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El Canal, la Juventud y el Sentido de Pertenencia

Articulos

El Canal, la Juventud y el Sentido de Pertenencia

29/01/2024

By Temy Agustín Núñez

 

When we think about the Panama Canal, many ideas arise related to sovereignty, struggles, demands and transfers. However, after obtaining the desired sovereignty over the old Canal Zone, a new word emerged: belonging. This word, as the duty of every Panamanian, must carry with it pride in the historical, commercial and logistical value of the Panama Canal.

I often wonder: will youth value our Canall? Will that sense of belonging be instilled in them? Belonging is not taught in school classrooms; It must be instilled at home, with that historical value that has embraced the Canal since its genesis as a colonial route. Although today it faces one of its biggest crises with its raw material, water, we should not deviate towards social platforms and reflect comments of guilt in the water crisis. As a population, we must keep in mind that the water problem is global, it will affect us more frequently and it goes beyond being just a government problem.

Offering youth the possibility of discovering history by visiting museums and appreciating the legacy and importance of the Canal is essential. Investing in culture, education and connecting technological tools with a visit to museums helps us understand our history. Beyond what is available on the Internet, museums are tangible open books of the facts displayed there. By investing time and money in culture, we awaken that sense of belonging that we should have as citizens of this great country, and feel proud of the character of our nation when fighting for sovereignty, which should be the joy of every Panamanian.

Sovereignty is not based on economic interests, but on the fact that this great, historical and emblematic work is located in this small country, home of every Panamanian, with great significance as a commercial route and tourist spot for more than one hundred years. The struggles of previous generations must be valued by the generations of today and tomorrow, becoming a path to appreciate the Canal that faces crises like any company, but by understanding that belonging, it can generate a generation interested in training, exercising and linking its studies to the Panamanian Canal.

 

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Museum

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Plaza Catedral, between 5th and 6th streets, Casco Antiguo, Panama City, Panama

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Mosaic
French Canal

Mosaic

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

French Canal

Lighthouse

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)

Life magazine
Identity Search

Life magazine

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)

1903: Republic and U.S. Canal

Hanging medal souvenir, Canal visit

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)

Canal Zone high schools brooch
1903: Republic and U.S. Canal

Canal Zone high schools brooch

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)

Protest ashtray of the Chagres Society
Life in the Zone

Protest ashtray of the Chagres Society

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)

Masonic Lodge Token
1903: Republic and U.S. Canal

Masonic Lodge Token

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)

Suvenir de Garra de Águila
Life in the Zone

Eagle Claw Souvenir

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)

Cenicero suvenir Exposición Internacional Panamá-Pacífico 1915
Life in the Zone

Cenicero souvenir Exposición Internacional Panamá - Pacífico 1915

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)

Life in the Zone

Zither guitar

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)

Work identification cards. Diamond
1903: Republic and U.S. Canal

Work identification cards. Diamond

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)

Oval-collar railroad track bolt
1903: Republic and U.S. Canal

Oval-collar railroad track bolt

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)

Admiral Vernon Medal
The Route Under Spanish Colonial Rule (1501-1821)

Admiral Vernon Medal

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)

Stirrups of Baul or Moriscos
The Route Under Spanish Colonial Rule (1501-1821)

Stirrups of Baul or Moriscos

The stirrup, a piece of metal placed on each side of the saddle for the rider to support his feet, was one of the most important inventions of antiquity, as it helped to develop horsemanship. The first pairs of stirrups were made in China, approximately in 322 B.C., during the reign of the Jin dynasty, as protection for the rider's feet. The stirrup made its arrival in Europe with the war raids from Central Asia and was assumed as a cutting-edge technique in mounted warfare, as it provided the rider with greater support to undertake an attack. The horse was the means of transportation par excellence, and of social distinction during the Colony, so all the clothing that accompanied it, together with its rider, played an important role in the forms of social ostentation. The stirrups played a part in this desire to show society that the rider was someone important. The stirrups of the colonial elites were made of metal, frequently silver, although there were also bronze, iron and copper stirrups; the poor were limited to using wooden stirrups, since all metals were imported from Spain, and therefore expensive. The stirrups could be very simple or embossed, but always large and wide, to support the foot and not just the toe. (A-B) Traditional stirrups from the 16th-17th century. (C-D-E-F) Trunk stirrups or Moorish stirrups from the end of the 17th century. Made in bronze they could be embossed, engraved or plain.

Stirrups of Baul or Moriscos

Date: late 17th century

Material: metal

Dimensions: 12.8 x 11 x 14.3 cm

MUCI (11.4.10)

Horseshoe
The Route Under Spanish Colonial Rule (1501-1821)

Horseshoe

During the colonial period, mules played a fundamental role in trans-isthmian transportation; without them, the transfer of treasures to and from the fairs would not have been possible. Their breeding and maintenance were extremely costly for the time, especially in shoeing. It is estimated that by 1678, shoeing a mule cost four pesos, the equivalent of one peso per hoof or shoe. All the horseshoeing material was imported from Spain at a high cost, since no iron mines were discovered in America during colonial times. The iron arrived in Panama City in the form of plates and grates, which were later sent to the blacksmith workshops, where the master and official blacksmiths turned them into articles for daily use, such as horseshoes and the studs or nails necessary for their placement. The demand for horseshoes was constant, due to the volume of horse transport at the time, particularly for the mule fleet, as the ironwork had to be replenished again and again, due to the intensity of the trips across the Isthmus.

Horseshoe

Date: 16th century-early 19th century

Material: metal

Dimensions: 15 x 14.5 cm

MUCI (11.4.7)

Cowbell
The Route Under Spanish Colonial Rule (1501-1821)

Cowbell

Cowbells are cylindrical metal bells, which are tied to cattle and other grazing animals to locate them easily. These were used, during the colonial period in America, in the mares madrinas or "punteadoras", those that guided the mule trains, generally formed by between twelve and fourteen beasts.

Cowbell

Date: s/f

Material: metal

Dimensions: 11.5 x 8.5 cm

MUCI (11.4.8)

Perulera
The Route Under Spanish Colonial Rule (1501-1821)

Perulera

During the Colonial period, the packaging of commercial goods varied according to their contents, especially foodstuffs.
Wooden boxes, cloth sacks, blankets to protect the cargo and bijao (bihao) sheets were some of the materials used for packing or packaging solid foodstuffs.
For liquid products, such as wine, brandy and vinegar, the most common were wooden barrels, casks and vats, as well as earthenware jars. Since Peru specialized in the production of grapes and wine during the colonial period, there was a need to manufacture vessels for export; such is the case of the botija called perulera, narrow in the floor, wide in the belly and narrow in the mouth, like the one shown in this book.
Other botijas were made in Spain to market products such as olives in brine, oil, chickpeas and others.

Date: 16th century-early 19th century

Material: Clay

Dimensions: 87 x 140 cm

MUCI (06.33.28)