In its 11,000 year human history, the Isthmus of Panamá has been dominated by its relationship to the sea and the rivers that feed it. A unique marine environment, the land bridge shaped its inhabitants’ activities, and those inhabitants shaped the Isthmus—from harvesting resources to physically transforming the land to link two oceans. This seminal work explores this intersection between people and the environment, mining the archaeological and ethnological record created during the formation and development of Panamá's maritime cultural landscape. Assessing sites both submerged and on land, the authors explore the maritime history of the isthmus through its many stages: from its prehistoric period through Spanish colonialism to the building of the canal and its function as a route for modern-day maritime traffic. Combining archaeology, history, geography, and economic history, this volume situates Panamá's canal and isthmus in the global economy and world maritime culture, while providing a more complex understanding of human adaptation and the persistence of culture.

This book offers a new perspective on the concept of modernity. Since its invention as a contrast to Antiquity or the Middle Ages, modernity has been tied to ideas of superiority, progress, and efficiency. As a counterpart to the Marxist “history of class struggle”, “modernization theories” have transformed modernity into an almost teleological concept of historical development. These strong connotations obstruct a clear look at other forms of modernity. The contributions of the volume will show in a comparative perspective how modernity can also be understood and analyzed as multiple responses of societies and polities to organize themselves in facing ever more complex and integrated interactions at ever larger scales.

Excerpt from Notes on the Isthmus of Panama: With Remarks on Its Physical Geography and Its Prospects, in Connection With the Gold Regions, Gold Mining, and Washing; January 1852 A long-cherished wish to see the Pacific Ocean was gratified a few months ago; and during a visit to its shores, I made from time to time these notes respecting the Isthmus and town of Panama and its neighbourhood, the point on the great Ocean the near est Europe. Becoming interested by what I saw and heard there, I endeavoured to glean the best information obtainable on these topics whilst on the spot; the subject appearing to me to gain importance daily, from the vast increase Of intercourse across the Isthmus - the ensuing completion of the Panama Railway - the various schemes of colonisation throughout Central America, and the proposals for a ship canal from the one great Ocean to the other. The Atlantic coast of the Isthmus is about 20 days steaming from England; and if quicker steamers succeed the present, the duration of the voyage will be shortened in proportion to their speed. The old harbour of porto-bello is almost deserted, not withstanding its excellence and capacity, and the road from it is long and tedious and out of order, the whole way to Panama. A prejudice exists against the climate of (the Town, and the Chagres River has been found convenient for boating goods and passengers to within 25 miles of Panama; therefore for many years the Road stead of Chagres has been the point most in use, in Spite of nume rous disadvantages. The future Atlantic port will be Navy Bay, or Manzanilla Har bour, not so good a Haven as porto-bello, but on the whole, serviceable and accessible, and chosen as the Terminus of the Panama Railway. It is occasionally exposed to a heavy Norte, and there is no fresh water convenient, both serious drawbacks, but it is roomy, and in some places deep enough for large ships. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

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