The History of the Panama Canal: From Balboa to a Global Engineering Marvel

Did you know…

The history of the Panama Canal begins in 1513 when Vasco Nuñez de Balboa crossed for first time this narrow strip of land on the isthmus separating the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

France began construction of the canal in 1881, but was halted in 1889 due to lack of investors confidence, engineering problems, and the high mortality rate among workers due to tropical diseases.

Construction of the Panama Canal officially resumed on May 4, 1904, under the leadership of the United States, with the aim of saving time and money in commercial and military shipping.

Faced with significant technical and sanitary challenges, under the administration of the engineers John Stevens, and later George Washington Goethals, an ambitious plan was designed and executed that included a rigorous sanitation program to rid the isthmus of diseases and the construction of enormous locks to raise and lower ships between different levels of the canal.

After a decade of hard work and with the participation of thousands of workers of diverse nationalities, albeit more from the Caribbean area, the Panama Canal was finally inaugurated on August 15, 1914, coinciding with the beginning of the First World War.