Declared a Historical Monumental Site by Law 91 of December 1976, modified by Law 16 of May 22, 2007, the Archaeological Site of Panama Viejo corresponds to the seat where Panama City was founded on August 15, 1519 by Pedrarias Dávila and includes the ruins of the first European settlement on the American Pacific coast, as well as the vestiges of the first inhabitants of the isthmus.

Its role as one of the most important expedition centers in the history of the Spanish conquest and colonization, as well as its strategic function on the map of the commercial routes of the time, marked the destiny of the isthmus as a territory at the service of transit ever since. international.