Nombre de Dios

Nombre de Dios was the Caribbean terminus of the route across the isthmus in the sixteenth century, the port where silver from Peru was loaded for Spain, and it was raided repeatedly before the trade moved to Portobelo. Francis Drake died at sea off Portobelo, just along this coast, and was buried in the bay there in 1596. What survives is a village of about a thousand people with a beach, and almost nothing above ground to show for the history.

History

Diego de Nicuesa founded Nombre de Dios in 1510, one of the first European settlements on the isthmus, and between 1540 and 1580 it was the most important port in the Americas: after the Potosí mines opened in 1546, silver came up the Pacific coast and crossed the isthmus by mule train to be shipped here for Havana and Spain. Swampy and hard to fortify, it was raided by Francis Drake in 1572 and 1595, and by 1600 the Spanish had moved to Portobelo (Wikipedia, Nombre de Dios, Colón).

What to look for

• The bay - the anchorage that served as the first mainland port.
• The village - about a thousand people on the site of the old town.
• The Drake association - his 1596 death and burial at sea just along this coast.
• The beach - the shore running along the front of the village.

When to go

December to April is drier on this coast, though rain is frequent year round. The road from Portobelo is rough after rain. The village is quiet at all seasons.

Practical notes

There is essentially nothing left of the colonial port to see; the interest is entirely in what was here. Facilities are minimal. The road east from Portobelo is rough.

Nearby

Portobelo is west, and Colón is beyond it.

Key facts