The US had also explored Panama as far back as the early 1850s, shortly after the Mexican-American War, but quickly determined a canal to be unrealistic due to difficult terrain.Īfter the French project in Panama failed, the US tried to negotiate with Colombia to dig its own canal through Panama. Still, the French continued to work for eight years before stopping in 1889, stymied by high costs and worker mortality due to jungle diseases like malaria and cholera. However, both routes had a similar problem: the topography rose considerably above sea level in the middle of the land mass. Three years later, the US signed a deal with Nicaragua to pursue the same goal. ![]() In 1881, the French began building a canal in Panama. ![]() Panama was often looked at because it was the narrowest strip of land between the two oceans, followed by Nicaragua to the north. Without a canal, all shipping from Europe to Asia either had to go around the southern tip of Africa or the southern tip of South America! This took extra weeks, which was incredibly expensive and could minimize or eliminate the ability to trade disposable goods. The relatively small numbers of Spanish settlers were unable to maintain steady power over the Native Americans, and Gran Colombia collapsed into separate nations by 1831.ġ850s-1903: Pursuit of a Central American Canal An 1870s map showing a proposed canal through Nicaragua, using Lake Nicaragua as part of it, via the Library of CongressĪs far back as the early 1800s, traders began to consider the possibility of building a canal through Central America to connect the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. However, trouble soon erupted in the new nation due to social class and ethnic feuds. Under the initial leadership of Simon Bolivar, after whom modern-day Bolivia is named, Gran Colombia included modern-day Panama, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, and parts of Peru and Brazil. Due to its central location between Mexico and South America, Panama became an invaluable military, trade, and transportation hub for the Spanish.ġ819-1903: Part of Gran Colombia & the Colombia An 1824 map of Gran Colombia, via Old Dominion University, Norfolkįollowing the independence movements in Central and South America during the early 1800s, Panama became part of the newly independent nation Gran Colombia in 1819. Pizarro, having been mayor of Panama City for a time, was allowed to conquer the western coast of South America by Emperor Carlos V of Spain. From Panama, the Spanish began their exploration of the western coast of South America. ![]() Six years after discovering the Pacific, Panama City became the first European-built city on the Pacific Coast.īalboa’s second-in-command when he discovered the South Sea was Francisco Pizarro, who would later conquer the Incan Empire in modern-day Peru. Unlike most other Spanish conquistadors, Balboa was not especially brutal and was interested in learning about local cultures. ![]() In 1513, Spanish explorer Vasco Nuñez de Balboa discovered the Pacific Ocean, then called the South Sea, while exploring Panama. It did not take long to discover that the New World ranged tremendously from north to south, blocking passage across the ocean to India. When the Spanish set out to sail across the Atlantic Ocean to India, they “discovered” the New World.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |