Nombre de Dios is the oldest continuously inhabited European settlement in the continental
Americas. Developed as a major port of call for the
Spanish treasure fleet, Nombre de Dios was the most significant port for shipping in the Americas between 1540 and 1580. It was dominated by Spanish colonial traffic. After the opening of colonial silver mines in
Potosí in 1546, in present-day Bolivia, silver was shipped north to
Panama City along the Pacific coast. It was carried by
mule trains across the isthmus to Nombre de Dios for shipment via the Atlantic to Havana and Spain. Nombre de Dios was situated near an unhealthy
swamp and was nearly impossible to
fortify, so it declined in importance. In June 1572 the English privateer
Francis Drake sacked the colony and in April of the following year, he ambushed the
Spanish Silver Train, a mule convoy carrying a fortune in
precious metals. Drake captured the town again in 1595 but found little treasure; he missed 5 million pesos waiting off the Pacific side. After that date, the Spanish preferred to use
Portobelo as their Caribbean port. By 1580,
Veracruz in present-day Mexico became a more important port. Mexican silver production increased steadily while South American production declined sharply after 1700. By 1600, Nombre de Dios had been all but abandoned by the Spanish. The town still exists, though it is much less populous than in the 16th century. Its population as of 1990 was 1,028 and of 2000 was 1,053. ==Culture==