The French Plaza

Tropical diseases, financial mismanagement and ill timing were some of the causes that forced the French to give up the idea of building a sea-level canal through the Isthmus of Panama in the late 19th century. Nevertheless, the memory of De Lesseps, Armand Reclus and the over 20,000 Frenchmen that died digging the "ditch" in the jungle, lives on at the French Plaza, a picturesque landmark situated at Panama City's Old Quarter.

The monument, which features on its upper part the Las Bóvedas Promenade, encompasses an obelisk crowned with a rooster, the symbol of the French people. At the feet of the obelisk stand the bronze busts of the pioneers of the French effort, including Ferdinand De Lesseps, the builder of the Suez Canal; Panamanian engineer Pedro J. Sossa, and Carlos J. Finlay, the Cuban-born physician who discovered the mosquito that transmits yellow fever, which cased a great number of deaths during the French and American canal ventures.

The obelisk and the statues are surrounded by a semi-circular arcade where, on 12 marble plaques, visitors can read a summarized history of the construction of the Canal, drafted by Panamanian educator Octavio Méndez Pereira, the founder of Universidad de Panamá.

Built by Peruvian architect Villanueva Meyer, the designer of other, early-20th century landmarks at Casco Viejo, the French Plaza was envisioned by Belisario Porras, who served three times as president of Panama in the early 20th century. A man of great vision and culture, Porras established most of the institutions of the new Republic of Panama, which at the time of its independence from Colombia in 1903, was almost completely devoid of infrastructure. The plaza was dedicated with pomp and ceremony in the presence of foreign dignataries on December 4, 1923.

The French Plaza, which faces the Embassy of France, is a center for concerts and fairs organized by Panama City's Mayor's office throughout the year, especially during the dry season (December-April.)