream and some chips from a mini market.
Getting There
Portobelo is located about 90 minutes from Colón. Buses from Colón leave about every hour. The trip took me about 90 minutes on the way there and an hour on the way back. It’s possible to save about a 20 minutes coming from Panama City by not entering Colón and catching the bus as it passes the REY Supermarket in Sabanitas, but chances are the bus will be jam packed and you’ll be left standing. My recommendation is to just go into Colón and take the bus from the beginning. To get back to Colón, wait in the main plaza for a bus to pass through town.
2 Comments
Portobelo looks awesome! I’m interested in visiting Portobelo and San Lorenzo on a day trip from Panama City — how do you get around to the ruins from Portobelo? (Do you need to hire a taxi or can you walk everywhere?) Thanks!
It’s a great day trip! Once you get to Portobelo, all of the ruins are right in town and can be reached on foot (except for Fuerte San Fernando across the bay). There’s no need for a taxi. But…if you plan to do both Portobelo and San Lorenzo in the same day, I would leave really early and do San Lorenzo first – they’re pretty far apart and there’s no public transportation to San Lorenzo (you can hire a taxi in Colón). Thanks for visiting!