A few days before the commemoration of the 107th anniversary of the Panama Canal, we have prepared an edition of El Faro magazine to highlight the labor force that, both in the past and in the present, is the true face of the waterway. The capacity and tenacity of immigrants from different parts of the world who came to our country to participate in the construction of a new nation, obliges us to pay tribute to those who, with effort built a Canal at the service of international trade.

Since the 16th century, our country has become a melting pot of races that has forged our idiosyncrasy and national identity.  Spaniards, Chinese, Afro-Antilleans, as well as other nationalities, arrived in Panama with greater impetus in the 19th century, with the promise of erecting titanic works to connect the world: the transisthmian railroad and the interoceanic canal. The dream became a reality.

Today, more than 9,000 Panamanians work on the waterway to make it more competitive and profitable. Times have changed rapidly, but not so the desire to leave a mark in Panama’s history.

The quest to unveil our past is fundamental to understanding today’s reality and charting our future. While this ongoing task takes shape, the Canal honors those who, with sacrifice and even with their lives, built one of the wonders of the world today.

Marianela Dengo de de Obaldía
Vice President of Communications and Corporate Image