| Casco Antiguo | |
| Settlement Type: | Historic District of Panama City |
| Image Map1: | San Felipe-Pma.svg |
| Map Caption1: | Location of San Felipe(Casco Antiguo) in Panamá province |
| Pushpin Map: | Panama |
| Pushpin Mapsize: | 240 |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Panama |
| Subdivision Type1: | Province |
| Subdivision Name1: | Panamá |
| Subdivision Type2: | District |
| Subdivision Name2: | Panamá |
| Subdivision Type3: | City |
| Subdivision Name3: | Panama City |
| Coordinates: | 8.9525°N -79.535°W |
| Website: | cascoviejo.org |
Casco Antiguo (Spanish for Old Quarter), also known as Casco Viejo or San Felipe, is the historic district of Panama City. Completed and settled in 1673, it was built following the near-total destruction of the original Panamá city, Panamá Viejo in 1671, when the latter was attacked by pirates. It was designated a World Heritage Site in 1997.
Panama City was founded on August 15, 1519 and it lasted one hundred and fifty-two years. In January 1671, the Governor Juan Perez de Guzman had it set on fire, before the attack and looting by the pirate Henry Morgan. In 1672, Antonio Fernández de Córdoba initiated the construction of a new city, which was then founded on January 21, 1673. This city was built on a peninsula completely isolated by the sea and a defensive system of walls.[1] Today this place preserves the first institutions and buildings of the modern city of Panama. It is known as Casco Viejo (Spanish for Old Town).
In recent years, Casco Viejo— through gentrification— has become a tourist hotspot filled with restaurants, boutique hotels, and nightclubs; while also maintaining the multiple historical sites it has to offer.[2] [3]