Isthmus Be the Place

The Panama Canal, from dream to reality

Like a lot of the Spaniards who played key roles in the conquest of the Americas, Vasco Núñez de Balboa was an opportunistic scoundrel.

He came from the ranks of minor nobles — privileged enough to dream of glory but far enough down the social and economic ladders to understand that he wouldn’t be able to achieve it in Spain. So he set off to seek his f…