Panama: Scenes from Casco Viejo, three centuries in the making

If you know Panama City only as the through-point for a canal cruise, you’re missing a chance to see what the old town, or Casco Viejo, tells you about this Latin American metropolis of 1.3 million. Here’s a glimpse of some recent scenes from the capital’s Casco Viejo, which means “old fortification.” It was founded more than 300 years ago and today seems a world away from the steel and glass skyscrapers of downtown.

--Dean Owen