I have always associated Nicaragua with civil war .<\/p>\n
Not anymore: after having been there, I associate it with the people I met and the experiences I lived.<\/p>\n
At some point in my journey, I found myself off the tourist route and began looking abroad with different eyes. And I felt good thinking to document<\/span> it for sharing.<\/span> The first fragment of world was born!<\/p>\n A journey into modern Nicaragua, starting from its roots to get to the national drink, the To\u00f1a, along a path, traced by smoking volcanoes, through cities and remote rural villages.<\/p>\n [\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/2″][vc_single_image image=”8087″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center” style=”vc_box_shadow” css_animation=”fadeIn”][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/2″][vc_single_image image=”7403″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center” style=”vc_box_shadow” css_animation=”fadeIn”][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_empty_space][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/3″][vc_single_image image=”7404″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center” style=”vc_box_shadow” css_animation=”fadeIn”][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/3″][vc_single_image image=”7405″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center” style=”vc_box_shadow” css_animation=”fadeIn”][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/3″][vc_single_image image=”7406″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center” style=”vc_box_shadow” css_animation=”fadeIn”][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n Here you can leaf through my fragment of <\/span>Nicaragua<\/span>, that is my focus on this country; <\/span>provides <\/span>an insight into historical, geographical, cultural and many other points of views, following paths traced by my travel photos.<\/span><\/p>\n A subjective and not exhaustive overview<\/span>, as result of my personal travel experience.<\/p>\n To increase knowledge of <\/span>Nicaragua<\/span> before traveling to this country or simply for spirit of knowledge<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n Not a travel account, but a little trip to Nicaragua<\/p>\n [\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row padding_top=”0″][vc_column][vc_btn title=”NICARAGUA: FROM SANDINO TO THE TO\u00d1A” style=”3d” color=”success” size=”lg” align=”center” css_animation=”bounceIn” button_block=”true”][vc_empty_space][vc_tta_accordion style=”outline” shape=”round” color=”orange” spacing=”4″ gap=”4″ c_align=”center” c_icon=”chevron” active_section=”” css_animation=”zoomIn” collapsible_all=”true”][vc_tta_section title=”Introduction” tab_id=”1565521998106-417f3606-433f659c-acc76789-920f”][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n Introduction<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Since I was a child, I have always associated Nicaragua with civil war . Not anymore: after having been there, I associate it with the people I met and the experiences I lived.<\/p>\n Why Nicaragua? I wanted to visit a Central America country and, <\/span>gathering informations<\/span>, I discovered that Nicaragua is considered the most peaceful and safe country in the area, despite its history.<\/span><\/p>\n Moreover<\/span>, it is still a genuine country, where tourism is increasingly developing, but has not yet reached the levels, for example, of neighbouring Costa Rica, a privileged destination for US tourism.<\/p>\n In Nicaragua you can speak English in hotel, but on the street you have to speak Spanish, and you will pay the lunch to the comedor with the Nicaraguan Cordobas.<\/p>\n This map outlines the topics of my \u201cFragment of Nicaragua\u201d<\/p>\n Not a travel story, but a small trip to Nicaragua, seen through my eyes of traveler from many points of view as result of my personal travel experience and my further study <\/span><\/p>\n [\/vc_column_text][\/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Geography” tab_id=”1565522223585-73001aa9-f133659c-acc76789-920f”][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n Geography<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Nicaragua is a small country, where about 6 million inhabitants live, located in the heart of Central America, between Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. To the west it faces the Pacific Ocean, while to the east the Atlantic, in particular the Caribbean Sea.<\/p>\n Since the country is small and most of<\/span> the central area is difficult to visit, the travel routes<\/span>, although very beautiful, extend over a small area, so it often happens to meet the same travelers in different places.<\/p>\n Below you can see the physical map.<\/p>\n The presence of the lake of Nicaragua stands out, the largest in Central America which, historically, has given the country a strategic importance: the presence of the lake in fact made it attractive to create an isthmus, like that of Panama, which would connect the two oceans.<\/p>\n Nicaragua is also a land of volcanoes that affect the entire strip of land overlooking the Pacific, as you can see from the map below<\/p>\n In this area therefore the landscape is dominated by the calderas of the volcanoes<\/p>\n Some are always <\/span>active, such as Volcan Masaya, considered “the most steaming<\/span>“<\/p>\n Then there is a central area, north of Lake Nicaragua, close to the towns Esteli and Matagalpa, characterized by a plateau covered with cloudy forests.<\/p>\n Actually where crops are taking the place of forest.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Continuing east, the land slopes down to the plain of the coastal strip overlooking the Caribbean Sea. A lot of drug dealers are in this internal area who take advantage of the many coca crops.<\/p>\n The journey from the Pacific to the Atlantic is difficult and can be dangerous due to drug dealer<\/span>s. Therefore most tourists travel this route by plane. I have chosen to stay in the Pacific area.<\/p>\n The areas overlooking the Pacific and the Atlantic are strongly<\/span> separated and represent two faces of the same country, with different cultures and languages, due to the different historical events that have seen the emergence of <\/span> Spanish colonialism on the Pacific and the English one on the Atlantic.<\/p>\n [\/vc_column_text][\/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”History” tab_id=”1565521998157-b451736f-2804659c-acc76789-920f”][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n History<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Name Nicaragua derives from the Cacique (chief) Nicarao, chief of the homonym tribe who in 1522 arranged an agreement with the Spanish invaders, offering the conversion of the country to Christianity. This postponed for sometime the massacre of his people which took place a short time later at the hands of the Spanish.<\/p>\n Several indigenous groups lived at the time, including the Rama (on the Atlantic), the Chorotega and the Nicarao (on the Pacific).<\/p>\n The areas on the Pacific were colonized by the Spanish, those on the Atlantic by the British. This led to a linguistic and cultural difference that is still continuing today.<\/p>\n Independence from Spain came in 1821 and in 1860 the British Atlantic protectorate also became part of Nicaragua.<\/p>\n Coming to more recent history, in the 1900s Nicaragua was marked by bloody conflicts and by the US<\/span> interference that sent the marines in 1912, imposing governments favorable to the US. After the retreat of marines, US supported the dictatorship of the Somoza dynasty which lasted for forty years.<\/p>\n The US interest in this small country was in order to <\/span>create a transoceanic canal similar to that of Panama right there, exploiting the lake of Nicaragua.<\/p>\n The pro-US<\/span> conservative governments were opposed by rebels including Augusto Cesar Sandino who became the guerrilla leader and who came to control large areas of the country.<\/p>\n The warrior Sandino fighting<\/span> for freedom is the most important reference figure for modern Nicaragua.<\/p>\n I chose to remember him by showing a photo that portraits him as a normal man, next to his wife Blanca Arauz<\/p>\n The photo is exhibited in the Parque Historico Nacional on the Loma de Tiscapa which is the most important (volcanic) hill in Managua.<\/p>\n Sandino and his men were assassinated in 1934, in an ambush carried out by Anastasio Somoza Garcia, at the time leader of the Guardia Nacional, who soon came to power <\/span>becaming the founder of the dictatorship of the Somozas <\/span>which was extremely corrupt.<\/span><\/p>\n Two different factions opposed the Somozas: The<\/span> leftist movement Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) and the moderate liberal wing.<\/p>\n In 1978, the assassination of the leader of the moderate Chomorro, t<\/span>riggered<\/span> the revolution that led to the ousting of the Somozas and the creation of a government between Sandinistas and moderates;<\/p>\n But soon power was concentrated in the Sandinistas who carried out a <\/span> policy of approaching the USSR and Cuba, provoking the reaction of the USA, which imposed sanctions and financed the armed opposition movement of the Contras which fought a <\/span> bloody civil war against the Sandinistas.<\/p>\n Under the Reagan administration US financed the Contras, giving<\/span> them the proceeds of an illegal arms sale to Iran during the Iran-Iraq war (1980-1988).<\/p>\n These events <\/span>came to light and the scandal went down in history with the name Iran Contra or Iran gate.<\/p>\n The civil war lasted until 1990 when Sandinistas held free elections won by the moderates who kept power for the next 16 years.<\/p>\n [\/vc_column_text][\/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Nicaragua today” tab_id=”1565522338030-aa555c50-31a1659c-acc76789-920f”][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n Nicaragua today<\/span><\/strong> Who is in charge today in Nicaragua is this man, Daniel Ortega, leader of the Sandinista party and hero of the revolution. He has has returned to power after 16 years of moderate government<\/span>.<\/p>\n At the time of my travel, this propaganda manifesto was<\/span> shown<\/span> everywhere;<\/p>\n In a corner of the manifesto<\/span> there is a<\/span> yellow tree that remind<\/span>s a little the tree of life by Gustav Klimt: it represents<\/span> Ortega’s power and around Managua you can see many<\/span> of it steel made.<\/p>\n Everywhere in Nicaragua the red and black symbols of the Sandinista party are painted; often to color the figure of a campesino with a hat. But often you can only find two stripes<\/span> red and black painted side by side\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Two things struck me: the media talk about Ortega calling him by name, Daniel!<\/p>\n And in the small town of Diriamba I saw <\/span>the Ort<\/span>e<\/span>ga’s manifesto<\/span> reproduced on the the town hall facade, and in front the flag of the FSLN was waving<\/span> next to that of Nicaragua!<\/p>\n Ortega, actually<\/span>, can be defined as the master of Nicaragua. He has led the country over pro-Russian and pro-Chinese positions.<\/p>\n For example, Nicaragua was the second country to recognize the separatist and Russian-protected regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia in the <\/span>Caucasus<\/span><\/p>\n On my travel I met at least three symbolic figures on which the cultural identity of modern Nicaragua is based .<\/p>\n Firstly Sandino, <\/b> authentic national hero, whose statue dominates (next to the Ortega tree) the Loma de Tiscapa hill in Managua<\/p>\n The Managua International Airport is dedicated to Sandino\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The second important figure for modern Nicaragua is Ruben Dario, the most famous Nicarguense poet.<\/p>\n In Nicaragua, poetry is a serious matter; in the clubs evenings are organized in which anyone can attend reciting an own poem. One of the most important international poetry festivals is celebrated once a year in Granada.<\/p>\n Finally, the third figure is Macho Raton<\/strong> who is a character from the opera Il Gueguense (or Macho Raton) dating back 1500. It is a satirical drama and is the first literary work that blends elements of Spanish and native culture together. It is the story of an indigenous businessman struggling with the inept and corrupt Spanish; he will win out in the end with a little cunning.<\/p>\n The Macho Raton is represented<\/span> with the body of a man and the head of a horse and this comes from the native culture.<\/p>\n Its representation can be found almost everywhere, even in the murals like this one<\/p>\n Murals are very popular in Nicaragua; they range from those made by children to play<\/p>\n to real works of art.<\/p>\n Mural has a long tradition and was used to communicate messages to a mostly<\/span> illiterate population; the Sandinistas made great use of it to spread their revolutionary messages.<\/p>\n On my travel I also saw several<\/span> murals like this one that approache the topic of violence against women and encourage women who have been subjected to violence to report.<\/p>\n Nicaragua recognizes itself almost totally in the Catholic religion.<\/p>\n Churches are widely distributed: from the beautiful<\/span> cathedrals, to the nice<\/span> neighborhood churches, until the absolutely spartan ones of the villages, with tin roofs.<\/p>\n![\"scheggia](\"https:\/\/www.focustravel.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/mappa-argomenti.jpg\")
<\/a> The topics of my \u201cFragment of Nicaragua\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/a>\r\n<\/b><\/span>Nicaragua \u00a0political map<\/span> <\/b><\/span><\/pre>\n<\/a>
\n\u00a0Central America political map<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/a>Nicaragua physical map<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n<\/a><\/b>Nicaragua lake
\n<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<\/a> The distribution of volcanoes<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<\/a>Nicaragua skyline dominated by volcanoes<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<\/a>The steaming Volcan Masaya<\/span><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<\/a> Northern plateau landscape<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<\/a> Crops on the plateau<\/span><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<\/a> Samoza Garcia, the founder of the dictatorship of the Somozas
\n<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<\/a>Sandino with his wife Blanca Arauz – Loma de Tiscapa Managua<\/span><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n
\n<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<\/a> Ortega’s manifrsto
\n<\/span><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<\/a>Steel trees in Managua<\/span><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<\/a> The FSLN emblem is drawn everywhere<\/span><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<\/a>Diriamba Town Hall with Sandinista insignia<\/span><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<\/a>The imposing statue of Sandino (next to the Ortega tree)<\/span><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<\/a>The Managua airport dedicated to Sandino<\/span><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<\/a>Two giants of Nicaragua: Sandino and the poet Ruben Dario<\/span><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<\/a>\u00a0 Macho Raton characters<\/span><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<\/a>Macho Raton characters<\/span><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<\/a>Mural with\u00a0 Macho Raton image <\/span> <\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<\/a> Children playing at drawing murals <\/span> <\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<\/a>One of the many beautiful Murals<\/span> <\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<\/a> Mural encouraging women to report violence<\/span><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<\/a> Church in Esteli<\/span><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n