April 2025

Industrially manufactured mosaic made of cement and paste, with inscription on the back Orsola Solá y Ca. Barcelona. These mosaics were installed in the Grand Hotel, which, during the construction of the canal by the French, was acquired to house the administrative offices of the Compagnie Universelle du Canal Interocéanique de Panama. It is now the Panama Interoceanic Canal Museum. Panama Interoceanic Canal Museum Fund.

Mosaic

Material: Cement and paste

Dimensions: 20 x 20 x 2.3 cm

Built in 1893, the steel structure is similar to the design of the Eiffel Tower. It was acquired by the Canal Commission on October 1, 1925. On June 7, 1972, the optics were replaced from an acetylene-activated to an automated battery-operated one. This lighthouse was located on Isla Grande, Colon in the Atlantic.

Faro

Date: 1893

Material: Bronze and Glass

Dimensions: 190 cm x 108 cm

MUCI (P.97.24.1)

The cover of Life magazine on 24 January 1964 went around the world showing that relations between Panama and the United States, regarding recognition of Panamanian sovereignty, were already reaching a tragic and regrettable point. Correspondent Tom Flaherty and photographer Stan Wayman include in this issue of the magazine the article Inside an ugly fight in Panama, which includes photographs of the events that took place on 9, 10 and 11 January of that year in the cities of Panama and Colón, in the areas bordering the Canal Zone. The content of the article maintains a pro-US view of the issue and relies on testimonies of Canal Zone inhabitants, so it is not surprising that it summarizes a sentiment that constantly alludes to communist and destabilizing hordes, and portrays Panamanians as mobs attacking the Americans, ignoring the roots of the conflict and the fatal results of the US army's armed aggression against an unarmed population.

Life magazine

Date: 1964

Material: paper

Dimensions: 35 x 26.5 cm

MUCI (13.2.143)

During 1913, tourist visits to the construction of the Canal were a phenomenon. It is estimated that some 20,000 people were interested in witnessing the progress of the work between January and June alone. The slope of Cucaracha Hill, in the Culebra Cut, was the ideal place to appreciate the magnitude of the effort deployed to divide the Central Mountain Range. Numerous books, pamphlets and tourist guides featured photographs and information about the work, the Canal Zone and the cities of Panama and Colon. With the visit of U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt to Panama in November 1906, the promotion of tourist tours to the Isthmus began, with the particular objective of admiring the progress of the works. Roosevelt's interest in promoting this stage, and the guarantee of its completion, was quickly taken advantage of by New York businessmen who organized tours that included visits to Culebra Cut, the cities of Panama and Colon, Old Panama and Portobelo. The marked success of these tours led the Isthmian Canal Commission to provide trains to serve the tourists, especially during the dry season on the Isthmus (between January and April). The tours summoned famous guests, such as Alice Roosevelt Longworth, Lord Bryce, President William Howard Taft, William Jennings Bryan, Charles Francis Adams, and a young man who decades later would break records in world aviation: Charles Lindbergh. The hanging medal souvenir is very representative of the tourism generated by the construction of the Canal, even before its completion. The medal shows on its obverse side a sailor standing on a pier, with the U.S. flag in the background to his right and the prow of a warship to his left. The setting of the medal reads: Visit to Panama Canal 1913, and features a wreath of laurels and crossed rifles, while the pendant with the word souvenir is held by an eagle against a background of crossed rifles and sabers. The reverse of the medal is imprinted with the Lord's Prayer and the name of the manufacturer: Schwaabs & S / Co / Milwaukee.

Suvenir de medalla colgante, visita al Canal

Date: 1913

Material: bronze and pewter

Dimensions: 5.7 x 3.7 cm

MUCI (13.2.125)

With the arrival of school-age children in the Canal Zone, it became necessary for the authorities to establish appropriate schools for this unique community. The first Superintendent of Schools in the Canal Zone was Donald C. O'Connor, who in 1906 opened an educational center in Corozal, a pioneer in its field. Educational needs were met for the benefit of both the Gold Roll and the Silver Roll, since the Zone Government was aware that only through a public educational system, with high quality standards, could it guarantee the future stability and governability of the Canal Zone. In this sense, the educational plans considered that the student could "grow up to be" a Canal employee, so subjects such as Applied Mathematics, Workshop Methodology, Elementary Mechanics and Commercial English were included in the curriculum. Spanish was also taught. In the case of secondary education, Algebra, Geometry, Spanish, Latin, Rhetoric, Botany, Biology, Geography and History were taught. The investment in the construction of schools for permanent communities, once the construction of the Canal was completed, amounted to $560,000 between 1916 and 1920. The brooch shown here was made by Bastian Bros. Co. of Rochester, New York, for the Canal Zone Superintendent of Schools, probably to be distributed to teachers and students. Its obverse shows the inscription "Isthmus of Panama" on the circular border, and in the center, divided by crossed lines, the initials "C.Z.H.S." for Canal Zone High Schools. The back of the brooch shows the initials "B.B.Co.", corresponding to the manufacturing house.

Canal Zone high schools brooch

Date: c. 1913

Material: metal

Dimensions: 1.6 cm diameter

MUCI (13.2.61)

The annual dinner of the Chagres Society in 1915 was to be commemorated with this ashtray, on the left-hand edge of which is inscribed "We do our work". This expression was inscribed on other ashtrays as a reminder of the dinner, adding: "And now we pay rent". Such a reminder was made by the foundry of the Mechanics Division, and the phrases reflect something of the mood of the workers in the face of the changes that the completion of the work implied. Some of them would return to the United States, while others decided to stay. The Panama Canal Company, which replaced the Isthmian Canal Commission, began charging rents to the latter for the use of housing and other utilities they required, which was ironic to many of those involved in the colossal inter-oceanic enterprise.

Protest ashtray of the Chagres Society

Date: 1915

Material: Bronze

Dimensions: 13.6 cm diameter

MUCI (13.2.12)

The token shown has the particularity of referring to the Masonic groups of the Canal Zone. On its obverse is the mallet and chisel, tools of the apprentice to begin the work of converting his rough stone into cubic stone. At the center of the obverse is the cornerstone, whose circle contains the acronym HTWSSTKS Hiram The Widow's Son Sent To King Solomon, a reference to Hiram, King Solomon's architect who is considered the founder of Freemasonry. On its reverse it can be read from the border: CANAL ZONE CHAPTER NO. 1. (ROYAL ARCH MASON) ANCON, C. 2 ("Chapter No. 1 of the Canal Zone, R.A.M., Ancon, C. 2"); then: INSTITUTED JULY 23, 1910 ("Established July 23, 1910"), and in the center ONE PENNY ("One cent"). York Rite Masonry came to the Canal Zone in 1910, when Chapter No. 1 of the Royal Arch Mason was established on the Pacific side. York Masonry would be established on the Atlantic in 1916. Among the most recognized lodges that came to the Canal Zone were the Abu Sadd, better known as Shriners, who participated in works of assistance to sick children, especially burns, who were cared for in the hospital institutions of the lodge.

One Penny, Canal Zone Chapter No. 1 R.A.M. Ancon C. 2

Date: July 23, 1910

Material: metal

Dimensions: 3.3 cm diameter

MUCI (06.27.7)

One of the official souvenirs of the Exhibition, consisting of a bronze eagle's claw, holding a quartz rock on a wooden base, on which is written: ROCK FROM BOTTOM OF CULEBRA CUT PANAMA CANAL. Underneath the base reads: 'The ROCK held in this Eagle claw was removed out of the depths of the world famous CULEBRA CUT, Panama Canal, during the excavation period'. In the middle of the page appears the certification OFFICIAL PANAMA SOUVENIR Panama-Pacific International Exposition SAN FRANCISCO, 1915 ("Official souvenir of Panama, Panama-Pacific International Exposition, San Francisco, 1915"). To conclude the letter, it includes the words of Colonel George W. Goethals, 25 April 1914: I have been informed that you have been gathering samples of the various kinds of the dirt, taken from the Cut, for the purpose.

Eagle Claw Souvenir

Date: 1915

Material: Wood, paper, stone and metal

Dimensions: 10 x 10 x 10 cm

MUCI (06.33.10)

Designed to collect cigarette butts and ashes, the ashtray was for decades a commonplace utensil in homes, workplaces and places of leisure. On more than a few occasions it has been used as a promotional item for companies, localities, institutions, commercial brands, etc. There are table-top ashtrays and ashtrays for communal areas. The former is for domestic use, while the latter is often used in receptions or waiting rooms. Ashtrays are made of metal or refractory glass. The image shows an ashtray alluding to the Exposition, which shows in high relief the crossing of ships from the Atlantic to the Pacific. It can be seen that these vessels have their point of departure on the east coast of the United States, specifically New York, although some of them apparently arrive at the Isthmus of Panama from Europe, heading for the east coast, straight to San Francisco. The border reads: SAN FRANCISCO 1915.

Cenicero San Francisco 1915 - Panama-Pacific International Exposition

Date: 1915

Material: metal

Size: 12.7 cm diameter

MUCI (10.23.26)

Guitar zither, special model, Panama 1915. Made by Federal Stock Food Co., Mifflinburg, Pennsylvania. Patented on 20 May 1894.
Stringed instruments work on the basis of the vibration of taut strings and the arrangement of a soundboard that enhances the sound. Depending on the way the strings vibrate, instruments can be plucked, plucked or plucked. This is the case with guitars, violins and pianos. The guitar zither was first patented in the United States by the musical instrument maker Friedrich Menzenhauer in May 1894. This instrument is characterized by the fact that it has no frets to achieve its notes. Menzenhauer's two-stringed zither guitars had the characteristic of presenting the notes directly on the corresponding string and their tuning pegs were arranged in pairs. The zither guitar Special Panama Model 1915, commemorating the inauguration of the Canal, is a very unique piece, as connoisseurs assume that it was made by Oscar Schmidt, a former partner of Menzenhauer, in the 1850s. The inauguration of the Canal was in 1914, which is why the year printed on the instrument does not correspond, but it is important to note that commemorative prints on musical instruments were a very effective selling point.

Cítara guitarra, modelo especial, Panamá 1915. Realizada por Federal Stock Food Co., Mifflinburg, Pennsylvania.

Patented on 20 May 1894.

Date: 1915

Material: wood

Dimensions: 50.2 x 33.5 cm

MUCI (06.15.255)

When the Canal Zone was established, a civilian identification system was needed to determine the labor relationship with the construction of the Canal. Faced with this civilian need, the Isthmus Canal Commission, the government institution in charge of building the Canal, decided to issue labor identification cards, whose functions were to allow the recognition of employees in general, to determine with precision when their salaries were paid, and to control access to its facilities, such as hotels and commissaries. The diamond-shaped tokens were the first to be issued by the Isthmus Canal Commission, in August 1905, and were made of bronze. When the numbers of the tokens issued exceeded five digits, a new variety was issued with six smaller numbers. This type of identification token was valid in the Canal Zone from 1905 to the end of 1907.

Canal Worker Identification, Isthmian Canal Commission 79682

Date: 1905-1907

Material: metal

Dimensions: 5.9 x 3.8 cm

MUCI (11.4.124)

Railroad bolts and nails have been collector's items with reference to the Panama Canal. Their function was to hold the rails together and to the sleepers to prevent the tendency of the sleepers to spread out. Among the best known are the oval-necked railroad bolts, used mainly to fasten rails that had at least one through hole; the railroad lag bolt was used to fasten the rails to the sleepers or wooden sleepers, and the railroad nails to fasten the rails and other elements of the railroad. The screws and nails that are observed belong to the period of construction of the Panama Canal by the Americans.

Oval-collar railroad track bolt

Date: 1904-1914

Material: metal

Dimensions: 15.5 x 4.5 cm

MUCI (10.29.20)

In 1739, the Spanish-British conflict better known as "The War of Jenkins' Ear" took place in the Caribbean Sea. The curious name of this conflict is due to the action of the merchant Robert Jenkins, who showed Parliament his mutilated ear after the Spanish coast guard boarded his ship. Edward Vernon was one of the leading admirals on the English front. Vernon, then a vice admiral, captured the city of Portobelo, on the Isthmus of Panama, on November 22, 1739, in an attempt to weaken a strategic point of the Spanish Empire's finances in the West Indies. Vernon, with only six ships, took the city in 24 hours and occupied it for three weeks; he then withdrew and destroyed the fortifications, ports and warehouses. Vernon's seizure of Portobelo was a hard blow to Spanish trade, since it prevented the holding of fairs, obstructing the flow of merchandise and silver to the Spanish metropolis. This attack caused the Spanish Crown to abandon the system of fairs, and the Isthmus lost the commercial prestige it had maintained until then. The capture of Portobelo brought Vernon the glory of his memory. In England he was received with honors, a street in London was named Portobelo, a district in Dublin and a town in Virginia. Commemorative medals were also minted. One of these medals can be seen, showing on its obverse Vernon standing with a baton in his hand, pointing towards the G for glory, having a cannon and a ship in the background, and the writing: THE BRITISH GLORY REVIVED BY ADMIRAL VERNON ("The British glory revived by Admiral Vernon"); while the reverse shows the six ships in Portobelo Bay and has the writing: HE TOOK PORTO BELLO WITH SIX SHIPS ONLY ("He took Portobelo with six ships only"). It was minted in 1739.

Admiral Vernon Medal

Date: 1739

Material: metal

Size: 4 cm diameter

MUCI (11.5.15)