Prospecciones geofísicas y arqueológicas para la recuperación de la traza urbana de Panamá La Vieja: el caso de la calle Santo Domingo

Abstract

The historical monumental site of Panama La Vieja is filled of archaeological information that allows us approach the processes of adaptation and lifestyle of those first European inhabitants that settled in the American Continent. 

Aimed to retrieve and establish constructive characteristics and arrangement of the main ways of this site, geophysical and archaeological surveys were carried out in the western side of the Santo Domingo convent, located on the northern side of the main square of the old city. 

The application of geophysical techniques by means of measuring and analysis of the geoelectrical properties of the subsoil in this zone, and its subsequent treatment through computational systems, confirm the results obtained through archaeological survey, which revealed the presence of a cobbled street, whose dimensions were also determined. 

In this case, the utilization of non-destructive techniques for the detection of archaeological structures make allowance for covering wide areas and gathering information almost immediately, what enables us optimize research resources and state priorities when carrying out archaeological researches.