The Obelisk

Snapshot of a monument in remembrance of the French workers of the Panama Canal who worked under the leadership of Ferdinand Marie, Vicomte de Lesseps in 1880. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Ferdinand de Lesseps the French developer of the Suez Canal, which joined the Mediterranean and Red Seas in 1869, and substantially reduced sailing distances and times between the West and the East.

He attempted to repeat this success with an effort to build a Panama Canal at sea-level during the 1880s, but the project was devastated by epidemics of malaria and yellow fever in the area, and the projected de Lesseps Panama Canal was left uncompleted. It was eventually partially superseded by a non-sea-level canal with locks, built by the United States and completed in 1914.

Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

This monument is at Plaza de Francia facing the French Embassy in Panama City, within the old shell of the city.  It’s one of the most visited areas of the metropolis by both local and foreign visitors.  Good Day.

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Gallic Rooster

Snapshot of a rooster on top of an obelisk at Plaza de Francia, erected to honor the French workers of the Panama Canal which began their titanic endeavor on January 1, 1880. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

The rooster is the unofficial symbol of France.  The relationship between a rooster and France dates back to the Middle Ages due to the play on words in Latin between Gallus, meaning an inhabitant of Gaul, and gallus, meaning rooster, or cockerel.

The Gallic rooster, colloquially named Chanteclair, had been a national emblem ever since, especially during the Third French Republic. The rooster was featured on the reverse of French 20-franc gold pieces from 1899 to 1914. After World War I it was depicted on uncountable war memorials.

A rooster can be observed on the garden gate of the Palais de l’Elysée in Paris, the official residence of the President of the French Republic.

This obelisk is one of the main tourist attractions of the old section of Panama City, known as Casco Viejo.  Good Day.

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Perspective: Towards a Vanishing Point

Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

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A Building With a Gracious Dome in Casco Viejo

Snapshot of an edifice with an eye-catching dome in the old shell of Panama City. This area is called “Las Bóvedas” beside the Pacific Ocean at the entrance of the Panama Canal. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Incidently I’m presently enjoying a book—Brunelleschi’s Dome: The Story of the Great Cathedral in Florence, authored by Ross King—about the construction of a cavernous dome in Florence for the cathedral Santa Maria del Fiore built by Filippo Brunelleschi in 1436.  A replacement for the ancient and dilapidated church of Santa Reparata, the new cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore was intended to be one of the largest in Christendom.

The foundation stone for the new cathedral had been laid in 1296.  The designer and original architect was a master mason named Arnolfo di Cambio, the builder of both the Palazzo Vecchio and the city’s massive new fortifications.  The designer of the large dome was the Capomaestri Neri di Fioravanti who refused to use flying buttresses to support the walls of the cathedral for political reasons.  He hated French and German architects who commonly used these supporting structures.

The decision to adopt Neri di Fioravanti’s design represents a remarkable leap of faith.  No dome approaching this span had been built since Antiquity, and with a mean diameter of 143 feet and 6 inches, it would exceed that of even the Roman Pantheon, which for over a thousand years had been the world’s largest dome by far.  And the cupola of Santa Maria del Fiore would not only be the widest vault ever built: it would also be the highest.

Of course our building pales in comparison with the great cathedral of Florence, but still it is an aesthetic edifice built during the early days of our nation.  It represents the elegance of our colonial Spanish architecture as depicted in the picture above.  Good Day.

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Framing the Metropolis With Flowers

Snapshot of Panama City’s modern skyline. The body of water in the foreground is Panama Bay in the Pacific Ocean. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

 

Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

 

Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

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Under The Blue Dome

Snapshot of the skyline of Panama City under bluish skies. On the left, the old section of Panama City; on the right, the modern section of the metropolis. Old and new, side by side under a bluish dome. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

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A City by the Bay

Snapshot a a hazy skyline of Panama City by the Panama Bay one lazy overcast morning in Panama City, Panama. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

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Silhouettes

Snapshot of Panama City’s skyline viewed from the Casco Viejo. The building on the left hand of the picture is the old Club Union which will shortly be demolished to build a modern hotel. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

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Innocence

The image is self explanatory. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

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Frolicking in the Playground

Snapshot of a group of young children cavorting inside a playground in Panama City, Panama. Their happiness is contagious. Photo by: ©Omar Upegui R.

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