The Maritime Landscape of the Isthmus of Panamá

“Presents for the first time a chronological description of the geography, history, and archaeology of Panamá from a maritime perspective.”—Roger C. Smith, author of The Maritime Heritage of the Cayman Islands

“An engaging and informative narrative that seamlessly combines history and archaeology to discuss the global importance of the Isthmus of Panamá.”—Ben Ford, editor of The Archaeology of Maritime Landscapes

In its 11,000 year human history, the Isthmus of Panamá has been dominated by its relationship to the sea and the rivers that feed it. A unique marine environment, the land bridge shaped its inhabitants’ activities, and as they fulfilled their various needs, those inhabitants shaped the Isthmus—from harvesting resources to physically transforming the land to link two oceans.

This seminal work explores this intersection between people and the environment, mining the archaeological and ethnological record created during the formation and development of Panamá’s maritime cultural landscape.

Assessing sites both submerged and on land, the authors explore the maritime history of the isthmus through its many stages: from its prehistoric period through Spanish colonialism to the building of the canal and its function as a route for modern-day maritime traffic. Combining archaeology, history, geography, and economic history, this volume situates Panamá’s canal and isthmus in the global economy and world maritime culture, while providing a more complex understanding of human adaptation and the persistence of culture.