Spain world dominance was on the wane between the 18th and 19th centuries, and Panama was not immune to strain put on here by several world conflicts Spain was part of. The four wars in the 18th century that Spain took part in were the War of Jenkins Ear or the War of Austrian Secession (1739-1748), The Seven Years War (1756-1763), The American Revolution (1775-1783), and the Napoleonic Wars (1793). Even though the Caribbean port cities in Panama such as Portobelo were derelict of lucrative silver trade, they still had impact in these global conflicts on Spain’s behalf.
Panama’s own vie for independence came in 1821, and unlike other European sovereigns watching their colonies revolt against them, the Spanish authorities appear to have surrendered without any resistance. In 1819, the viceroyalty of New Granada gained independence from Spain and the Venezuelan revolutionary, Simon Bolivar, began his pursuit to establish a Gran Colombia, of which Panama became a part of in 1821.
It would appear the tenuous hold the Spanish authorities held in frontier areas such as the Darien aided in Panama’s national autonomy in the beginning of the 19th century. The wars Spain waged in the 18th century had taken their toll financially on supporting colonial extremities of the crown, including marginalized places such as Panama. The mestizo population was now large enough to desire its own identity in the region, and Bolivar’s invitation to Gran Colombia marked a new beginning in Panama’s national history. Spain had left its indelible mark, and Panama would retain linguistic, cultural, and religious ties to its former “conqueror”, along with the migrant indigenous cultures that had resisted full assimilation and acculturation. Time proved to be the straw that broke Spain’s back in Panama.
Ward, Christopher. “Imperial Panama.” Albuquerque, University of New Mexico Press. 1993.
No comments:
Post a Comment