The Journal

During a presentation at the Cortez Cultural Center on Dec. 20, Julie Orr will discuss her upcoming book about the consequences of Scotland’s attempt to establish an entrepôt at the Isthmus of Panama at the end of the 17th century.

The presentation, titled “Scots, Cuna and Spaniards in Panama: The Company of Scotland’s Failed Colony (1698-1700),” begins at 6 p.m. at the center, 25 N. Market St.

“From the highest levels of European diplomacy to the politics of the indigenous Cuna and the involvement of Spain’s colonial bureaucracy, the ill-prepared and poorly governed colony had an impact far beyond its traditional role in the history of English-Scottish relations,” the Cortez Cultural Center news release said.

Orr, who received her doctorate in history from Scotland’s University of Dundee in 2014, has completed studies at the University of Granada in Spain, and at New Mexico State University. Before pursuing historical research, she completed a career in environmental health and science, working for the U.S. Public Health Service, the state of New Mexico and the Navajo Nation, the release said. Her book, “Scots, Darien and the Atlantic World,” is due to be published by Edinburgh University press this summer, the release said.

For more information about the presentation, call 970-565-1151.