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"The secret ties between Panama and Scotland" is the title of a fascinating exhibit at Panama City's Interoceanic Canal Museum, featuring documens and relics related to the little-known, ill-fated Scottish attempt to establish a colonial trading post in Panama in the late 17th century. The exhibit opened on August 17 and will end September 30.
On June 17, 1698, 1,200 Scots on board a five-ship flotilla, embarked on a journey across the Atlantic that would lead them to the present-day Panamanian province of Darién. With the financial sponsorshp of the Bank of Scotland, the crew intended to establish a trading post in tropical America and brought with them large amounts of merchandise. Although they were able to establish good relations with the Native American population of the area, tropical diseases, such as yellow fever and malaria soon took their toll and almost wiped out the entire population of "New Caledonia" within a few months.
The venture turned out to be a financial fiasco with terrible consequences for the Scottish economy. Some of those who managed to return to Scotland were tried and executed while others lived in permanent exile.
