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Historic 1903 Minute Book Documenting Panama's Separation from Colombia Restored
🇵🇦 Panama /Culture & Society

Historic 1903 Minute Book Documenting Panama's Separation from Colombia Restored

From TVN Panamá · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Outcome reported
  • Panama's Public Registry and National Archives have restored an original 1903 minute book detailing Panama's separation from Colombia.
  • The document, nearly 123 years old, had never undergone conservation or restoration until now.
  • The restored book will be digitized to preserve its content and facilitate access to this historical testimony.

Panama's Public Registry and National Archives have delivered the original 1903 minute book, documenting Panama's separation from Colombia, to the president of the Municipal Council of Panama. This historic document is nearing its 123rd anniversary and has undergone a crucial restoration process.

Authorities noted that the artifact had never received conservation or restoration despite the natural deterioration caused by time. Nairobia Escrucería, director of the Public Registry, emphasized the importance of preserving such significant historical documents for the nation's identity. "For us as a country, conserving our history and preserving documents as important as the separation of Panama from Colombia in 1903 is extremely important. It is work that had not been done in 122 years," she stated.

For us as a country, conserving our history and preserving documents as important as the separation of Panama from Colombia in 1903 is extremely important. It is work that had not been done in 122 years.

— Nairobia EscruceríaThe director of the Public Registry highlighted the significance of restoring the historical document.

The minute book contains approximately 600 pages, including other documents related to the events of 1903. The initial pages showed the most significant deterioration, with small holes causing the loss of some text. Dunia Donoso, a restorer from the National Archives, explained that the document suffered biological, chemical, and physical damage, including insect infestation, paper acidity, dust accumulation, and deformations.

To address these issues, the book underwent a pressing process to stabilize it and mitigate risks from humidity, temperature, insects, and natural paper aging. As a preservation measure, the minute book will be digitized to protect its content and ensure easier access to this testimony of national memory and identity.

It was affected by insects, which is known as biological damage. It also showed acidity in the paper, dust accumulation, undulations and deformations, so we had to subject it to a pressing process.

— Dunia DonosoA restorer from the National Archives detailed the types of damage the book had sustained.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by TVN Panamá in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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