50 Found Snaps Capture the Carnival of Panama City in 1946

It is carnival (“carnavales”) time in Panama. Carnival is celebrated the 4 days prior to Ash Wednesday. For most of Panama, it is a family holiday.

However, for about 12 towns in Panama, Carnival is a full-throttle celebration with parades, floats, queens, music, dancing, and costumes.

Carnival festivities include both traditional Spanish and Panamanian features.

Take a look at these fascinating found snapshots from Richard to see the carnival in Panama City on March 5, 1946.

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43 Rare Snapshots Document Everyday Life of Panama in the Early 1940s

Panama, officially called the Republic of Panama, is a country usually considered to be entirely in North America or Central America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia (in South America) to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The capital and largest city is Panama City.

Panama was a Spanish colony from the 16th century and broke away from it in 1821. With the backing of the United States, the Panama Canal was built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers between 1904 and 1914. In 1977 an agreement was signed for the total transfer of the Canal from the United States to Panama by the end of the 20th century, which culminated on 31 December 1999.

These rare black and white snapshots were taken in Panama to document everyday life from 1940 to 1945.

Women on a street in Panama, 1945

Young girl in Chiriquí, Panama, 1941

Young girl playing guitar on a motorcycle on a street in Panama, 1940-42

A 20-year-old Panamanian girl in Guarare, 1941

A 1941-42 Chevrolet navy bus, Panama, 1945

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31 Rare Vintage Photos of the Life in Panama Canal Zone around 1914-15

The Panama Canal is a man-made 48-mile (77 km) waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a key conduit for international maritime trade.

The Canal was begun working on by France in 1881, but after that was taken over by the United States in 1904, and opened on August 15, 1914. It is considered as one of the largest and most difficult engineering projects ever undertaken.

These are photos of an early crossing of the Panama Canal. The ship is the S. S. Panama, the first excursion ship to go through the Panama Canal on Feb. 7, 1915. Most of the buildings still seem to be under construction. These appear to be the three Gatun locks.

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