Site Brief:
Founded: 1914
Location: Colón, Panama
Additional name(s): Cementerio Monte Esperanza
Affiliate group(s):
Corozal-Gatun-Mt. Hope Cemetery Preservation Foundation (CGM)
History:
Mount Hope Cemetery in Colón, Panama—originally established around 1850 during the construction of the Panama Railroad as "Monkey Hill Cemetery" serves as the final resting place for thousands of international laborers who built Panama's vital transit infrastructure. It was named ‘Monkey Hill” due to the number of monkeys that inhabited the area. The site expanded dramatically during the French and American eras of the Panama Canal's construction, becoming highly segregated under the U.S. "Gold and Silver Roll" racial hierarchy, where thousands of Afro-Caribbean workers from islands like Jamaica and Barbados were laid to rest. Throughout the 20th century, Afro-Antillean communities actively fought against "Jim Crow" burial practices and petitioned local Colón authorities to preserve the site's dignity. While the remains of many American citizens were later relocated to the Corozal American Cemetery before the Panama Canal Zone was officially transferred back to Panama, Mount Hope remains a monumental but physically endangered monument to the immense human cost of global engineering, eventually earning a spot on the World Monuments Watch to combat systemic neglect and industrial encroachment.
Mt. Hope remains open for current burials.
Resource links:
BCN Contact Information:
Valerie I. Howell