Portobelo Celebrates 413 Years

March 20, 2010
By hi.di.

Today is Portobello’s 413th birthday.

The celebration began at 9 a.m. today with mass followed by a ceremony in the 407 year-old customs building, recognizing all the historic figures who have contributed to Portobelo and a congos dance presentation.

Cristobal Colon, also known by his Spanish name as Christopher Columbus, arrived to the Bay of Portobelo in 1502 and called it Porto Bello, Italian for beautiful port.  Francisco Valverde y Mercado officially founded the port city in 1597, naming it San Felipe de Portobelo.

It was a market town and a fortress, known for its 40 to 60 day trading fairs where plundered Peruvian gold was traded for goods from Spain and Europe.  Pirate Captain Henry Morgan captured and plundered Portobelo for 14 days in 1668 – raping, torturing and murdering.  The British attacked in 1739.  Today, Portobelo is a little town and UNESCO World Heritage site frequented by tour buses.

Fortifications at Portobelo