Colón

As you might expect from a city named for Columbus, Colón has a rich and colorful history. While Panama’s outlet to the Caribbean was once flush with stunning colonial architecture, it declined greatly, with many landmark buildings crumbling, when Panama City surpassed it as the country’s economic engine. These days, however, an official renovation project has been put in motion by World Monuments Fund to halt the decay of buildings and other sites, like the city’s mini–Christ the Redeemer statue on the waterfront.