History of Coronado

Coronado Beach is located on a pacific coastal strip of beach approximately 75 kilometers in length. This strategic and privileged position makes it the convergence point of several routes that seek to rescue the natural and cultural patrimony of our country. You will be able to walk, on the black and white sand beach and to presence in the sawny iron , which is the confirmation of the volcanic activity that existed thousands of years ago in the Chame and El Valle Areas.

Coronado : Crossroad of one of the mule routes of the Camino Real

Panama had two Camino Reales:

1. The Trans-Isthmian Camino Real which went from Panama to Nombre de Dios, passing though Portobelo.
2. The Camino Real for Mules that went to the interior, on one side to Chepo, crossing through part of Bayano and on the other side, running along the Pacific Coast to the border, of Costa Rica.

The Camino Real for Mules was created in 1755, with the establishment of an armed garrison in San Carlos town which formerly belonged to the area of Llanos del Chirú (today Coronado), with the purpose of bringing peace to this untamed region, full of outlaws (Pirate Route).

Before the construction of the modest asphalt central highway that began in Panama in the 1920's, it normally took 15 days to travel the 5500 kilometers which separated the Isthmian capital from the Costa Rican border using the mule road. Fifteen days during which the traveler with his mules slept over in several towns among which we can mention Coronado , due to its accessibility to the sea. Spending time in Coronado transports us back to that fascinating journey, surrounded by the best hospitality provided by Coronado Golf & Beach Resort.

Colonial History of the Region where Playa Coronado is Located

The Spaniards enslaved natives. Then, in the XVIII Century the landowners bought slaves. There was slavery in Anton and in the Region of Llanos del Chirú, where the first large colonial estates were established. Coronado is part of the first structured agrarian culture that began to stand out in the XVIII Century. It was an area of savannas, vast prairies that descend to the Pacific Ocean and it becomes the area of the first legal possession of land, since before this time, there were no title lands. Between 1691 – 1693 three large estates were created to shape the structure of the real estate register. The Yeguala farm was born from these estates, that later turned out to be the imposing recreational town of Coronado.

The route of the Three Oceans

Our beach on the Pacific Coast is washed by the waters of the Gulf of Panama , this provides us with the opportunity to open the way for this basic theme route to study and predict the changes in the tropical ecosystems.

The Route of Pirates and of Secret Paths in terms of transportation

This route was used by pirates, smugglers, fugitives and road thieves among others that pillaged towns, set up ambushes and favored the opening of the closed Hispanic trade route on the Coasts of the South Pacific, where Coronado had a singular position during colonial times.

Without a doubt, the cultural wealth that Coronado has inherited is unique to the region called Llanos del Chirú, that belonged in ancient times to the area of Nata (The granary of America ). It is this relationship which invites us to discover the unique cultural variety that exists in Chame and Coronado, towns which formerly were part of Los Llanos del Chirú, later called Finca La Yeguala.

The Route to Las Perlas

This fascinating route is located in the Center of the Gulf of Panama, where our beach is in a privileged location with a view of the ancient Las Perlas Islands that have been there for approximately 9,000-11,000 years, since they rose from the sea on the Pacific Coast.

This region is full of history. They were the first islands of the American Pacific to be visited by the Spanish Conquerors of the New World in the XVI Century; among them was Vasco Nuñez de Balboa, who discovered the Pacific Ocean.

In 1513, these Conquerors found natives diving for beautiful pearls and informed all the Perú region of the wealthy find. Since XVI Century this route was the site of defense for the trans-Isthmian routes for the treasures from Peru , just as the Panama Canal was during World War II. This place was also a route frequented by pirates that attacked the ships arriving at Panamanian ports such as: Taboga and Naos, before they could reach the Pacific Ocean.

Coronado , formerly the Chirú area, was a mute witness to the communications of the Cacique Chame, who provided all the information regarding the wealth of the Inca Empire to the Conquerors and began the used of this area as the route of wealth towards Castilla de Oro.

The Route of the Pre-Columbian Journey

The prehistory of Coronado begins with the arrival of the Hispanic Conquerors at the beginning of the XVI, when they enter the Chirú Plains, a place known by man for some millenniums. These were a human group that occupied the best lands in Panama, demonstrated in terms of the density of the archeological sites currently located, mainly concentrated in the Pacific basin, in territories taken over by the Conquerors. Up to date, no archeological exploration has been carried out; however, some farmers in the area have informed historians of discoveries of ceramic and gold work.