Plundering, Protecting The King’s Gold And Pirates: Fort San Lorenzo
By the map it’s only eight miles west of the Caribbean port city of Colon, Panama to the UNESCO site of the colonial Spanish fort at San Lorenzo on the northern border of Panama. However, this abandoned citadel hidden away at the end of a two-lane road through dense jungle is a world away from the hub-bub of the Canal Zone of which it was once a part. As with many things Spanish in Central America, San Lorenzo represents conquest, exploitation, untold wealth in precious metals and empire.
The remains of the crumbling fortress, perched atop a bluff eighty feet above the Caribbean Sea and further protected by a dry moat on the landward side, provided a clear vantage of ships approaching to attack or to blockade the mouth of the Chagres River.
This ability to protect was a vital necessity, for the Chagres River was the eastern terminus of the wet season treasure route that funneled gold and silver from the Incan empire in Peru down through Panama City and across the isthmus and, eventually, to the royal coffers in Spain. Old cannon, some with insignia still visible, litter the site lying awkwardly in broken cradles or sprawl about near crumbling fortifications no longer capable of defending the interests of the crown.
At one time San Lorenzo was a player in the game of international wealth. The initial fortress was a battery built at sea level. But starting in 1560, shortly after its construction, pirates began to assault the lucrative target and the trail of gold stretching back to Peru. The attackers were persistent and in 1670 Henry Morgan, the Welsh privateer, brigand and English admiral, defeated and leveled the original fort. Using it as a base, he provisioned his troops and took his motley assemblage of buccaneers across the isthmus and sacked the mother lode – Panama City.
The old fort destroyed by Morgan was abandoned and the current fortress that commands the heights above the River Chagres was constructed by the Spanish only to be attacked anew by pirates and adventurers as well as by the English navy. When the Spanish fort at Portobelo, further east on the Panamanian coast, fell to Admiral Edward Vernon, San Lorenzo was left the preeminent military garrison on the Panamanian coast. However, the decision by Spain a few years later to ship its booty around the tip of South America at Cape Horn left the bastion on the Caribbean headland bereft and inconsequential.
San Lorenzo’s star faded quickly. It was used as a prison for over a century. Undoubtedly an ignoble death awaited as age claimed the deteriorating brick, wood and stone structures. As a part of the agreement with Panama in 1903 the lands containing the fort and those adjacent to the Chagres River were folded into the Canal Zone administered by the United States until December 31, 1999. But little was done by the Zone administration to conserve the structures that they had acquired in the transfer and the decay continued virtually unabated.
In 1980 UNESCO designated San Lorenzo a World Heritage Site. There is much to be done. The fortifications at San Lorenzo remain in a state of ruination. The mosses, grasses and plants grow in profusion on a majority of the buildings allowing the eradication to continue day by day. The unabated destruction of the site is almost palpable.
However, Fort San Lorenzo is a visually engaging site awaiting the attention that once brought it to prominence as a guardian of the riches of the new world. It now needs to be resurrected as a custodian of the history of a world long since passed away.
By Richard and Anita, July 2014, Panama
No Particular Place To Go 
It’s so beautiful how nature is trying to take over in the penultimate photo. Thanks for sharing!
LikeLike
Even though the plant growth is so damaging to the ruins it is beautiful to see the moss and plants creeping over the stones. Mother Nature will have her way!
LikeLike
What a cool spot! We are so ready for a trip to Panama.
LikeLike
The country is really spectacular with so many climates and amazing scenery. We spent the month of July there and left (yesterday) feeling that we’d missed so much. We’ll definitely have to come back for another visiti
LikeLike
Those are some beautiful ruins! I love how they are surrounded by so much green and are covered with moss. I’ve never visited Panama, but this looks like a great place to visit if I hopefully make it there 🙂
LikeLike
Panama has something to offer everyone. From the ultra-modern skyline of Panama City to the colonial Spanish ruins, Caribbbean beach towns and Pacific beach villages. And then there’s the interior with its amazing mountains…
LikeLike
Thanks for this easy visit to Fort San Lorenzo.
LikeLike
Glad you enjoyed the armchair tour!
LikeLike
Beautiful – so green and lush and full of history. A great combination!
LikeLike
And a combination we thought was absolutely beautiful, too! The views from the bluffs were spectacular with the sparkling Caribbean on one side, the Chagres river feeding into the sea and a dry moat to the rear of the site with jungle in the backdrop. Amazing!
LikeLike
Panama has such a rich history and so much natural beauty!
LikeLike
You’re right about all that Panama has to offer. We’ve spent a month here but there are still so many things to see and places left to visit that a return trip might have to be planned sometime in the future!
LikeLike
Beautiful. Interesting history. I love the look of the vegetation covering parts of the ruins.
LikeLike
This type of history is the basis for so many of the Hollywood movies. It certainly isn’t hard to imagine the cannons firing down at the ships or the pirates trying to scale the cliffs!
LikeLike
Interesting place. I like how the vegetation is covering parts of the ruins. It gives the place an other-wordly feel.
LikeLike
I like the look of the moss and plants growing over the ruins, too. Damp and decay can make for some haunting photos!
LikeLike
This might sound strange, but it is interesting to see the “ruins” of San Lorenzo which illustrate that left to her own devices, Mother Nature wins the battle of “civilization”.
LikeLike
You are right about time and nature gradually doing their work at erasing all traces of civilization, especially in the tropics. It’s fascinating (but probably not from an historian’s point of view!) to see the moss cover the stones, then the small plants begin to grow and finally the roots begin to work their way between bricks and stones.
LikeLike
I love how you bring history to life in your posts. My husband would absolutely love visiting this site. I have to say, that I see beauty in the ruins. Your photo of the greenery overtaking a wall/building told a story in itself. Really enjoyed this history lesson! Thank you.
LikeLike
We both enjoy history and reading and researching about the past is something we also love, especially since we can bring a whole library along with our kindles! It’s terrific to be able to combine history with writing, exploring and traveling!
LikeLike
What a fascinating location and tour, thanks for sharing this gorgeous place and its history
LikeLike
We’re so glad you enjoyed the post and it’s always fun to share a place that we had such a great time exploring and learning about!
LikeLike
I appreciate this worthwhile post. It’s surprising, too, to see a UNESCO World Heritage Site not crowded with visitors. (Or are you a very patient photographer?) We’ll need to get there soon to see for ourselves.
LikeLike
You’re right about the site not having too many visitors the day we were there which was a holiday (July 1 was the inauguration of the new Panamanian President, Juan Carlos Varela Rodríguez). We’re not sure if that was the reason or because the fort is in a fairly remote location but it was great to climb and wander around and take pictures without waiting in lines.
LikeLike
It is sad that the area is neglected and decaying. Yet I see a beauty in the silent ruins that have stories to tell and I’m glad you went there to find them.
LikeLike
It’s not hard to appreciated the haunting beauty in San Lorenzo’s ruins and damp decay. Nor is it hard to imagine the pirates amassing on ships below the bluffs or ships setting off for Spain loaded with booty and bounty!
LikeLike
I love history, and I love your article and photos of San Lorenzo. My kind of destination!!
LikeLike
Places like Fuerte San Lorenzo make historical events come alive for us and add an element of fun and discovery to our travels. So much to learn!
LikeLike
Wow, what energy must reside in this place. Thanks for the history lesson; truly remarkable and other-worldly.
LikeLike
Some places definitely have energy and it’s easy to imagine the many stories that these ruins could tell. Places like this bring history to life for us.
LikeLike
Can you tell that we’re both history buffs? Sometimes doing the research can be almost as much fun (but not quite!) as exploring a place. At Fuerto San Lorenzo it’s easy to imagine peering over the bluff while the pirates amass in the sea below…
LikeLike
That’s some history course you and Richard have given me. Thanks
LikeLike