Panama, Casco Viejo
Casco Antiguo, Panama
Real Estate For Sale For Rent
at Panama´s Historic District



Last week another piece of Hotel Central fell down. This time I was there, so no one can "tell me the story". After the shock of seing the wall falling, people running everywhere, etc, I got to sit down and think. Why? why? why?. Something so simple. You only needed to have common sense.

And you could start to point fingers right left and center. You could point the first finger to the contractor, who knew he had a delicate situation as he had already "lost" the corner a few months ago. He supported the rest of the wall... but forgot this piece? Nevermind he digged too deep in order to fit parking spaces, nor that the workers kept drilling on the "wrong" side of the wall.

You could also point a finger to the authorities, especially to Patrimonio Historico who is by law the office that is supposed to be the guardian of this World Heritage Site, and that had received warning alerts from ICOMOS regarding the construction techniques that where being used in the hotel.

Another finger could be pointed to the Office of Casco Antiguo who passed by the construction every day and never even noticed the issue, nor any of the government officials working at INAC, Presidential Palace or other Ministries.

One more finger could be directed to the past government administration that allowed for the complete internal destruction of a Category One building.

But at the end, if you really think about the real cause... it all comes down to a simple and almost kitch answer: the real culprit is the lack of love.

Because if we, as Panamanians, loved our Patrimony, loved these buildings, these streets and their meaning, it would be a different story. 

The contractor would treat the ruins with respect, not because there are rules that "force you to do it", but because it is just the right thing... the same way it is the right thing to give your old grandmother who just had a broken hip a cane so she can walk. Could you conceive a human not attending his grandmother even with a minimun of love and respect? Do you think we do it because there is a law that forces us to give walking sticks to grandmothers?

If the Panamanians that where part of this or the past government had a little bit of love in them for this city that saw them grow, that saw the birth of our Nation, they would have made of this a priority, not in a bullish way but in a respectful way.

They would have listened to the advice of those who where raising red flags of alarm. They would have cared.

So, there you go. It wasn´t physics, it wasn´t just the contractor, or the guy who gave the permits, or the negligence in the system.

It was all a sad case of lack of love.