Today I was at San Cristóbal for our Wednesday Holy Eucharist with Healing Prayer. Around 10:00 am the Panama Project folks arrived. We toured Parroquia San Cristóbal and then went across the street and toured Instituto Episcopal San Cristóbal. Of course, I didn't even think of taking photos of the tour of the church and school because, well, I'm an idiot. Well, let's be realistic: you've all seen lots of photos of the church and school. Walk it off!! Then we went to Panama Viejo, the original Panama City. We visited the groovy new IPAT museum and enjoyed the exhibits. Then we toured the ruins of the city. These ruins are within walking distance of La Rectoría, and the Lovely Mona and I drive through the area all the time, but I enjoy climbing the Cathedral Tower and taking photos of the neighborhood. All that is left of the original city are the ruins of stone buildings. The majority of the buildings, of course, were built of wood and were destroyed in the fire. Not that I have any bias in this issue, but in 1671, the English bastid Pirate SOB Henry Morgan attacked the city and burned it to the ground. He looted it too, of course; that's what stinking bastid English pirates do. The English bastid pirate Francis Drake used to attack Porto Bello and San Lorenzo and other Panamanian cities, but his corpse is rotting somewhere in el Río Chagres (maybe), but the wicked pirate Morgan got away with it. I apologise if I offend any readers, but as a person of Indigenous heritage, I dislike all Europeans and their descendants who carry swords, guns, and small-pox (and small-pox infested blankets, ya bastids). But best of all, today was another tear-gas-free day!
So, here are some photos from the museum and the ruins.
A pre-Colombian Golden frog
A pre-Colombian flute (made from a bone) and a pre-Colombian clay whistle in the shape of a bird.
A model of the original Panama City
The plaque stating the status of Panamá Viejo (UNESCO U.N. World Heritage Site)
The Cathedral Tower. This is an icon and symbol of Panama. When I first visited in 1998, it was crumbling and muy peligroso, but now that Panamá Viejo is a United Nations World Heritage Site, it has been partially restored, and one can climb to the top floor.
A restored section of the original Cathedral Tower staircase
The Cathedral nave, facing the original chancel
The Cathedral nave, facing the entrance
A view of the ruins from the Cathedral
Graffiti in the interior of the Cathedral Tower
Tower interior
A view of Panamá Viejo, Parque Lefevre, and Rio Abajo from the Cathedral Tower (la parroquia y la rectoría are in the distance)
A view of the Panama City of the Present from the Cathedral Tower
Construction in Costa del Este from the Cathedral Tower
The Pacific Ocean, Bahia de Panamá, and el Corridor del Sur from the Cathedral Tower
Ruins of the Cathedral Square
Wall of la Casa del Obispo
Convent ruins (look at the flanged roots on that tree!)
Orchids in a tree
4 comments:
Wow - very impressive good Padre, very impressive pitchas.
I also liked reading about English bastid pirates.
Needless to say, the tower was anything but climbable in 1987!
What these photos don't convey is the humidity, no?
Pre-Columbian, that means before Columbia, right?
Well, I guess I know better than serving you Captain Morgan rum when next you visits Los Estados Unidos.
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