This site, declared a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) in 1980, requires constant improvements that have not yet been carried out, according to the newspaper La Prensa.
The complex consists of the colonial forts of Santiago de la Gloria, San Jerónimo and San Fernando, all in Portobelo, and the Castle of San Lorenzo at the mouth of the Chagres River.
Since 2012, the historic monument of Portobelo and San Lorenzo has been included in the list of endangered sites by Unesco, which has since forced the state to promote its restoration under the responsibility of the Ministry of Culture, the newspaper reported.
According to the Panama Compra portal, the public act for the restoration works of San Fernando will cost 5.6 million dollars and the deadline for receiving the proposals is next March 28th.
While eight million dollars are needed for the recovery of San Jerónimo and offers will be received the next day, March 29th.
Both projects are carried out with funding from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).
For former Director of Historical Heritage and restoration specialist Wilhem Franqueza, the restoration of these historic complexes is “valuable” as they bear witness to the history of the Spanish colony in America, as well as world trade and pirate attacks.
“Their restoration also helps remove these forts from Unesco’s list of endangered sites,” said the expert, who acknowledged that immediate action is needed to prevent further deterioration.
These forts provided the defense system for the Spanish colony’s transatlantic trade and are the clearest example of 17th- and 18th-century military architecture, he added.
The restoration of these sites comes at a time when the Panamanian state is attempting to have the Trans-Isthmian Colonial Route declared a World Heritage Site before Unesco.
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