Portobelo (Modern Spanish: "Puerto Bello" ("beautiful port"), historically in Portuguese: Porto Belo) is a historic port and corregimiento in Portobelo District, Colón Province, Panama, Central America, with a population of 4,559 as of 2010[update].[1] Located on the northern part of the Isthmus of Panama, it is 32 km (20 mi) northeast of the modern port of Colón now at the Atlantic entrance to the Panama Canal. It functions as the seat of Portobelo District.[1] Established in 1597 during the time of the Spanish empire due to its deep natural harbor, it served as one of the two ports (together with Veracruz 2,066 km (1,284 mi) to the northwest) through which Spanish treasure was shipped from the mines of Peru (via Panama City on the Pacific side of the Isthmus and overland to Portobelo) back to Spain. The city was repeatedly captured by British privateers and pirates, culminating in a successful siege by the Royal Navy in 1739, during the War of Jenkin's Ear.
Henry Morgan's attack on the Castillo de San Jeronimo, Porto Bello, 1669
Portobelo was founded in 1597 by Spanish explorer Francisco Velarde y Mercado[2] and quickly replaced Nombre de Dios as a Caribbean port for Peruvian silver. Legend has it that Christopher Columbus originally named the port "Puerto Bello", meaning "Beautiful Port", in 1502.[3] After Francis Drake died of dysentery in 1596 at sea, he was buried at sea in a lead coffin near Portobelo Bay, memorialised by the present Isla Drake ("Drake Island") at the mouth of the harbour. During the 16th to the 18th centuries it was an important silver-exporting port in New Granada on the Spanish Main and one of the two Atlantic ports on the route of the Spanish treasure fleets. The Spanish built defensive fortifications.
In 1601 the English privateerWilliam Parkercaptured Portobello from the Spanish. Welshman Henry Morgan repeated the feat in 1668, having led a fleet of privateers and 450 men and overcome its strong fortifications. His forces plundered it for 14 days before withdrawing. It was captured again in 1680 by pirate John Coxon.[4]
1771 map showing position of Bastimentos Island between Porto Bello and the former harbour of Nombre de Dios
In 1726 the British suffered a disaster in their Blockade of Porto Bello under Admiral Francis Hosier, an attempt to prevent the Spanish treasure fleet returning to Spain, when due to their lengthy wait and inactivity (as ordered by the British government) moored at Bastimentos 11 km (6.8 mi) to the northeast (not to be confused with another Bastimentos Island 270 miles to the west), the large part of the sailors died from tropical diseases. The disaster was vindicated 13 years later when during the War of Jenkins' Ear the port was attacked and captured on November 21, 1739, by a British fleet of six ships commanded by Admiral Edward Vernon. The victory created an outburst of popular acclaim throughout the British Empire. More medals were struck for Vernon than for any other 18th-century British figure and across the British Isles the name of "Portobello" was given to places and streets in honor of the victory, most notably Portobello Road in London, the district of Portobello in Edinburgh and the Portobello Barracks in Dublin.[5]
However the Spanish soon recovered Portobelo when in 1741 they defeated Admiral Vernon in the Battle of Cartagena de Indias and forced him to return to England with a decimated fleet, having suffered more than 18,000 casualties, mostly due to disease.[6] British efforts to gain a foothold on the Spanish Main and disrupt the galleon trade were ultimately fruitless. Following the War of Jenkins' Ear, the Spanish switched from using large fleets calling at few ports to small fleets trading at a wide variety of ports, developing a flexibility that made them less subject to attack. Ships[citation needed] also began to travel around Cape Horn to trade directly at ports on the western coast.
Today
View of the fort, the Aduana building, and the church
^ abcde"Cuadro 11 (Superficie, población y densidad de población en la República...)" [Table 11 (Area, population, and population density in the Republic...)] (.xls). In "Resultados Finales Básicos" [Basic Final Results] (in Spanish). National Institute of Statistics and Census of Panama. Retrieved May 26, 2015.
^Shirley Fish (17 May 2011). The Manila-Acapulco Galleons: The Treasure Ships of the Pacific with an Annotated List of the Transpacific Galleons 1565-1815. AuthorHouse. pp. 45–. ISBN978-1-4567-7542-1. Retrieved 18 July 2011.
^Patricia Katzman (10 February 2006). Panama. Hunter Publishing, Inc. pp. 136–. ISBN978-1-58843-529-3. Retrieved 18 July 2011.
^Rogoziński, Jan (1997). The Wordsworth dictionary of pirates. Ware: Wordsworth Reference. p. 266. ISBN1-85326-384-2.
^Brendan Simms (8 December 2008). Three Victories and a Defeat: The Rise and Fall of the First British Empire, 1714-1783. Basic Books. p. 276. ISBN978-0-465-01332-6. Retrieved 18 July 2011.
^Duncan, Francis. History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery, London, 1879, Vol.1, p.123, Quote:"...so reduced was this force in two years by disaster and disease, that not a tenth part returned to England...'thus ended in shame, disappointment, and loss, the most important, most expensive, and best concerted expedition that Great Britain was ever engaged in'...".
^Panamanian Fortifications Added to UNESCO List of World Heritage in Danger 2015-04-08 at the Wayback Machine, Global Heritage Fund blog article
Bibliography
Rodger, N. A. M.The Command of the Ocean: A Naval History of Britain, 1649-1815.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Portobelo, Colón.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Portobelo.
, Portobelo
Devils' Dance celebration in Portobelo, Santiago and La Villa de Los Santos (in Spanish)
Fortifications on the Caribbean Side of Panama: Portobelo-San Lorenzo on UNESCO World Heritage List
January 22, 2023
portobelo, colón, portobelo, redirects, here, other, uses, portobello, disambiguation, portobelo, modern, spanish, puerto, bello, beautiful, port, historically, portuguese, porto, belo, historic, port, corregimiento, portobelo, district, colón, province, panam. Portobelo redirects here For other uses see Portobello disambiguation Portobelo Modern Spanish Puerto Bello beautiful port historically in Portuguese Porto Belo is a historic port and corregimiento in Portobelo District Colon Province Panama Central America with a population of 4 559 as of 2010 update 1 Located on the northern part of the Isthmus of Panama it is 32 km 20 mi northeast of the modern port of Colon now at the Atlantic entrance to the Panama Canal It functions as the seat of Portobelo District 1 Established in 1597 during the time of the Spanish empire due to its deep natural harbor it served as one of the two ports together with Veracruz 2 066 km 1 284 mi to the northwest through which Spanish treasure was shipped from the mines of Peru via Panama City on the Pacific side of the Isthmus and overland to Portobelo back to Spain The city was repeatedly captured by British privateers and pirates culminating in a successful siege by the Royal Navy in 1739 during the War of Jenkin s Ear PortobeloCorregimiento and cityPortobelo ruins and bayPortobeloCoordinates 09 33 16 N 79 39 18 W 9 55444 N 79 65500 W 9 55444 79 65500 Coordinates 09 33 16 N 79 39 18 W 9 55444 N 79 65500 W 9 55444 79 65500Country PanamaProvinceColonDistrictPortobeloFounded1597Founded byFrancisco Velarde y MercadoArea 1 Land244 7 km2 94 5 sq mi Population 2010 1 Total4 559 Density18 6 km2 48 sq mi Population density calculated based on land area Time zoneUTC 5 EST ClimateAmIts economy received a major boost in the late 19th century during the construction of the Panama Canal In 1980 UNESCO designated the ruins of the Spanish colonial fortifications along with nearby Fort San Lorenzo as a World Heritage Site named Fortifications on the Caribbean Side of Panama Portobelo San Lorenzo Contents 1 History 2 Today 3 See also 4 References 5 Bibliography 6 External linksHistory Edit Henry Morgan s attack on the Castillo de San Jeronimo Porto Bello 1669 Portobelo was founded in 1597 by Spanish explorer Francisco Velarde y Mercado 2 and quickly replaced Nombre de Dios as a Caribbean port for Peruvian silver Legend has it that Christopher Columbus originally named the port Puerto Bello meaning Beautiful Port in 1502 3 After Francis Drake died of dysentery in 1596 at sea he was buried at sea in a lead coffin near Portobelo Bay memorialised by the present Isla Drake Drake Island at the mouth of the harbour During the 16th to the 18th centuries it was an important silver exporting port in New Granada on the Spanish Main and one of the two Atlantic ports on the route of the Spanish treasure fleets The Spanish built defensive fortifications In 1601 the English privateer William Parker captured Portobello from the Spanish Welshman Henry Morgan repeated the feat in 1668 having led a fleet of privateers and 450 men and overcome its strong fortifications His forces plundered it for 14 days before withdrawing It was captured again in 1680 by pirate John Coxon 4 1771 map showing position of Bastimentos Island between Porto Bello and the former harbour of Nombre de Dios In 1726 the British suffered a disaster in their Blockade of Porto Bello under Admiral Francis Hosier an attempt to prevent the Spanish treasure fleet returning to Spain when due to their lengthy wait and inactivity as ordered by the British government moored at Bastimentos 11 km 6 8 mi to the northeast not to be confused with another Bastimentos Island 270 miles to the west the large part of the sailors died from tropical diseases The disaster was vindicated 13 years later when during the War of Jenkins Ear the port was attacked and captured on November 21 1739 by a British fleet of six ships commanded by Admiral Edward Vernon The victory created an outburst of popular acclaim throughout the British Empire More medals were struck for Vernon than for any other 18th century British figure and across the British Isles the name of Portobello was given to places and streets in honor of the victory most notably Portobello Road in London the district of Portobello in Edinburgh and the Portobello Barracks in Dublin 5 However the Spanish soon recovered Portobelo when in 1741 they defeated Admiral Vernon in the Battle of Cartagena de Indias and forced him to return to England with a decimated fleet having suffered more than 18 000 casualties mostly due to disease 6 British efforts to gain a foothold on the Spanish Main and disrupt the galleon trade were ultimately fruitless Following the War of Jenkins Ear the Spanish switched from using large fleets calling at few ports to small fleets trading at a wide variety of ports developing a flexibility that made them less subject to attack Ships citation needed also began to travel around Cape Horn to trade directly at ports on the western coast Today Edit View of the fort the Aduana building and the church The population of Portobelo in 1990 was 3 058 and in 2000 was 3 867 1 In July 2012 the UNESCO World Heritage Committee placed Portobelo and nearby Fort San Lorenzo on the List of World Heritage in Danger inscribed as Fortifications on the Caribbean Side of Panama Portobelo San Lorenzo citing environmental factors lack of maintenance and uncontrolled urban developments 7 See also EditIglesia de San Felipe Portobello Edinburgh Portobello Dublin Portobello Road LondonReferences Edit a b c d e Cuadro 11 Superficie poblacion y densidad de poblacion en la Republica Table 11 Area population and population density in the Republic xls In Resultados Finales Basicos Basic Final Results in Spanish National Institute of Statistics and Census of Panama Retrieved May 26 2015 Shirley Fish 17 May 2011 The Manila Acapulco Galleons The Treasure Ships of the Pacific with an Annotated List of the Transpacific Galleons 1565 1815 AuthorHouse pp 45 ISBN 978 1 4567 7542 1 Retrieved 18 July 2011 Patricia Katzman 10 February 2006 Panama Hunter Publishing Inc pp 136 ISBN 978 1 58843 529 3 Retrieved 18 July 2011 Rogozinski Jan 1997 The Wordsworth dictionary of pirates Ware Wordsworth Reference p 266 ISBN 1 85326 384 2 Brendan Simms 8 December 2008 Three Victories and a Defeat The Rise and Fall of the First British Empire 1714 1783 Basic Books p 276 ISBN 978 0 465 01332 6 Retrieved 18 July 2011 Duncan Francis History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery London 1879 Vol 1 p 123 Quote so reduced was this force in two years by disaster and disease that not a tenth part returned to England thus ended in shame disappointment and loss the most important most expensive and best concerted expedition that Great Britain was ever engaged in Panamanian Fortifications Added to UNESCO List of World Heritage in Danger Archived 2015 04 08 at the Wayback Machine Global Heritage Fund blog articleBibliography EditRodger N A M The Command of the Ocean A Naval History of Britain 1649 1815 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Portobelo Colon Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Portobelo 2009 Festival de Diablos y Congos in Spanish Portobelo Devils Dance celebration in Portobelo Santiago and La Villa de Los Santos in Spanish Fortifications on the Caribbean Side of Panama Portobelo San Lorenzo on UNESCO World Heritage List Portobelo San Lorenzo on Global Heritage Network Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Portobelo Colon amp oldid 1122934253, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
