Bateria de Santiago, Portobelo, PanamaBateria de Santiago, Portobelo, Panama
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bater%C3%ADa_de_Santiago_en_Portobelo.jpg
Author: Kiam-shim
photo licensing

Portobelo is a port city in Colón Province on the Caribbean coast of Panama. It was founded in 1597 by Spanish explorer Francisco Velarde y Mercado and grew in importance from the 16th to the 18th century on account of the export of silver.

To safeguard their position, the Spanish erected a network of fortifications to protect Portobelo. Still, it failed to deter the Welsh pirate Harri Morgan (who was even made Admiral Sir Henry Morgan) from attacking it in 1668.

Portobelo was once again attacked and captured by the British in the 18th century, under Admiral Edward Vernon. The victory brought much acclaim to Vernon, and the name Portobelo appeared everywhere in the British Isles, including Portobello Road in London.

The British victory was shortlived. In 1741, the Spanish defeated Vernon in the Battle of Cartagena de Indias and took back Portobelo.

Today the town of Portobelo still has its Spanish-era fortifications. These have been well preserved. Together with Fort San Lorenzo, it was inscribed as a World Heritage Site of Panama in 1980.

Visiting Portobelo

You can reach Portobelo by bus from Panama City. Take the bus from Albrooke terminal. The journey takes 45 minutes and costs $2.50.

Places of Interest in Portobelo

  1. Fort San Lorenzo
    Fortification at the entrance to the Chagres River.

  2. Portobelo Battery
    Spanish fortifications of Portobelo, with its cannons intact.

 Latest updates on Penang Travel Tips

 Discover with Timothy YouTube Channel

 Discover with Timothy Food Channel

 Learn Penang Hokkien YouTube Channel

SojiMart Videos

Latest from Discover with Timothy: Gurney Bay - what to see and do there

About this website



Hello and thanks for reading this page. My name is Timothy and my hobby is in describing places so that I can share the information with the general public. My website has become the go to site for a lot of people including students, teachers, journalists, etc. whenever they seek information on places, particularly those in Malaysia and Singapore. I have been doing this since 5 January 2003, for over twenty years already. You can read about me at Discover Timothy. By now I have compiled information on thousands of places, mostly in Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore, and I continue to add more almost every day. My goal is to describe every street in every town in Malaysia and Singapore.

Copyright © 2003-2024 Timothy Tye. All Rights Reserved.