Central America celebrates this Wednesday the 200 years of his independence. But not all of Central America celebrates it.
Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Costa Rica celebrate this 15 September the bicentennial of the signing of the A act of Independence of Central America , with which they broke the ties of more than two centuries with the Spanish empire.
But one nation – geographically Central American – was not included in the act and had to wait another two months to separate from Spain and several decades to become in an independent state.
“Panama achieves independence (from Spain) on 28 November 1821, later than the rest of the other Central American countries. And unlike them, it does not become a republic but becomes part of Gran Colombia, the project of union of nations of (Simón) Bolívar ”, historian Víctor Ortiz tells BBC Mundo , of the Institute of National Studies of the University of Panama.
According to the academic, the processes that led Panama and the then newly independent republics to such different directions It is necessary to look for them in history.
And more precisely, in the times of the conquest and colonization and the way in which economic, political and social differences developed between the different Spanish territories in America.
Political differences
According to Ortiz, over the centuries, notable cultural and economic differences were manifested and policies between Panama and the other nations of the isthmus.
This has led to the fact that even today, in the region it is still common to hear colo quially of “the five Central American countries”, in a region shared by seven independent nations (including Belize, English-speaking).
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This situation has a long history: even national symbols such as the flag of Honduras or the shields of Nicaragua and El Salvador represent the brotherhood of the nations of Central America with only five symbols (either volcanoes or stars).
“This is due to the very political-administrative division applied by the Spanish crown,” says Ortiz .
And it is that, according to the historian, in the process of conquest and colonization, Panama was administratively linked to the south of the American continent and not to its center.
First, it was part of what was then the Viceroyalty of the Peru (which included a large part of South America) and later, of the Viceroyalty of Nueva Granada (also made up of present-day Venezuela, Colombia and Ecuador) .
Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Costa Rica, which were the ones who declared independence on 15 September 1821, were instead part of the Captaincy General of Guatemala, which belonged to the Viceroyalty of New Spain .
Economic differences
According to Ortiz, the economic differences were also in the background in what were already manifest cultural and political separations.
“What is Panama today, unlike from the rest of Central America, it was a territory of great importance for Spain, because it served as a base for international trade ”, he recalls.
In fact, for more than a century in Panama there was the so-called Feria de Portobelo , where the bulk of the annual commercial exchanges between the Spanish empire and its territories took place of the Vir Kingdom of Peru.
“Panama until 1821 was a strategic and nerve center of the crown of Spain, which was not the case with the rest of Central America. As it is a transit area, it was closely linked to the international market and that will define its social, political and economic structure ”, says Ortiz.
However, the historian recalls that by that time, already Almost all the rest of South America, which had had more cultural influence on Panama, had also become independent, to which the other Central American countries joined later.
“For 1821 Spanish troops were being defeated throughout the continent and if Panama did not declare independence Andence autonomously, it could be taken by Bolívar’s troops. That is why the ruling classes made the decision to declare independence and thus be able to have greater decision-making power over their destiny ”, comments the academic.
At the beginning of November of that year, they had begun to give signs of insurrection.
A community called Villa de Todos los Santos had declared independence and there was fear that its call would spread throughout the country.
“That accelerated the city groups making the decision to separate from Spain because obviously there was fear that after that cry for independence, other cities were going to do the same, ”says Ortiz.
And so, almost without firing a shot, the richest groups of Panamanian colonial society bribed the Spanish troops to withdraw and sign their independence in an extraordinarily express process: little more than two weeks after the shout in the Villa de Todos los Santos.
However, this does not mean if it brought about the birth of a new nation: although the independence of Central America turned Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Costa Rica into republics, Panama chose another destination.
Part of Greater Colombia
In an extraordinary move, the Panamanian independentists chose to join the territory of the old viceroyalty with which they had maintained ties and which was now Gran Colombia, under the command of Bolívar and which also included the current republics of Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela.
“Given the importance that had the territory that today is Panama for Spain, there was a danger that Spain wanted to reconquer it. At that time, in Panama there was not much population or means to fight a war; That’s when they decide to join Gran Colombia, ”says Ortiz.
The historian remembers, however, that in the act of independence, although they voluntarily joined the territories liberated by Bolívar, Panamanians advocated maintaining their economic and political freedoms.
Gran Colombia was the result of Bolívar’s Latin American unity project. But with the disintegration of Gran Colombia in 1831, Panama was united to what is currently Colombia with different names and political-territorial organizations until, finally, it was separated into 1903.
“It would soon emerge that due to these own historical differences, there were also numerous cultural differences with Colombia, which used to be more s conservative. And that eventually led to the separation, ”Ortiz recalls.
The division, which in Colombia is still seen as a secession under the protection of the United States (which was then seeking to resume the construction of the Canal), gave way to a new republic.
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Thus, on November 3, 1903, the maps of America changed to reflect a now totally independent nation, more than 80 years after being liberated from Spain.
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