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sue_n_juliaI started the day with great expectations that I would spend a quiet day at the university libraries, getting research done. Then I found out the truth – that most university libraries are closed on Sunday. Even the library of the biggest university in the country (which *isn’t in Managua) closes by 2:00 – on which more later.
But discovering this fact left me free to do what I really wanted to do, which was go to León. León and Granada are the great historical rivals in Nicaraguan history. Managua became the capital as a way to finally settle the “debate.”
Granada currently has a reputation as the more attractive tourist location, no doubt because it’s located on the shores of Lake Nicaragua. It’s got a booming gringo real estate market, and more tourist oriented services than you can shake a stick at. However, for a place famous as the oldest city in Nicaragua, there’s a disturbing lack of colonial buildings, or indeed of buildings before the mid-nineteenth century. The reason is clear: William Walker, the southern adventurer who came to Nicaragua, finished his time there by burning Granada to the ground.
León, on the other hand, has a wealth of very old buildings, including the eighteenth century Cathedral, a monastery turned hotel whose bones date to the sixteenth century, and a lovely old home turned into a museum of both historic and modern art. It also has the major university, but by the time I found out that the Managua libraries were closed, got there and ate lunch, it was too late to do anything there. The end result? I have foresworn any love for Granada, and made León my new darling. Seriously, it’s a truly wonderful place.
So, where does the liberal part come in? Well, the colonial rivalry was between conservative Granada and liberal León. My liberal roots are showing....
But discovering this fact left me free to do what I really wanted to do, which was go to León. León and Granada are the great historical rivals in Nicaraguan history. Managua became the capital as a way to finally settle the “debate.”
Granada currently has a reputation as the more attractive tourist location, no doubt because it’s located on the shores of Lake Nicaragua. It’s got a booming gringo real estate market, and more tourist oriented services than you can shake a stick at. However, for a place famous as the oldest city in Nicaragua, there’s a disturbing lack of colonial buildings, or indeed of buildings before the mid-nineteenth century. The reason is clear: William Walker, the southern adventurer who came to Nicaragua, finished his time there by burning Granada to the ground.
León, on the other hand, has a wealth of very old buildings, including the eighteenth century Cathedral, a monastery turned hotel whose bones date to the sixteenth century, and a lovely old home turned into a museum of both historic and modern art. It also has the major university, but by the time I found out that the Managua libraries were closed, got there and ate lunch, it was too late to do anything there. The end result? I have foresworn any love for Granada, and made León my new darling. Seriously, it’s a truly wonderful place.
So, where does the liberal part come in? Well, the colonial rivalry was between conservative Granada and liberal León. My liberal roots are showing....