REAL ADUANA DE PORTOBELO
The Portobelo Royal Customs House is one of the most important civil structures of the colonial period, and the oldest in the country. Built between 1630 and 1638, the building was partly destroyed in 1744 by William Kinghills, commander of the British army, then rebuilt in 1766 by the military engineer Manuel Hernández, according to new plans. The role of the Royal Customs House was to collect taxes, store gold, silver and precious stones brought from South America, and house governors and dignitaries. Its structure was built mainly from coral stones quarried by African slaves. Portobelo was at the heart of the "triangular trade": ships left European ports laden with weapons and various goods bound for West Africa. These goods were exchanged for slaves, who were then taken to America in the worst conditions imaginable, where they were sold or exchanged for the treasures looted from South America.
In 1882, an earthquake toppled the building's north façade and roof. After being abandoned for a century, the customs house underwent only minor restorations in the 1990s, until an ambitious $3.7 million project. The project, which began in 2020 and was completed in June 2021, has restored this colonial jewel to its former glory, both architecturally and pedagogically, through its remarkable Museum of Afro-Panamanian Memory.
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