The Black Cemetery that Is there, but “does not exist” in Portobelo

On Panama’s Atlantic coast, where the waves caress the history of an old colonial port, lies Portobelo, a town that was once the epicenter of transatlantic trade and the setting for encounters, resistance, and unique cultural syncretism. Amid its narrow streets and the remains of fortifications, many visitors stumble upon a little-known place, almost invisible among the weeds: Portobelo’s Black cemetery. Although today its tombstones and paths are covered by grass and shrubs, this site stands as a silent witness to a history that deserves to shine.

Portobelo was one of the most important hubs of Spanish colonial trade and was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1980 thanks to its 17th- and 18th-century fortifications and military architecture. Within this context, thousands of people of African descent were forcibly brought from Africa to work under harsh conditions, forming a community that resisted, survived, and gave rise to cultural expressions such as the Congo tradition, declared Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

The cemetery in question, known in local memory as the “Black cemetery,” still holds the remains of these generations who inhabited Portobelo since colonial times. Although it is neither a formal museum nor a signposted attraction, its graves represent the real presence of men and women who helped shape Afro-Panamanian identity. Today, many of these burial sites are covered by weeds and overgrowth, making it difficult to recognize names, dates, and symbols carved in stone,and, with them, the stories of entire lives and families that deserve to be honored and told with dignity.  

Just a few steps away, in the restored building of the former Royal Customs House of Portobelo, stands the Afro-Panamanian Memory Museum, inaugurated in 2023 as a commitment to safeguarding the historical legacy of the Afro-descendant community. In this museum, history is not displayed in dusty cases, but rather through interactive narratives that invite visitors to understand the journey, resistance, and contributions of Africans and their descendants. The exhibition is divided into three main areas: one addressing the arrival and role of enslaved people in colonial society; another celebrating cultural expressions such as Congo rituals, gastronomy, and popular traditions; and a final outdoor section that contextualizes the historical function of the Customs House and the trade fairs that gave Portobelo worldwide relevance. 

Imagine for a moment the Black cemetery cleared of brambles, with clean pathways, interpretive plaques, and viewpoints that allow visitors to observe the graves with reverence and respect. There, near a route that could connect to the main square and the museum, visitors could learn who these people were, how they survived the brutality of slavery, and in what ways their descendants continue to honor their roots through music, dance, and faith. 

That cemetery could become a place of living memory,not of sadness, but of recognition. A space where younger generations, researchers, and travelers can pause, read inscriptions, listen to oral histories, and understand the depth of the Afro-descendant contribution to Panamanian history. It could be complemented by artistic interventions, murals, or installations that speak of resistance, dignity, and hope, integrating it with the Afro-Panamanian Memory Museum and other local heritage sites such as the Church of the Black Christ, whose devotion and festivities attract pilgrims from across the country every year.    

Transforming this currently forgotten cemetery into a unique attraction would not only enhance Portobelo’s cultural tourism, but would also represent a profound act of historical justice. It would not be about exoticizing pain, but about respectfully acknowledging the lives of those who were at the origins of this community, and allowing their memory to live on in stories, celebrations, and the footsteps of those who now walk through this corner of the Panamanian Caribbean.

Portobelo has all the elements to become a global reference for Afro-descendant historical memory: colonial fortifications, cultural rites such as the Congo traditions, narrative museums, and,with a bit of collective will, a cemetery that ceases to be a place that exists but is unseen, and becomes a site that everyone can visit, remember, and understand.