The children of the Panama Canal
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- Опубліковано 25 бер 2021
- Built by the US over a 30-year period, the strategically located Panama Canal connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. On January 1, 2000, Panama regained sovereignty over it, 85 years after its inauguration. Prior to that, the area around the canal had been a US colony: some 1,400 square kilometres, nicknamed "La Zona". Since its handover to Panama, most Americans have left this narrow strip of land. Our reporters Laurence Cuvillier and Matthieu Comin met those who have stayed behind, maintaining American traditions but with bitter memories for some Panamanians.
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I am Panamanian, and grew up and went to school in the Canal Zone, where I lived until I joined the U.S Air Force in 1998. It was heaven on earth, for real. I miss it so much, because by the time I came back my family had moved back to a house we had in Panama City. But I still go often to visit old friends in the Canal Zone whenever I fly back to Panama (I live in Germany now).
I was born there and my parents were government civilians. We went to the PX, Commissary, all the bases, everything except use MAC flights since my father had served in the Army. I miss it so much that it would be a bittersweet experience going back to everything different. I was glad to see Balboa HS, Balboa Elem. still there. I would sit under the Goethals to eat lunch..it was so beautiful seeing the Administration Building. I used to take a short cut thru the building to visit my friend in Balboa Heights lol. Yes, it was a sort of utopia that was safe, orderly, clean, well maintained in the Zone. It breaks my heart to see when certain areas were turned back like Coco Solo. Other towns declined like Arco Iris, Pedro Miguel, and Paraiso. Once a Zonian, always a Zonian!
@@supernova44 Panama City was exclusive to Americans?
@@mikerivas9091 No
Best deployment I ever did, we homeported in Rodman, fell deep in love with panama
Panama is a good country for visiting, much love from Somalia east Africa
Tienes mucha razón de lo que has dicho. Cuantas veces quieras venir a Panamá, tu puede hacerlo cada Vez...
We panamenian love people from all over the world!
It's panamanian not panamenian
Thank you for sharing! So many memories, still so.much to unpack and resolve !!!
My parents are retired there. I'm going back next month and love being home.
I havent finish watching but I got some problems what you said at 2:40 , neither Rod Carew or Mariano Rivera were from the zone....In the case of Rod Carew he was born on the Colon city meamwhile Mariano Rivera was from Puerto Caimito, a port city on Chorrera on West Panama
Rod Carew was born in Colon but raised and learned baseball in Santa Cruz. I knew the family. He was a Zonian kid.
The narrator is wrong. The canal was never “returned” to Panama. The Canal Zone and the canal itself was American property since 1904 when the governments of both countries approved the Hay-Buneau Varilla treaty which gave the Canal Zone to the U.S. in perpetuity. The Carter-Torrijos treaty of 1977 paved the way for Panama to receive the canal in 1999… for the first time in its history.
Sir, Panama became independent on 3 November 1903. The USA recognized the Republic of Panama on 13 November 1903. The Canal Zone existed due to the Hay-Buneau-Varilla Treaty, which was signed on 18 November 1903. These dates confirm what the narrator expressed: that the land was 'returned' or 'reverted' to Panama.
You are correct in the terms of the treaty, it was in perpetuity. In my opinion, this term was the demise of the former CZ. If a fixed number of years were to be agreed upon, even if it was a couple of hundreds, it would not have been repudiated. As you are aware, in geopolitics nothing last for ever. Blessings.
Super interesting. Great piece. Thanks for making this.
Greetings from sri lanka 🇱🇰 nice 👍
Greetings from france, UK sucks!
Evergreen ship cameo
I'm from St. Louis. Love the Cardinals socks at 2:17!
Correction-Rod Carew was, indeed, born in the Canal Zone on the Panama-Colon train. However, Mariano Rivera was born in Puerto Caimito in La Chorrera, a Panamanian territory.
My grandfather work canal zone he was also a Loge member
Can I post photos of the old Canal Zone
So was Panama City in the Zone amd exclusive to Americans ONLY?
No. Panamanians also lived in the Canal Zone. Panama City was and is 99% Panamanian.
@@pdm2201No...
No!!
The zone ended in '79 (76 years, not "nearly a century"). The "wealth bubble" that excluded locals was not a thing. A lot of US Dollars flowed into the zone and the country itself. Pre-treaty, locals were hired where needed, though dependents got first dibs at jobs in the zone. After '79, by treaty, 90% of hires on post had to be locals. 'Course, the US then gave preferential treatment to the San Blas which I always thought was funny.
Many Americans stayed in Panama. It is a beautiful and awesome country. Several men from my battalion ETSed in Country. It was and is common for Americans to retire to Panama. If you want to see what Panama is all about, get out of Panama city and go to the interior. You'll never want to leave.
Also, it was not socialist in any way. It was paid for and maintained by a capitalist economic system.
Just wanna add I miss Frenchy's.
"This is where God wants this white boy to be..." 🙌
Are you American if you were born in the zone at that time?
I was naturalized through the US Embassy as a child because of being born in Panamanian hospital. I don't know the process for military dependents born in Gorgas Hospital but I'm sure it was fairly easy back then.
@@zonian1966 I'm so proud of my dual citizenship. Just need to get down there for my cedula and Panamanian passport. If it weren't for my health I would go back home.
@@zonian1966 I have family that have both and never had to relinquish. My father has both passports, cedula, and SS card. Lol, I hear ya..I sure miss those good old days and watching cheesy SCN newscasts haha.
@@zonian1966 thanks for your response .
My mother has both
_There all acting like their country wasn't built with drug money._
Proof? Drug money flows through every country so what's your point?
The Panama Canal by United States capitalists was built before drugs were criminalized. All drugs were once legal.
@@markbrophy5454 Yes the Canal was build with U.S. money, but the country was built with drug money, the country had no real resources, and it did not look like a 3rd world country, it look more like city in Florida, and today it's no longer a drug country run by criminals, but a money laundering country run the rich, elite's, and educated family members of former durglords.
@@jason4275 Panama has great resources, the canal and 4 million people. Panama City is one of the greatest cities in Latin America.
What's wrong with you?