Excerpt from Anthropological Papers, 1964: Numbers 68-74 The nature Of the countryside surrounding Panama Viejo has been changed radically by industrialization. Originally it was a broad and grassy plain surrounded by multiple low hills and fronted by the sea. The climate was milder and always had less rainfall than the Atlantic side Of the Isthmus. Food was easily obtainable the year round from the abundant deer, peccary and other small game, and easily caught fish Of the gulf. Numerous shell heaps of prehistoric sites bordering the gulf attest to the importance Of mussels and clams in the native diet. Fresh water was available from many nearby streams although the Rio Abajo itself was foul and contaminated by salt water at high tide. As a dwelling site it suffered from the 20-foot high tides of the gulf which twice daily left half a mile Of mud flat and rotting organic matter exposed. Additionally, the evil surrounding mangrove swamps served as a breeding place for mosquitoes and other noxious insects. It afforded, however, adequate conditions for the support Of life and the establishment of a sedentary culture which maintained peace through trade or tribute and did not require a militarily defensible position. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.