This archaeological site, under extensive renovation at the time of research, contains three pre-Columbian mounds dating from between AD 500 and 1200. The larger of the two under excavation contains five skeletons in the same position as when they were unearthed at 4m below. One is believed to be the grave of a chieftain, as it contained a number of gold and emerald objects. The turnoff for the town of El Caño is 7km north of Natá.
A small museum displays pieces of pottery, carved stones and arrowheads found at the site. Also here are rows of stone pedestals, all that remains of the so-called Temple of a Thousand Idols, removed by an American adventurer in the 1920s and sent to museums in the USA.
Although rather underwhelming and infested with mosquitoes in the rainy season, the Parque Arqueológico del Caño will help you get a better idea of Panama's indigenous past and traditions. It's also one of the very few archaeological sites open to the public in Panama.
Any bus plying the Interamericana will drop you at the turnoff for El Caño, but it's another 3km down a dusty (or in the rainy season mud-slicked) road to the site. Your best bet is to take a taxi (US$7) from Natá.
