Portobelo

Portobelo (Modern Spanish: "Puerto Bello" ("beautiful port"), historically in Portuguese: Porto Belo) is a historic port and corregimiento in Portobelo District, Colón Province, Panama. Located on the northern part of the Isthmus of Panama, it is northeast of the modern port of Colón now at the Atlantic entrance to the Panama Canal. It has a population of 4,559 , and functions as the seat of Portobelo District.

Key facts

Settlement.name: Portobelo
Settlement.settlement_type: Corregimiento and city
Settlement.image_skyline: Portobelo Ruins and bay.jpg
Settlement.image_caption: Portobelo bay and ruins of Spanish fortifications
Settlement.pushpin_map: Panama
Settlement.subdivision_type: Country
Settlement.subdivision_type1: Province
Settlement.subdivision_name1: Colón
Settlement.subdivision_type2: District
Settlement.subdivision_name2: Portobelo
Settlement.established_title: Founded
Settlement.established_date: 1597

Article

6 sections

Contents

History
Today
See also
References
Bibliography
External links

Established in 1597 for its deep natural harbor, it joined Veracruz ( to the northwest) as ports used by the Spanish Empire to ship treasure from the mines of Peru (via Panama City on the Pacific side of the Isthmus and overland to Portobelo) back to Spain. The city was repeatedly captured by British privateers and pirates, culminating in a successful siege by the Royal Navy in 1739, during the War of Jenkins' Ear.