INTRODUCTION. 



History. Chiriqui is the name of a lagoon, river, volcano and province, the 

 latter being the westernmost province of the new Republic of Panama ; the term 

 therefore has no connection whatever with Cherokee with which it is sometimes 

 confused. The word is evidently of Indian origin, the meaning of which I have 

 been unable to trace. It appears in the works of Oviedo 1 as Cheriqui and has 

 since suffered little change in spelling. In this respect it has fared better than 

 many early geographic names. The same may be said of Panama, a word that 

 means "abounding in fish," and that has been retained as the name of a town 

 since 1519, also of a bay and of the Isthmian region, although the political fortunes 

 of the latter have been checkered indeed. Among its early governors were Diego 

 de Nicuesa, Vasco Nunez de Balboa, who was the first white man to cross the 

 Isthmus (1513), and Pedro Arias de Avila, commonly known as Pedrarias Davila, 

 who founded the city of Panama (1519). The Isthmus was incorporated under 

 the vice-royalty of New Granada in 1718 and, with the exception of the period 

 of independence from 1859-61, was a part of that South American country under 

 its changing titles, first as the New Kingdom of Granada (1719-1810), then as 

 Republic of New Granada, United States of Colombia, and Republic of Colombia, 

 respectively, until November, 1903, when it became an independent republic. 



Panama was the first region in continental America to be settled by Europeans, 

 and since 1535 has had a special importance because of the possibilities of a 

 trade route across the Isthmus. The value of such a route was seen by Oviedo, 

 the historian, who accompanied Pedrarias Davila to the Isthmus in 1514. The 

 following is taken from The [natural] hystorie of the vveste Indies, by Oviedo y 

 Valdes : 3 



"And if therfore this nauigation may be founde in the South sea for the trade of 

 spices (as we trust in God) to bee brought from thense to the sayde porte of 

 Panama (as is possible enough) they may afterwarde easly passe to the Northe 

 sea notwithstandynge the difficultie of the waye of the XX. leaques aforesayde. 

 Whiche thynge I affirme as a man well trauayled in these regions, hauynge twyse 

 on my feate passed ouer this strayght in the yeare. 1521. as I haue sayde. It is 

 furthermore to be vnderstode, that it is a maruelous facilitie to bryng spices by 

 this way which I wil now declare. From Panama to the ryuer of Chagre, are 

 foure leaques of good and faire way by which cartes may passe at pleasure by 

 reason that the mountaynes are but few and lyttle, and that the greateste parte 

 of these foure leaques is a playne grounde voyde of trees. And when the cartes 

 are coomme to the sayde ryuer, the spices may be caryed in barkes and pinnesses. 

 For this ryuer entereth into the North sea fyue or. VI leaques lower than the port 



1 Gonzalo Fernandez de Oviedo y Valdes. Historia general y natural de las Indias, 

 IV, 108, 1855. 



2 The first three books on America; transl. by R. Eden, from the Latin of Peter Martyr 

 of Anghierra; ed. by Edward Arber, 234, Birmingham, 1885. 



MKMOIRS CONN. ACAD , Vol. III. 1 



