Science Fair Project Encyclopedia
Nombre de Dios
Nombre de Dios (Spanish: "Name of God") is a town on the Atlantic coast of Panama, near the mouth of the Río Chagres .
Founded as a Spanish colony in 1510 by Diego de Nicuesa, it was the first European settlement on the Isthmus of Panama. Originally a major port of call for the Spanish treasure fleet, Nombre de Dios was situated near an unhealthy swamp, and was nearly impossible to fortify. Francis Drake sacked the colony in June of 1572, and ambused the Silver Train , a mule convoy carrying a fortune in precious metals, March of the next year.
By the 17th century Nombre de Dios had been all but abandoned by the Spanish, and its importance to the treasure fleets had been surpassed by Puerto Bello. The town still exists today, though it is nowhere near as large as it was in the 16th century.
Prior to the construction of the Panama Canal, Nombre de Dios was the starting point of a series of rivers and paths by which ships could cross from the Caribbean to the Pacific Ocean.
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