Bienvenidos a Nicaragua
Table of Contents
HISTORY
CULTURE &
FAMOUS PEOPLE
GEOGRAPHY
GASTRONOMY
MODERN TIMES
ARCHITECTURE &
LANDMARKS
Pre-Columbian Period
Present-day Nicaragua is located south of Mexico
and northern Central America. When the Spanish
arrived in western Nicaragua in the early 1500s,
they found three major tribes, each with a different
culture and language: the Niquirano, the
Chorotegano, and the Chontal. Each one of these
different groups occupied much of Nicaragua's
territory, with independent chieftains (called
cacicazgos) who ruled according to each group's
laws and customs.
As the Spanish conquered Central
America, they settled along the west and
highlands, wiping out the native population almost
completely with the spread of new diseases and
enslavement. In the east, where the Europeans
didn’t settle, most of the indigenous groups
survived. The English did, hoevever, introduce
guns and ammunition to the Bawihka, who lived in
northeast Nicaragua.
The People
Each one of these diverse groups occupied much
of Nicaragua's territory, with independent
chieftains who ruled according to each group's
laws and customs.
– Occupying the territory between Lago de
Nicaragua and the Pacific Coast, the Niquirano
were governed by chief Nicarao, or Nicaragua, a
rich ruler who lived in now the city of Rivas
– The Chorotegano lived in the central region of
Nicaragua
– These two groups had a lot contact with the Spanish
conquerors, paving the way for the racial mix of native
and European stock now known as mestizos
– The Chontal (the term means foreigner) lived in the
central mountain region. This group was smaller than
the other two, and it is not known when they first
settled in Nicaragua
Native People Map
Chontal
Chorotegano
Niquirano
Colonial Period
Timeline
Nicaragua's Caribbean coast
was first seen by Spanish
explorers in 1508. In 1522 a
formal military expedition
under Gil González Dávila was
led into Nicaraguan territory.
González then went further into
an area governed by the cheif
Nicaragua, or Nicarao. Chief
Nicaragua welcomed González
and gave him large quantities of
gold. Thus begins Spanish rule
in the new territory of
Nicaragua.
Throughout the seventeenth
century, The local government
of Nicaragua neglected
agricultural
production.Powerful
earthquakes in 1648, 1651,
and 1663, caused massive
destruction in the country.
From 1651 to 1689,
Nicaragua was attacked
viciously from English,
French, and Dutch
pirates, whom
destroyed the city of
Granada, Nicaragua’s
center of agricultural
wealth. The Captaincy
General of Guatemala
ruled the province at
that time, and little
was done to solve the
problem.
1600’S
1500’S
After suffering sickness and
dangerous weather, he
reached the land ruled by the
powerful chief Nicoya.They
became friends and soon
thereafter, Nicoya and 6,000
of his people were converted
to Roman Catholicism.
In 1687 the English governor of
Jamaica named a miskito who was
one of his prisoners "King of the
Mosquitia Nation," and declared a
region of Nicaragua to be under the
protection of the English crown. This
event was the beginning of a long
rivalry between Spanish and British
authorities over control of the
Caribbean coast until the end of the
nineteenth century.
Geography
Natural resources
of Nicaragua are
gold, silver,
copper, tungsten,
lead, zinc, timber,
and fish.
Near the city of
Rivas is a
coastal plain
with many
volcanoes.
Nicaragua is located in the middle of
Central America, bordering both the
Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific
Ocean, right between Costa Rica and
Honduras.
Climate is tropical in
the lowlands near
Managua, cooler in
the highlands.
The Caribbean coast
extends with plain areas
rising up to the central
interior mountains.
Gastronomy
Click on a dish to see its recipe
Maduro en Gloria
Indio Viejo
Oxtail Stew
Tres Leches
Indio Viejo
Ingredients
-2 tablespoons of achiote
- 2 1/2 pounds of lean beef
- 8 large green bell peppers
- 12 garlic cloves
- 1/4 cup of vegetable oil
- salt to taste
- 4 ripe sweet plantains
- 12 ounces of cornflour mix
- 5 tomatoes
- 3 large yellow onions
- 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
- 1 cup of orange & lime juice
- 1 bunch of mint
To Prepare
Boil the beef in 3 liters of water in a large cooking pot. Cut one bell pepper and one
onion into large slices and place them, along with six garlic cloves, in the pot. After
the beef is tender and completely cooked, remove it from the pot, and after letting it
cool, shred it into small pieces. Heat the vegetable oil in a large, deep cooking pan.
Cut one onion and two peppers into crescent-shaped slices and place them, along
with the shredded beef, into the cooking pan. Add salt to taste and stir-fry at medium
heat until golden brown. Strain the beef stock and place it in another large cooking
pot. Add the achiote and cornflour or tortilla mix to the beef stock, and after placing it
under a medium flame, add the yerbabuena. Stir the ingredients into a dough-like
consistency. Blend the five remaining bell peppers, the tomatoes, and the rest of the
garlic cloves well in a blender. Mix the contents of the blender into the dough and stir
well. Add the beef stir fry and the naranja agria juice to the dough and continue
blending at low heat.
Maduro en Gloria
Ingredients
4 tablespoons butter
6 firm bananas, peeled and sliced lengthwise
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 pound cream cheese
4 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup Curacao liqueur
To Prepare
Melt the butter in a skillet and brown the bananas very quickly over high heat.
Place half the banana slices on the bottom of a buttered pie plate. Blend heavy cream and
cream cheese until very soft. Add sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, and liqueur, beating until light
and smooth. Spread half of the mixture over the bananas. Place remaining banana slices on
top, and spread the rest of the cream-cheese mixture over the dish. Bake in a 375 degrees
F. oven for 20 minutes or until almost all the cream is absorbed and the top is lightly
browned. Do not allow all the cream to be absorbed, or the bananas will become too dry.
Serve hot. If desired, top with whipped cream. Serves 6.
Ingredients
Oxtail Stew
1/3 cup uncooked white beans
1 tablespoon lard
3 pounds of beef oxtails
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
To Prepare
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and diced
1 medium tomato, diced
Soak the beans in cold water overnight OR place beans
2 cups of beef stock
in a small saucepan with 1 cup of water and cover. Bring
2 cups of water
to a boil and turn of heat. Allow to sit for 1 hour covered
2 tablespoons ground allspice
with the heat off. In a heavy skillet brown the oxtails in
salt and pepper to taste
lard. Place them in a large (about 6 quart) stove top
few shots of hot sauce
casserole or stock pot. Add all the remaining ingredients
except the water and beans. Then, add just enough
water to cover the contents of the pot, this should be
about 2 cups more or less. Cover and simmer for 1 1⁄2
hours. Drain the beans and add to the stock pot.
Continue cooking covered for an additional 1 1⁄2 hours.
Stir occasionally and add additional water if necessary,
you do not want the pot to dry out. If you like a thick
stew, remove the lid during the last half hour of cooking.
Ingredients
6 eggs
4 egg yolks
4 egg whites
1/2 cup of milk
2 cups of flour
1 1/2 teaspoons
of baking powder
Tres Leches
3 1/2 cups of sugar
3 tablespoons of vanilla
2 cans of condensed milk
2 cans of evaporated milk
1 pint of whipped cream
1 1/2 cups of corn syrup
1 sour lemon
To Prepare
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. To make the cake part, mix up 6 eggs, 1/2 cup of milk, 2
cups of flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder, 2 cups of sugar and 3 tablespoons of vanilla.
Make sure that it's all well mixed and then pour it into the cakepan and cook it for 20
minutes. The leches (milks) are supposed to be ready when the cake is done so you need to
blend the 4 egg yolks, 1/2 cup of milk, 2 cans of condensed milk, and 2 cans of evaporated
milk now. The baño (bath) is applied once the milks have been inserted. Heat up the corn
syrup in a bowl while stiring it. Beat the 4 egg whites until they rise and pour in the syrup as
you're whipping them. Get a spatula ready for applying the "bath" and start shredding the
lemon peals with a cheese grater and add in cherry juice. Beat this mixture until it's well
mixed. Once the cake is done, poke holes in it so that they milks can soak into it. Pour in the
milks and lift up the sides and do whatever else you have to do to make sure that the cake is
completely saturated with milk. Next cover the soaked cake with the "bath" and put it in the
oven to cook for another 10 minutes at 400 degrees. Let it cook until the surface is done and
then take it out.
Architecture & Landmarks
Managua
Granada Park
Granada
Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception
(the new cathedral)
Granada’s Central Square
Monument to the Revolution
Government House
A Government Building
Modern Times
Nicaragua’s population has
grown rapidly in the past half
century, as rural residents
have migrated to the large
cities of Managua & Granada,
seeking a better life and
safety from violence in the
countryside.
From a population of 109,352 in 1950, the Capital
of Managua reached 662,000 by 1980. By 1993 it
had reached 1,600,666 people, more than onethird of Nicaragua’s entire population. The
population could exceed 2 million by the start of
the 21st century.
However, Nicaragua today is still
struggling economically. Much of
Managua’s downtown still lies in ruin since
the earthquakes of 1931 & 1972.
Though there are some affluent
neighborhoods and middle-class areas.
most of the city is occupied by very poor
neighborhoods, without adequate water,
sewers, and other services. These areas
are constantly growing as thousands of
poor people pour in from the countryside
every year. Some have built makeshift
houses of cardboard and tin in vacant lots
of the former downtown area.
Current Government
In order to vote in
Nicaragua, you need
to be 16 years of
age.
Nicaragua is a republic. It
gained it’s independence from
Spanish rule on September 15,
1821.
Executive power is held by the president,
who is popularly elected for a five-year
term.
As of January 2002,
the president has
been Enrique
Bolanos Geyer and
the Vice President
Jose Rizo Castellon.
Members of the
unicameral
legislature and
judicial branches are
also elected.
Nicaragua’s Administrative Government is
divided into 15 departments and 2
autonomous regions:
Jinotega
Leon
Atlantico
Norte
Madriz
Atlantico Sur
Boaco
Carazo
Chinandega
Chontales
Esteli
Granada
Managua
Masaya
Matagalpa
Nueva
Segovia
Rio San
Juan
and Rivas
Current Economy
lture employs about 45% of the workforce and counts for about one fourth of the gross nat
is ranked as one of the poorest
countries Nicaragua’s
in the world, as
about 50% of its population is un
The Cordoba,
currency
and seafood are also exported. The principal manufactured goods are chemicals, textiles, a
ulture and Famous
People
Rubén Darío
(1867-1916), Nicaragua
The founder of modernism, Rubén Darío is the most beloved poet of
Latin American letters. His movement is "the Hispanic form of the
universal crisis in literature and spirit that began around 1885". The
dissolution of the 19th century, created an intellectual vacuum that
manifested itself in art, science, religion and politics, as well as,
gradually, in other aspects of life.
Modernism in literature represented a deep historical change whose
process continues today. Darío wrote Azul (Blue), 1888, Prosas
Profanas (Profane Prose), 1896, and Cantos de Vida y Esperanza,
1905, the three works for which he became immortal.
Somoza
Chamorro
Art & Street Graffiti
Art has been a
treasured institution
since revolutionary
times. Here are a few
examples Nicaragua’s
artistic culture.
Credits