The entrenched politics and ditched efforts of a trans-isthmus passage
by William Laine
It’s not common knowledge that Nicaragua, rather than Panama, was for hundreds of years considered the ideal place to build an inter-oceanic passage. Nicaragua’s extensive network of lakes, rivers and its access to the Atlantic and Pacific oceans attracted the attention of many countries wishing to make use of its transit potential. Indeed, before the arrival of the Spanish, English, or even the North Americans, the Aztecs had already made use of this potential in order to establish an emerald trade with Colombia.
More than four hundred years ago, countries dreamed of building an inter-oceanic passage realizing that the control of such a passage offered wealth and power. Nicaragua was found, through numerous studies and surveys conducted over the centuries, to have the greatest geographical potential for an inter-oceanic canal. Despite this, political battles, poorly executed deals and bad luck repeatedly stymied Nicaragua’s canal efforts.
