Panama: Crossroads of Empires · Episode 3 of 24 · 15 min
The Jungle Mule Trail That Bankrolled the Spanish Empire
For about 150 years, Spain's silver crossed a fifty-mile stretch of Panamanian jungle on the backs of mules and enslaved Africans. The episode describes Panama City, the fairs at Nombre de Dios and later Portobelo, and the cimarrón communities who resisted, including King Bayano and their alliance with Francis Drake.
Who's who
- Pedrarias Dávila+1 more episodeGovernor who founded Panama City in 1519
- King BayanoEscaped African who led the largest 16th-century cimarrón revolt in Panama
- Pedro de UrsúaSpanish commander who captured Bayano by treachery
- Francis DrakeEnglish privateer who raided the silver route in 1572-73
- Guillaume Le TestuFrench corsair killed in the 1573 ambush
- John OxenhamDrake's lieutenant who climbed the tree to see the Pacific
Where it happens
- Panama City, Panama+6 more episodesPacific terminal of the silver route
- Nombre de Dios, PanamaCaribbean fair town until 1597
- Portobelo, Panama+1 more episodeFair town and silver port from 1597
- Camino Real, PanamaTrans-isthmus trail for silver
- Camino de Cruces, PanamaSecond trail across the isthmus
- Potosí, Bolivia+1 more episodeSilver mountain whose output flowed through Panama
Timeline
- August 15, 1519Pedrarias founds Panama City
- 1545Potosí mines open, making Panama a silver bottleneck
- c. 1552-1558Bayano revolt; Bayano captured by treachery
- 1572Drake sacks Nombre de Dios and allies with cimarrones
- April 1, 1573Drake, Le Testu and cimarrones ambush a treasure train
- 1597Portobelo replaces Nombre de Dios as fair town
Still debated
Annual silver tonnages and the isthmus's share of Spanish silver vary by source, since smuggling left tax records incomplete. Bayano's follower counts range from a few hundred to about 1,200, and sources disagree on his African origin and exact dates.