Ancón Hill (

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

: ) is a high hill that overlooks

Panama City Panama City, also known as Panama, is the capital and largest city of Panama. It has a total population of 1,086,990, with over 2,100,000 in its metropolitan area. The city is located at the Pacific Ocean, Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal, i ...

Panama Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...

, adjacent to the township of Ancón. It was used for administration of the

Panama Canal The Panama Canal () is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Caribbean Sea with the Pacific Ocean. It cuts across the narrowest point of the Isthmus of Panama, and is a Channel (geography), conduit for maritime trade between th ...

and was under U.S. jurisdiction as a part of the

Panama Canal Zone The Panama Canal Zone (), also known as just the Canal Zone, was a International zone#Concessions, concession of the United States located in the Isthmus of Panama that existed from 1903 to 1979. It consisted of the Panama Canal and an area gene ...

until being returned to Panama in 1977. Largely undeveloped, the area is now a reserve. The hill includes the highest point in

. Relatively undeveloped it includes a

jungle jungle is land covered with dense forest and tangled vegetation, usually in tropical climates. Application of the term has varied greatly during the past century. Etymology The word ''jungle'' originates from the Sanskrit word ''jaṅgala'' ...

in an otherwise urban area, and wildlife still survives cut off from other jungle areas. It is not uncommon to see

sloth Sloths are a Neotropical realm, Neotropical group of xenarthran mammals constituting the suborder Folivora, including the extant Arboreal locomotion, arboreal tree sloths and extinct terrestrial ground sloths. Noted for their slowness of move ...

white-nosed coati The white-nosed coati (''Nasua narica''), also known as the coatimundi (), is a species of coati and a member of the family Procyonidae (raccoons and their relatives). Local Spanish names for the species include ''antoon'', ''gato solo'', ''pi ...

nine-banded armadillo The nine-banded armadillo (''Dasypus novemcinctus''), also called the nine-banded long-nosed armadillo or common long-nosed armadillo, is a species of armadillo native to North America, North, Central America, Central, and South America, making ...

Geoffroy's tamarin Geoffroy's tamarin (''Saguinus geoffroyi''), also known as the Panamanian, red-crested or rufous-naped tamarin, is a tamarin, a type of small monkey, found in Panama and Colombia. It is predominantly black and white, with a reddish nape. Diu ...

s, or

deer A deer (: deer) or true deer is a hoofed ruminant ungulate of the family Cervidae (informally the deer family). Cervidae is divided into subfamilies Cervinae (which includes, among others, muntjac, elk (wapiti), red deer, and fallow deer) ...

on Ancon Hill, which now has protected status. Its name is used as an acronym by a Panamanian environmental group,

Asociación Nacional para la Conservación de la Naturaleza Ancon Ltd is a company that designs and manufactures stainless steel products for the construction industry founded and still based in Sheffield, United Kingdom. The main products being "Wall Tie", and brickwork support systems. Ancon is part of ...

(ANCON). The lower slopes contained residences and

Gorgas Hospital Gorgas Hospital was a U.S. Army hospital in Panama City, Panama, named for Army Surgeon General William C. Gorgas (18541920). Built on the site of an earlier (1882) French hospital called L'Hospital Notre Dame de Canal, it was originally (1904) ...

. Higher up were the residence of the Governor of the Canal Zone and

Quarry Heights This is a list of United States military installations in Panama, all of which fall within the former Canal zone. The U.S. military installations in Panama were turned over to local authorities by 1999. Transition phases In 1903, the Hay–Buna ...

, where the

United States Southern Command The United States Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM), located in Doral, Florida, Doral in Greater Miami, Greater Miami, Florida, is one of the eleven unified combatant commands in the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for providi ...

was located. Quarry Heights was thus named as it is adjacent to a large rock quarry on one side of the hill, which left a visible cliff face. The hill contains an abandoned underground bunker once manned by the US Southern Command. At the top are two broadcast towers and a small road reaches them. One-way vehicular traffic is allowed during daylight hours. The summit of the hill can be reached by a 30-minute hike. Hikers can use the road to reach the summit, and the hill is a popular

jogging Jogging is a form of trotting or running at a slow or leisurely pace. The main intention is to increase physical fitness with less stress on the body than from faster running but more than walking, or to maintain a steady speed for longer periods ...

and

hiking A hike is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century. Long hikes as part of a religious pilgrimage have existed for a much longer time. "Hi ...

trek. Along the path, all manner of vegetation and birds can be seen.

History

When the

pirate Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and valuable goods, or taking hostages. Those who conduct acts of piracy are call ...

Henry Morgan Sir Henry Morgan (; – 25 August 1688) was a Welsh privateer, plantation owner, and, later, the lieutenant governor of Jamaica. From his base in Port Royal, Jamaica, he and those under his command raided settlements and shipping ports o ...

sacked Panama City in 1671, his scouts first climbed Ancon Hill to gain knowledge of the local defenses. Ancon Hill overlooks the site of the new city, constructed after Morgan's destruction of the old one. The hill became part of the land taken to build the canal and a national symbol in 1906 after

Amelia Denis de Icaza Amelia Denis de Icaza (November 28, 1836 – July 16, 1911) was a Colombian and later a Panamanian romantic poet. She was the first Panamanian woman to publish her poetry. Biography Born in Panama City in 1836, her father was of French origin a ...

wrote her poem about its annexation. Today this hill still boasts a large national flag at its summit. The first ship to officially transit the

in 1914, , took its name from the hill and surrounding township. When Panama regained control of the hill following the 1977

Panama Canal Treaty Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...

, one of the first things the country did was fly a large Panamanian flag atop the hill.

References

External links

Cerro Ancon Guide
- how to reach the top of Cerro Ancon
Photos of the views from Ancon HillPicture of Ancon Hill
- showing contrast between the hill and surrounding urban area.
Cerro Ancon
- website dedicated to preserving Ancon Hill. (in Spanish) {{coord, 8, 57, 26.2, N, 79, 32, 58.0, W, display=title, region:PA_type:mountain_source:GNS-enwiki Mountains of Panama Panama Canal Geography of Panama City

History

See also

References

External links