Guide Profile
Carlos Mendoza
Founder & Lead Guide · Casco Viejo Walking Tours
Carlos Mendoza was born and raised in Panama City and has spent the last fourteen years guiding visitors through Casco Viejo — Panama City's UNESCO-listed historic quarter. He founded Casco Viejo Walking Tours in 2012, starting with a single colonial history walk and building it into one of the neighbourhood's most respected tour operations.
He holds a degree in Latin American History from the University of Panama and has spent years researching the neighbourhood's layered past: the Spanish colonial foundations, the French canal era, the American occupation period, and the recent restoration that has made Casco Viejo the vibrant destination it is today. He is the author of the colonial walking tour itinerary that the company still runs today.
Carlos has guided guests from over 50 countries, including academic delegations, journalists, documentary film crews, and the occasional visiting ambassador. He speaks English, Spanish, and French, and has been a resource for several published travel guides and news features about Panama City.
When he's not guiding, he's photographing the neighbourhood's vanishing architectural details — iron balconies, hand-painted tiles, doorways that haven't changed since the nineteenth century.
Articles by Carlos Mendoza
- Is Casco Viejo Panama Safe? An Honest Guide
- Best Time to Visit Casco Viejo
- Panama City Layover Guide: Is It Worth Leaving the Airport?
- The History of Casco Viejo, Panama
- The Perfect Casco Viejo Itinerary
- Self-Guided Walking Tour of Casco Viejo
- The Churches of Casco Viejo
- Captain Morgan and Casco Viejo
- Hidden Gems of Casco Viejo
- What to Do in Casco Viejo, Panama