The Panamanian government is angling to fill in the sea around the 17th century walled fortifications of Panama City's Casco Viejo in order to build a
highway. Architectural images resemble the fill-in and highway that wrap around the walled city of Cartagena, Colombia. The government promises jobs for the poor and an untrammeled Casco Viejo. Residents of the old town, who include some expats, worry that this UNESCO recognized neighborhood may not survive intact. They allege that the national government is paying poor residents to protest, whipping up class divisions, all while they say the highway is a pet project of the president's in order to turn some of the former supermarket tycoon's investments into gold.
