 The city was the starting point for expeditions that conquered the Inca Empire in Peru.It was a stopover point on one of the most important trade routes in the American continent, leading to the fairs of Nombre de Dios and Portobelo, through which passed most of the gold and silver that Spain took from the Americas.On 28 January, 1671, the original city was destroyed by a fire when the privateer Henry Morgan sacked and set fire to it.