News

Remembering the West Indians Who Built the Panama Canal

By: Caribbean Journal Staff - August 15, 2014

Above: the new plaque memorializing West Indian workers at the canal

By the Caribbean Journal staff

The Panama Canal turns 100 on Saturday, and Panama is being joined by countries around the world in celebrating its centennial.

But the dream of the canal would not have been realized if not for the efforts of tens of thousands of West Indians who made the journey from the Caribbean to work on the 10-year project.

Indeed, more than 20,000 people traveled from Barbados to work on the canal, a substantial percentage of the country’s population at the time.

And Jamaican labourers had also been active in infrastructure projects in Panama during the period.

To mark that contribution, the United Kingdom’s Foreign Officer Minister for Latin America, Hugo Swire, recently presented a bronze plaque at the Miraflores Locks.

Swire said he was “enormously honoured to be unveiling today a new bronze plaque here at the Miraflores Locks that will memorialize the important contribution of the people of the British West Indies in the construction of the Canal.”

Swire was joined at the ceremony last month by descendants of those who built the canal.

The plaque was paid for by the British Embassy in Panama, with the agreement of the Panama Canal Authority and in consultation with community groups of West Indians in Panama.

“I hope this plaque will be seen by all the visitors to the Canal for the next 100 years,” Swire said.

Popular Posts w punta cana

A New All-Inclusive W Hotel Is Opening This Year in Punta Cana 

The first-ever all-inclusive W Hotel in the Caribbean is opening this year in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, Caribbean Journal has learned.  The hotel, part of a broad expansion for parent company Marriott International, is on the list of expected 2024 […]


Why Grenada Is a New Caribbean Luxury Hotspot

beach house silversands

From its world-renowned chocolate to its pristine beaches to a region-leading focus on sustainability, Grenada is as fascinating and unique as destination as you’ll find in the Caribbean.  But in the last few years, the lush Eastern Caribberan island has […]


5 Adults-Only Resorts to Visit Right Now in the Caribbean 

galley bay

Sometimes you just want that extra degree of serenity, of privacy, of seclusion. There is a reason, after all, that adults-only resorts are booming in popularity, particularly in the Caribbean: travelers want to know that when they arrive, they know […]


Related Posts nobu los cabos

Frontier Is Adding a New Nonstop Flight to Los Cabos 

It’s one of the most popular hotel destinations in Mexico: Los Cabos, which has seen a broad boom in recent years with the entry to market of brands like Nobu, Thompson, Marriott and Waldorf Astoria, among others.  That has led, […]


This Former Caribbean Rockefeller Resort Is for Sale

caribbean rockefeller resort

In 1986, Laurance Rockefeller, the founder of Rock Resorts, developed 27 acres of prime beachfront land into what was for decades one of the sought after places to stay in the Caribbean. Now, the four-star, 150-room resort is for sale, […]


Vote for the 2024 Caribbean Green Awards, from Green Energy to Sustainable Hotels

caribbean green

Hotels serving organic food grown by local farmers. Airports powered by large solar fields. Pristine coastlines protected by marine parks. Real estate developments fueled by clean energy. It’s an exciting time for the Green movement in the Caribbean, a region […]


SUBSCRIBE!

Sign up for Caribbean Journal's free newsletter for a daily dose of beaches, hotels, rum and the best Caribbean travel information on the net.


No. Thank You