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35-650: Like El Caño in Central Panama or Panamá Viejo in Panama City, Barriles is one of the few archaeological sites in Panama regularly accessible to the public. The northwestern portion of the site is accessible to the public through the Landau finca (which is a private property), who have a variety of artifacts on display in their yard, in the walls of a fake excavation block, and in a small private museum. Not all of

70-486: A conical hat and ornaments- riding atop the shoulders of a naked man, though some of these individuals also wore conical hats. Many scholars have interpreted these double individual statues as evidence for the existence of higher and lower status social groups within Barriles. A large metate (grinding stone) whose border was adorned by tiny stone heads has also been interpreted as evidence for violence or human sacrifice in

105-511: A few kilometres to the west on a new site (the current one). Henry Morgan was arrested but, after proving he knew nothing of the recently completed Treaty of Madrid which ended hostilities between England and Spain, was subsequently freed and later rewarded. UNESCO added Panamá Viejo to the World Heritage list in 1997. It justified its inclusion on the grounds that the site is the "oldest continuously occupied European settlement in

140-558: A fire that burned the city or the Captain General Emanuel Gonzalez Revilla ordered the explosion of the gunpowder magazines. The city's viceroy, Don Juan Perez de Guzman himself wrote, 'I endeavoured with all my industry to persuade the soldiers to turn and face our enemies but it was impossible; so that nothing hindering them, they entered the city to which the slave and owners of the houses had set fire'. Morgan wrote, 'There we were forced to put out

175-495: A portion of the Río Chiriquí Viejo valley and identified dozens of sites. They concluded that the Río Chiriquí Viejo was once home to substantial and complexly populations supported by maize agriculture. According to them, this was not as easily possible in the neighboring Caribbean lowlands, which did not exhibit the same complex social organization as the mountains. The accuracy and implications of last point has become

210-515: A practice which may be interpreted as implicitly racist and colonial. Another common myth is that the Barriles population was conquered by Mayan groups from Mesoamerica (Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, parts of Honduras and El Salvador). Part of this theory is based on the presence of painted, polychrome ceramics from the end of the sequence. These exact ceramics are commonly associated with the later Chiriquí (or Boruca) period and have been extensively described by neighboring Costa Rican archaeologists. There

245-473: Is no evidence for Maya contact or occupation that has been accepted by professional archaeologists. According to some, Barriles is believed to have been the seat of a small regional polity of settlements linked by ceremonial ties, warfare, and the production or exchange of polished stone axes, used for forest clearing and woodworking activities. The possible connection of political or religious organization to different degrees or forms of social inequality has been

280-462: Is the remaining part of the original Panama City , the former capital of Panama , which was destroyed in 1671 by the Welsh privateer Henry Morgan . It is located in the suburbs of the current capital. Together with the historical district of Panamá , it has been a World Heritage Site since 1997. A settlement was founded on August 15, 1519 by Pedro Arias Dávila and another 100 inhabitants. At

315-678: The Chibchan family proper, but were excluded pending further evidence as that family became well established. Kaufman (1990) finds the Chibchan–Misumalpan connection convincing, if as yet unsubstantiated, though Campbell (1997) finds it doubtful. The Xincan family was once included in Macro-Chibchan, but this is now doubtful. Constenla (2005) calls this proposed phylum Lenmichí (Lencan–Misumalpan–Chibchan) and provides 85 cognate sets which exhibit regular sound correspondences among

350-445: The 21st century has witnessed renewed interest in the site. A German-Panamanian team of archaeologists excavated the remains of a structure in 2001, which suggested to them that Barriles was probably a village rather than an empty ceremonial center or cemetery. This large excavation block has been left open for tourists to visit today. Dr. Karen Holmberg (Brown University) sampled volcanic stata from this excavation, though much of her work

385-513: The Caribbean coast across the jungle. Forces sent from Panama to ambush Morgan in the jungle passes ran away rather than face them and, although tired and hungry from their 9 day march, Morgan's force reached the plains outside the city. Although outnumbered, and facing heavy guns and cavalry, the English defeated the city's militia then proceeded to sack Panamá. Either Morgan and his army started

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420-761: The Pacific coast of the Americas." This UNESCO World Heritage Site was the Pit Stop of the 19th season of The Amazing Race . The reward feast from a reward challenge in the 7th season of the CBS show Survivor was held at this place. Macro-Chibchan Macro-Chibchan is a proposed grouping of the languages of the Lencan , Misumalpan , and Chibchan families into a single large phylum ( macrofamily ). The Lencan and Misumalpan languages were once included in

455-474: The activities which drew people to the village were likely ceremonial feasts, perhaps associated with funerary rituals. Differences between social ranks, however, was subtle and not nearly as clear as the distinctions supposedly advertised in the double individual statues. Because Barriles has received relatively little archaeological attention compared to flashier sites in Mesoamerica or Peru, it has become

490-450: The ancient artistic canon of the sculptors, rather than an accurate copy of actual physical characteristics. The final reason is that some of the statues' faces have been interpreted as reflecting possibly mutilated individuals Pointing to poorly demonstrated trans-oceanic contacts is an example of a hyper-diffusionist theory. Such theories often do not give proper credit to descendant indigenous groups for their ancient cultural achievements,

525-505: The artifacts on display were found on-site. The family offers guided tours of the collections and their gardens in both Spanish and English. Donations are greatly appreciated. The site is believed to have once been a socioceremonial center with a substantial residential population between 500-1000 individuals. It contains a small mound which was once associated with a row of 14 statues. Ten of these depicted solitary individuals, while four included one individual- often chubbier, taller, wearing

560-429: The ceramic styles and patterns of domestic organization studied at Barriles have identifiable and direct antecedents in the previous Concepción Phase, rather than representing an intrusive complex of artifacts introduced from elsewhere. The second reason to doubt this theory is that the statues themselves appear quite stylized, suggesting that certain physical features (like perfectly squared shoulders) may have been part of

595-577: The ceramics from Barriles, and collected samples from a few small excavations. In the early 1970s, in the region (and other areas in Western Panama) became the focus of the multi-year Adaptive Radiations project led by the Panamanian archaeologist Dr. Olga Linares . The project involved several influential figures in modern Central American archaeology, including Dr. Richard Cooke, Dr. Anthony Ranere, and Dr. Payson Sheets. This project surveyed

630-416: The city suffered a number of fires which destroyed parts of it but did not impede the city's development. In 1610, the city reached a population of 5,000, with 500 houses, as well as convents, chapels, a hospital and a cathedral . At the beginning of the 17th century, the city was attacked several times by pirates and by indigenous people from Darién. On 2 May 1620, an earthquake damaged many buildings in

665-527: The city. On 21 February 1644, the Great Fire destroyed 83 religious buildings, including the cathedral. At this time, there were 8,000 people living in the city. In 1670, the city counted 10,000 inhabitants. On 28 January 1671, in response to intelligence that the colonies of New Spain were gathering forces to attack Jamaica, the Welsh privateer Henry Morgan attacked the city with 1,400 men, marching from

700-667: The commerce of Old Panama (Panamá Viejo) on the Pacific Ocean for a century, thanks to a concession given by the Spaniards, who had the Republic of Genoa as allies. Between 1586 and 1587 already there were 11 Italians in Panama , for naturalization and the right to stay in Panama. According to a census around 1587, Panama City had 548 inhabitants (some of them descendants of the first Genoese settlers), of whom 53 were foreigners and of these 18 were Italians. In 1539 and 1563,

735-468: The development of settlement system containing large villages and small farmsteads. The subsequent Chiriquí Phases (AD 900-1500) witnessed the dissolution of the previous villages, and populations returned to ephemeral and spatially dispersed patterns. This suggests that major population reorganization during the sequence may have been associated with the political and ceremonial rise and decline of Barriles. A hypothetical AD 600 eruption of nearby Volcán Baru

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770-551: The fires of the enemy’s houses; but it was in vain, for by 12 at night it was all consumed that might be called the City'. These contemporary accounts both strongly support the story that it was burned by its inhabitants; indeed there was no incentive for the English to set it alight as they had not had chance to loot it. Either way, the resulting fire destroyed the city. Morgan's attack caused the loss of thousands of lives (his report stated 400 Spanish casualies) and Panamá had to be rebuilt

805-496: The isolates Betoi , Kamsá ( Sibundoy ), Yaruro , Esmeraldeño , Mochica , Cunza , Itonama , and Yurumanguí . An automated computational analysis ( ASJP 4) by Müller et al. (2013) also found lexical similarities between Chibchan and Misumalpan . However, since the analysis was automatically generated, the grouping could be either due to mutual lexical borrowing or genetic inheritance. Constenla (2005) reconstructed five vowels and eleven consonants for Proto-Lenmichian, with

840-730: The past. Many of the statues and the metate are on currently display in the Museo Antropológico Reina Torres de Araúz in Panama City . Barriles was largely occupied during the Aguas Buenas period (A.D. 300-900) (see ), known locally as the Bugaba period. Nine radiocarbon dates have been taken from Barriles, six of them clustering between A.D. 500-800 (or the Late Bugaba phase). Pottery from this period

875-468: The possibility of earlier and denser populations than previously believed. Barriles was the subject of early archaeological investigations by Dr. Matthew Stirling (the late 1940s), who did not publish extensively on his findings. Stirling was the archaeologist who recovered fragments of the Barriles statues and the large metate. Alain Ichon and Wolfgang Haberland (1950s and 1960s) were interested in studying

910-440: The statues may be possibly associated with a shamanistic religious tradition. However, studies of Macro-Chibchan identity have been largely based on qualities between trade items which are hypothesized to have bound different Chibchan-speaking groups into a similar religious tradition, items which are entirely absent at Barriles. Panam%C3%A1 Viejo Panamá Viejo ( English : "Old Panama"), also known as Panamá la Vieja ,

945-603: The subject of a recent investigation. Changes in social organization, especially those associated with the early development and persistence of political hierarchies or social inequalities, are of theoretical interest to many anthropological archaeologists who seek to understand these important shifts in human history. Barriles plays an important role in discussions of a Macro-Chibchan identity, based on genetic, linguistic and archaeological studies from elsewhere in Central America. The individuals wearing conical hats in

980-496: The subject of considerable debate. Some collections of ceramics and lithics from this project are housed in Temple University. The site was then briefly revisited by Dr. Catherine Shelton in the 1980s, but the majority of her work dealt with sites at lower elevations. The Argentinian scholar Dr. Vidal Fraitts studied the Barriles statues during the 1990s, but did not conduct new fieldwork at the site. The first decade of

1015-401: The subject of considerable rumor and speculation. One of the more popular rumors is that Barriles was settled by two populations, one of African descent and another of Asian descent (not completely unlike modern Panama). Proponents of this theory point to the supposed ethnic characteristics they claim to see on the Barriles statues. There are three reasons to doubt this possibility. The first is

1050-424: The three families. He suggests that Chocoan may be related as well. Greenberg proposed a broader conception of Macro-Chibchan, one dismissed by linguists working on the families in question. It included Yanomam , Purépecha , and Cuitlatec in addition to Chibchan–Misumalpan–Xinca–Lenca. Greenberg (1987) included Paezan languages in a Chibchan-Paezan stock with Barbacoan , Chibchan, Chocoan , Jirajaran , and

1085-584: The time, it was the first permanent European settlement on the Pacific Ocean , replacing the two cities of Santa María la Antigua del Darién and Acla. Two years later, in 1521, the settlement was promoted to the status of city by a royal decree and was given a coat of arms by Charles V of Spain , forming a new cabildo . Shortly after its creation the city became a starting point for various expeditions in Peru and an important base where gold and silver were sent to Spain . From 1520 some Genoese merchants ruled

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1120-400: Was generally unpainted and occasionally included engraved, incised and appliqué decorations. Stone artifacts, including small chips created from the manufacture of stone tools (i.e. blades, axes, and metates), were generally made from andesite, basalt, rhyolite, and chert. Organic materials, like plant fibers and animal bones, have not preserved well in the acidic soils. The Aguas Buenas period

1155-492: Was preceded by the Tropical Forest Archaic (4600-2300 B.C.), which is known from rockshelter sites found outside of the valley. The Concepción Phase (roughly 300 BC to AD 400) was associated with the earliest ceramic using populations in the area, and evidence suggests that populations were low and spatially dispersed, though more sites are known from lower elevations. The Aguas Buenas period was associated with

1190-478: Was thought to have devastated other archaeological settlements upstream from Barriles, prompting a movement into, and subsequent colonization of, the Caribbean watershed. Recent geological and archaeological work has seriously questioned the veracity of the AD 600 eruption, and evidence now points toward a much later eruption event, possibly around AD 1400. Recent archaeological work in the Caribbean watershed has also raised

1225-403: Was ultimately conducted near the modern towns of Boquete and Caldera on the other side of the volcano. Dr. Scott Palumbo (College of Lake County) recently conducted the most extensive work at the site by sampling different domestic sectors with hundreds of small excavations. His work suggested that Barriles contained a far denser residential population compared to other sites in the region, and that

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