The first Royal Castle of San Lorenzo of Chagre was built in 1588 by the order of Phillip 2nd of Spain in 1588. It is located in the port city of Colon, capital of Colon Province on Panama's central Caribbean coast. The original Castle of San Lorenzo fell into disrepair and was rebuilt 1761, which is that castle which stands today. The castle was also used as a fort and was declared a National Historic Monument by the new Republic of Panama in 1908, and a World Heritage site By UNESCO in 1980.
The Plaza Bolivar, previously known as the Plaza de San Francisco, was dedicated in 1988 to the Venezuelan General Simon Bolivar, known as "the Liberator." A monument was placed in the center of the plaza in 1926 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Congress of Panama. Simon Bolivar is regarded as a hero in Latin America because of his struggles against the Spanish domination that led to the eventual liberation of Columbia, Peru, Ecuador, Venezuela and Bolivia.
The Flat Arch was an original part of a masonry church built in 1673 in Panama City's Old Quarter. The arch is an important architectural feat because it remained standing even after the rest of the building around it had crumbled. The arch remained intact through old age, fires, storms and earthquakes with no other form of support other than terminal arches. This arch contributed to the decision by the U.S. Congress to approve the Panama Canal route, since it convinced engineers that a canal could be supported by the Panama land mass. The arch stood until November 7, 2003 when it finally collapsed, but has since been reconstructed and remains a major tourist attraction in Panama.
