How did Panama City contribute to the early history of reggaeton?

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ceramic flute — Latin American music Flute, slip-painted ceramic, Nopiloa, southern Veracruz, Mexico, 300–500 ce; in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. 35.56 × 17.15 × 10.80 cm.

Panama City played a foundational role in the early history of reggaeton by serving as the birthplace of reggae en español in the early 1980s.1

This musical development was driven by the descendants of West Indian workers who had emigrated from Jamaica and Barbados to construct the Panama Canal. These artists, including MCs such as Leonardo “Renato” Aulder and Edgardo Franco (later known as El General), began translating Jamaican dancehall—a popular 1970s evolution of reggae—into Spanish.1

While these performers often covered English-language songs, they also produced original tracks that addressed the unique social experiences and discrimination faced by Black English-speaking Panamanians, such as Renato’s 1985 hit “El D.E.N.I.”. This movement eventually converged with Spanish-language hip-hop in Puerto Rico during the 1990s, forming the "underground" scene that would later evolve into modern reggaeton.1