# Watermelon War (15 April 1856)

URL: https://allhistories.com/panama/timeline/1856-watermelon-war
Location: Panama City, Panama
Themes: battle

The transit boom brought thousands of American travellers through Panama City each month. Many treated local people with contempt, while Panamanian boatmen, porters and vendors who had been put out of work by the new railway resented the foreigners. Tension ran especially high in the poor neighbourhood of La Ciénaga near the railway station. On the evening of 15 April 1856 an American passenger waiting for a steamer, Jack Oliver, reportedly drunk, took a slice of watermelon from a local fruit seller, José Manuel Luna, and refused to pay. An argument followed, Oliver drew a pistol, and a crowd gathered. Fighting spread to the railway station, where Americans barricaded themselves; shots were fired on both sides, and the police, called to restore order, joined the attack on the station. By the end about 15 Americans and 2 Panamanians were dead and many wounded, and the station and nearby property were looted. The riot, known as the Watermelon War (Incidente de la Tajada de Sandía), provoked outrage in the United States. In September 1856 US troops landed in Panama City to occupy the railway station, the first American military intervention on the isthmus, and Washington demanded compensation from New Granada. The episode remains a symbol of early Panamanian resistance to American arrogance. At this point in the timeline (15 April 1856), the acting Vice-President in charge of the executive (New Granada) was Manuel María Mallarino (1 April 1855 – 1 April 1857); the acting Governor of the Federal State of Panama was Francisco de Fábrega (3 October 1855 – 1 October 1856).

## Why it matters
The Watermelon War led to the first US military landing in Panama and became a symbol of resistance to American power.

Ruler at the Time: [Manuel María Mallarino](https://allhistories.com/panama/rulers/manuel-maria-mallarino)

Governor of the Federal State of Panama: Francisco de Fábrega

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — Watermelon Riot](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watermelon_Riot)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica — Watermelon War Panama](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=Watermelon+War+Panama)
- [Wikipedia — Panama–United States relations](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panama–United_States_relations)
- [US Office of the Historian](https://history.state.gov/)
- [Wikipedia — Panama In Colombia (period overview)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Panama_(1821%E2%80%931903))