History Lesson 22

El Canal de Panamá – The Panama Canal

At first it was just a dream, and it took hundreds of years to make it a reality: a man-made channel connecting two oceans. It would allow ships to skip the long, expensive, dangerous journey around South America, allowing them to travel between Europe and Asia in half the time.

Previously, ships had to travel thousands of miles south, passing Cape Horn, the extremely stormy southern tip of South America.

This marvel of engineering and determination came at an extremely high cost in terms of human lives, and its impact on history has been very significant. In fact, it is such an important route that Nicaragua has attempted to explore and negotiate options for creating a second canal across it’s territory, expanding the potential of trans-oceanic trade.

How to Use This Page:

1. Listen to the audio as you read along with the Spanish on the left.

2. Open the English translation, and read the two side-by-side, making sure you understand the Spanish.

3. Close the English, and listen to the audio again, reading along in Spanish.

4. Close the Spanish, and listen once more. Maybe shut your eyes, and just try to catch as much as you can.

Overview Timeline

Tan pronto como los españoles supieron que había otro océano al otro lado del continente americano, ellos querían encontrar una ruta marítima más corta para sus naves. Cuando no pudieron encontrar ningún pasaje, empezaron a imaginar un canal.

El primer paso fue el ferrocarril que se construyó en 1855, que fue usado principalmente para transportar el oro de California. Pero los barcos eran la forma preferida para mover grandes cantidades de bienes, y el sueño de un canal siguió.

Los franceses empezaron el primer intento en 1881, cuando Panamá era una provincia de Colombia. El proyecto fracasó, con más de 22.000 obreros que murieron de enfermedades y accidentes. También el proyecto era mucho más costoso de lo que esperaban.

Estados Unidos quería tomar control del proyecto, pero no pudieron llegar a un acuerdo con Colombia. En vez de eso, ellos decidieron apoyar a los revolucionarios en Panamá. Cuando los panameños declararon la independencia en 1903, Estados Unidos los protegió de Colombia, y también pagó 10 millones de dólares al gobierno nuevo. A cambio, Panamá dio a Estados Unidos el derecho de construir y controlar el canal.

Comprando el ferrocarril y el equipaje francés por 40 millones de dólares, Estados Unidos empezó el trabajo de nuevo en 1904, con un plan mejorado. También, el gobierno casi eliminó las enfermedades cuando empezaron un proyecto para matar los mosquitos. Sin embargo, más de 5.000 obreros murieron durante esta parte de la construcción.

Estados Unidos completó el canal en 1914, cambiando el transporte global. Las naves de Europa y la costa este de América podían ir a California, Chile, Ecuador, Perú y al oriente en la mitad del tiempo, y con mucha más seguridad.

Después de la segunda guerra mundial, el control del canal se hizo un asunto polémico. Había mucha presión para dar más autonomía a Panamá. En 1977 el presidente Carter dio más control a los panameños, y en 1999 ellos recibieron control total sobre el canal.

El Canal de Panamá es considerado uno de las siete maravillas del mundo moderno.

As soon as the Spaniards found out that there was another ocean on the other side of the American continent, they wanted to find a shorter maritime route for their ships. When they failed to find any passage, they began to imagine a canal.

The first step was a railroad that was built in 1855, which was used principally to transport gold from California. But ships were the preferred way to move large quantities of goods, and the dream of a canal continued.

The French began the first attempt in 1881, when Panama was a province of Columbia. The project failed, with more than 22,000 workers who died of sickness and accident. Also the project was much more costly than they expected.

The United States wanted to take control of the project, but failed to arrive at an agreement with Columbia. Instead of this, they decided to help the revolutionaries in Panama. When the Panamanians declared independence in 1903, the United States protected them from Columbia, and also paid 10 million dollars to the new government. In exchange, Panama gave the United States the right to build and control a canal.

Buying the railroad and the equipment from the French for $40 million, the United States restarted the work in 1904, with an improved plan. Also, the government nearly eliminated sicknesses when they began a project to kill the mosquitoes. Nevertheless, more than 5,000 workers died during this part of the construction.

The United States completed the canal in 1914, changing global transportation. Ships from Europe and the east coast of America could travel to California, Chile, Ecuador and Peru and to the Far East in half the time, and in much more safety.

After World War II, the control of the canal became a divisive issue. There was a lot of pressure to give more autonomy to Panama. In 1977 president Carter gave more control to the Panamanians, and in 1999 they received complete control over the canal.

The Panama Canal is considered one of the seven wonders of the modern world.

Preguntas Básicas

1. What country first began construction of the canal, and why did they abandon it?

2. How do the histories of the canal and the independence of Panama fit together?

3. When was the canal finished?