For many Panamanians, ‘lighthouse’ means the cancelled project to build one of the tallest buildings in Latin America in Panama City. ‘The Faros del Panamá’ (Panama Lighthouse) was a skyscraper complex designed by Chapman Taylor, With a central tower of 84 floors and a planned height of 346 metres, it would probably have been the tallest building in Latin America, had it not been dogged by financial difficulties and been cancelled.
However, for those who sail Panama’s waters or pass through the canal, lighthouses mean the real thing, beacons to keep their vessels from running aground. Not surprisingly, most Panamanian lighthouses are associated with the canal.
The canal is split into 5 sections for the purposes of classifying the lighthouses along the banks, The first section covers the deep water at the Atlantic end of the canal through to Gatun and is termed the ‘Atlantic Section’. The second group of lighthouses, known as the ‘Gatun Section’ cover the section between Gatun and Gamboa. The third group of lighthouses covers the section between Gamboa and the Pedro Miguel Locks and is called the ‘Culebra Cut Section’. Te fourth section, designated as the ‘Miraflores Lake Section’ covers the stretch of canal between the Pedro Miguel Locks and the Miraflores Locks. The final section, from the Miraflores Locks to deep water at the Pacific end of the canal is known as the ‘Pacific Section’.
No definitive list of he canal lighthouses has ever been produced, but 35 were originally constructed to help guide ships using the Canal. Most of these are believed to be still in use. One that is no longer in use was at the Gatun locks and was probably the only lighthouse ever built above a railway line. Many are nothing more than simple automated lights, but there are also numerous ‘traditional-style’ tower lighthouses, which whilst they may no longer be permanently staffed, once were. These can be most easily seen at the canal entrances and locks.
As well as the lighthouses within the canal, or sited to guide ships to and from it, there are other lighthouses around Panama’s coastlines, though many are located on remote islands where they can only be seen by boat. Although none are particularly large or famous, the variety of structures and their unsung contribution to the safety of world trade makes them interesting in their own right.
