AMERICA'S ANCIENT OUTREACH
Exposing an Archaeological Study of U.S. Imperial Influence in Panama
For decades, the United States has held sway over territories beyond its formal boundaries, including military bases and informal colonies - some call it the "expanded United States." The Trump administration's recent shift in policy indicates a revival of imperial ambitions, particularly regarding the Panama Canal Zone.
Once under American control for nearly a century (1904-1999), the Trump administration has floated the idea of reclaiming the canal. Some even suggest the use of military force may come into play. The Panama Canal Zone, with its tangled history of U.S. occupation, remains a contentious issue.
The United States extends its footprint significantly through its military bases around the world. From the Galápagos Islands to the Philippines, these bases trace a trail of American influence across continents. Though officially considered foreign soil, these bases are routinely excavated by U.S. citizens for construction and infrastructure development, occasionally uncovering fragments of the past. Legal loopholes make these histories potentially vulnerable.
As an archaeology historian, I've spent years investigating how U.S. corporations and the government have wielded archaeology as a tool for expansion. In the 1940s, American archaeologists flocked to Panama during the U.S. occupation, and many of the artifacts they uncovered now reside in U.S. museums.
By piecing together the life stories of these artifacts, we can begin to understand the far-reaching effects of U.S. imperialism on historical landscapes - impacting both past and present narratives.
PANAMA, AN AMERICAN OUTBACK
Following Colombia's withdrawal, the Department of Panama seceded in 1903 with support from the United States. In exchange for military protection, the Republic of Panama ceded land for the Panama Canal Zone, essentially forming a 10-mile boundary of American territory on either side of the canal.
For nearly a century, the Panama Canal Zone functioned as an extension of the United States, effectively barring Panamanians from many areas of their own country. Infrastructure, governance, and even education were separate from the rest of Panama, complete with its own police force, courts, and schools.
Upon the zone's creation, local residents were forcefully removed from their homes. Pres. William Howard Taft's Panama Canal Act of 1912 demanded the razing of towns within the zone, ostensibly for the sake of protecting, operating, and sanitizing the area. American cartographers subsequently created misleading maps depicting the region as uninhabited and unproductive, reinforcing the narrative of U.S. intervention as essential.
Another method of rewriting Panamanian history was through archaeological research, which often served as a means to bolster American power. Museum collections can shape national narratives, particularly regarding societies and their relationship to the nation.
By the 1940s, American archaeologists were thriving in the Canal Zone, conducting research in an "exotic" landscape under U.S. jurisdiction.
ARCHAEOLOGY: THE DIGITAL DUJE
In 1948, the U.S. Navy inadvertently exposed a Pre-Columbian burial ground at Playa Venado, a former firing range in the Canal Zone. Over 350 individuals had been laid to rest here from around A.D. 550-850. Graves contained locally made pottery and artwork featuring frogs, birds, and mythical creatures, all adorning the deceased.
The Navy's accidental excavation sparked public interest, and excavation permits were issued to any U.S. resident interested in archaeology, primarily residents of the Canal Zone. These weekend diggers, driven by curiosity and a desire for Panamanian artifacts, dug without any regard for context or documentation. Theiractions created a treasure trove of artifacts, with many now residing in museums such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City and Dumbarton Oaks in Washington, D.C.
In my research, I delve into correspondence between local Canal Zone residents and archaeologists to trace the process of excavation permits to Playa Venado. Letters, like the one between Karl P. Curtis and John Alden Mason, reveal the curious relationship between nonprofessional "weekend archaeologists" and accredited archaeologists. The latter were cautious in endorsing untrained excavations, preferring that archaeological sites remain untouched until proper excavations could be conducted.
THE SHADOW OF PAST ANCESSTORS
Decades-old interpretations posited that the individuals buried at Playa Venado were the victims of brutal sacrifices, furthering a racialized narrative of ancient Panamanian violence. In 2018, however, the evidence was shown to be unfounded, suggesting instead peaceful deaths and intimate care for the deceased.
Excavations at Playa Venado, like those in the Canal Zone as a whole, may have exploited legal grey areas to avoid stricter cultural heritage laws that began taking effect in Panama in the 1940s. In 1941, Panama amended its constitution to better protect cultural heritage, and some referred to this as a "looting initiative with a diploma."
The Panama Canal Zone was a hub of U.S. imperialism, its artifacts absorbed into the American narrative. When Panama reclaimed the Canal Zone in 1979, the late General Omar Torrijos famously stated, "I don't want to enter into history; I want to enter into the Canal Zone."
American imperialism barged into both the historical record and contemporary territories, including the Zone, using archaeology as a means to justify their presence and exploit ancient Panamanian history. American archaeologists asserted their scientific superiority to understand Panama’s past and harvested artifacts for U.S. consumers and institutions. Playa Venado offers a case study on the erasure of indigenous history. Many of those artifacts remain in U.S. museums, as at the time, the land that yielded them was considered American territory.
As we contemplate the future, U.S. armed forces consider reoccupying military bases in Panama, leading some to speculate this is a "camouflaged invasion." At the same time, the Trump administration's stance on U.S. heritage has been controversial, with an executive order proposing censorship and the restructuring of museums that investigate diverse pasts. By controlling the past, these policies bolster contemporary occupations.
- The Trump administration's discussion of reclaiming the Panama Canal Zone suggests a resurrection of imperial ambitions, bridging the gap between politics and general-news.
- The archaeological excavations carried out by American archaeologists in the Panama Canal Zone during the 1940s served as a means to bolster American power, tying the fields of archaeology and general-news together.
