A couple of weeks ago I went for a walk in Casco Antiguo. I only had my camera with me and a lot of time to walk around. One of the first stops was San Francisco de Asís church, located on Plaza Bolívar across the National Theatre. Currently undergoing restoration, this is one of the most ornate churches in the entire city, and like many other buildings in the historic district, it was ravaged by fire back in 1737 and a second time in 1756.

I was actually not authorised  to enter, but the restoration workers kindly let me in to take a look at the progress. Inside the church, I realised how important it is to take care of our heritage sites. This thought hasn't left my mind since I saw the images of the damaged temples in Kathmandu after the recent earthquake in Nepal.

My love and admiration for architecture draws my attention to this specific topic over and over again. Sometimes it seems that we are so obsessed in creating the new, instead of taking care of what has been left for us as a legacy of our ancestors.

As the Casco Antiguo for example. Perhaps one of my favourite places in Panama City, I can't say I'm completely happy with what's going on there architecturally speaking. Some buildings are being renovated, whilst others are slowly becoming ruins. If there's a project to restore the entire area, it should affect the neighbourhood in its totality, not just a couple of structures that will be turned into hotels or nice restaurants. It's just my opinion, since I'm concerned about what happens in the city.

We have to react before it's too late. We might never be prepared for a natural disaster, but we must not let our heritage sites be part of a forgotten world that is neglected by those who make decisions. When it clearly is what brings us together, making us be who we are and creating strong sense of identity and appreciation for art.

Restoration works in San Francisco de Asís.

Restoration works in San Francisco de Asís.

Restoration works in San Francisco de Asís.

Restoration works in San Francisco de Asís.

Restoration works in San Francisco de Asís.

Have a great start of the week,
Astrid