National martyrdom flag to Spain for restoratation

THE FLAG that was used by students on January 9, 1964, in an act that was to pave the way for the transfer of the canal to Panama is heading to Spain for restoration.

The Panamanian flag was hoisted over a school in the Canal Zone leading to a bloody confrontation and the deaths of many students of the National Institute. The name of the road where the school stands was changed from Ave July 4 to Avenue of Martyrs.

The announcement was made Thursday July 4, by Rimsky Sucre, a member of the National Institute, at a ceremony attended by a new generation of students of the National Institute, members of the Fire Department and the Municipal Guard.
Sucre Said that after extensive consultation and evaluation of restoration companies in the United States, Chile and Europe, the company selected was Mercedes Amezaga, S. L., located in Spain, which has long experience and a quality reputation for this type of work.
Prior to undertaking the restoration process the flag was previously prepared in the Canal Museum and placed in special packaging for shipment.
The flag is in poor condition due to environmental factors and inadequate mounting and storage conditions for decades. It will be taken escorted by officials of the Canal Museum initially to the Museo de America in Madrid, where it will be placed in an anoxia chamber for the elimination of insects and oxidative phenomena.

the flag will later be taken to the workshop Mercedes Amezaga, S. L., where they will begin the restoration process.
It is not known how long the process will take.