Pedro Arias de Ávila was a Spanish soldier and colonial administrator. He led the first great Spanish expedition to the mainland of the New World. There, he served as governor of Panama (1514–1526) and Nicaragua (1527–1531), and founded Panama City (1519). He died in 1531 aged around 90 or 91.
Pedro Arias Dávila
Panama City, also known as Panama, is the capital and largest city of Panama. It has a total population of 1,086,990, with over 1,500,000 in its urban area. The city is located at the Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal, in the province of Panama. The city is the political and administrative center of the country, as well as a hub for banking and commerce.
Panama City being burned by pirate Henry Morgan in 1671. Illustration by Alexandre Exquemelin.
Colonial Metropolitan Cathedral of Panama City.
A view of Panama City, in 1850 by Edward Fanshawe.
Plaza Mayor de Panamá in 1875, by Eadweard Muybridge. Now called the Plaza Independencia.