Santa María la Antigua del Darién—turned into Dariena in the Latin of De Orbo Novo[1]—was a Spanish colonial town founded in 1510 by Vasco Núñez de Balboa, located in present-day Colombia approximately 40 miles (64 km) south of Acandí, within the municipality of Unguía in the Chocó Department. It was the first city founded by conquistadors in mainland America.[2] After Pascual de Andagoya, a Spanish-Basque conquistador under the direction of Panama governor Pedrarias Dávila, founded Panama City in 1519,[3] Santa María la Antigua del Darién was abandoned and in 1524 was attacked and burned by the indigenous people.
| Santa María la Antigua del Darién | |
|---|---|
| 1510–1524 | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
| History | |
• Established | 1510 |
• Disestablished | 1524 |
In 2012 the lost site of the town was rediscovered, and in 2019 the government of Colombia opened the Parque Arqueológico e Histórico de Santa María de Belén la Antigua del Darién.[4]
Foundation
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