Return to Leon, Nicaragua
Trip Start
Dec 02, 2008
1
11
39
Trip End
Feb 07, 2009
Leon,
Nicaragua
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
We left the shop, and I went to a local Radio Shack and bought a Cannon digital cybershot 440, case, and chip adapter. I still need a bigger chip for the road. While I am a bit down, I am definitely not out of the game.
I have included a few pics from the new camera of the hotel, grounds, bar-restaurant.
Via Via Hostel -$25us Private Rm w bath +TV
I lost lots of great photos of the cathedrals, museums, memorials to the fallen, etc. I had no time to re shoot the pics. Leon- A Brief History:
Leon is located just north of Lake Managua. Basically, Managua sits just on the southern shoreline of Lake Managua the smaller of the two large lakes on the map (see photo). When we first arrived in country, we traveled immediately north past Lake Managua, to Leon which is the hottest part of this country. Leon lies in the plains just north of Lake Managua. The city was established in June of 1524 by Francisco Fernandez DE Cordoba. The money of this country is named after him today. There are 20 Cordobas in a US dollar. The city has volcanoes to the North, N E and SE. This area is one of the most volcanically active regions in the world. The original city of Leon was moved following an eruption of volcano named Momotombo in 1610 reduced the first city to rubble.They moved the city 30 KM away to its current site.
Leon has always been the center of liberalism and progressive politics in Nicaragua. Leon has always, and still does compete with it older (by 2 months) rival , Granada, to the south which is the conservative center of this country. Leon has Universities, Museums, and an active political population. Nicaragua has had a troubled history with the US, and Leon has often been at the center of the conflict.
An Early Conflict-Enter William Walker:
Most people in the United States do not even know who William Walker was.
Via Via Bar Resturant
He was not in my American History class. Every person from Central America knows who he was and what he did here. Born in Tennessee in the mid 1800s, he was well educated and moved to run a progressive paper in San Francisco. He was a short person, and was particularly impressed with the accord reached between US and Mexico which grated most of what is now the SW United States to the United States. After that agreement, he became convinced that he too could play a pivotal role in the expansion of US territory. He first invaded La Paz Mexico, then invaded Guymas, and proclaimed himself President of a new republic. He accomplished this with a small army of mercenaries recruited from California. His initial success failed, once the Mexican Army realized what was happening and got organized. They drove him from Mexican territory, and when in American Territory Walker claimed diplomatic immunity. He managed to get out with 10 of his cohorts still alive. The press was full of his exploits across America. Then the city of Leon made a fateful mistake. They invited William Walker to Nicaragua! They saw him as a leader to help them against Granada. Unfortunately Walker had an agenda of his own. Upon arrival, he declared himself President of Nicaragua, also Declared that Nicaragua would support slavery. (This was in 1863, just before the civil War. Walker calculated that the US congress might accept Nicaragua into the Union to preserve the institution of Slavery in America.) Then Walker invaded Honduras to the north.
Garnes at Via Via
Where did Walker get his fighting force? During this period many Americans were going to California gold fields. They got there one of three ways:
1. Crossing the US on foot or horseback, through hostile Indian country.
2. Taking a boat to Panama, and crossing the disease infested jungles to Panama City, then by boat to Calif.
3. By taking a Vanderbilt Steamer to San Juan del Norte, Nicaragua and then small craft up the Rio San Juan to Lake Nicaragua and Granada, then a 29 KM road to the Pacific and another Vanderbilt ship to San Francisco.
Those adventurers on this third route, were offered land and riches if they threw their lots with William Walker. For many years he lead the ¨Filibusteros¨as they were called in battles throughout Central America. It has amazed me as I have traveled to Costa Rica, Honduras, Guatemala, and Panama how many references to Walker remain here today. In Costa Rica, for example, their airport Juan Santamaria International is named after a peasant who gave his life for his country fighting Walker. A statue outside the nation´s congress in San Jose has a great statue, showing five individuals forcing a Yankee ¨filebustero¨northward. He has a broad hat, suspenders, and a long rifle, is being cowed and force away.. The five individuals are representatives of the five countries that fought back. Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Costa Rica. There is a peasant, a woman, a child, a soldier, each representing a country all done in bronze.
Topo Nicaragua
Walker was chased out three times, I believe. Each time he made it back to the US he played the same ¨Diplomatic Immunity¨routine. The press went wild each time., The NY Times was full of his exploits. The last time was different, however. This time he got cornered on the east coast of Honduras, just north of Roatan.
His best option was to surrender himself over to a British Naval Officer, who was aboard a British Naval Vessel in the Caribbean. After some pomp and ceremony and a brief deliberation, the British officer decided that this gringo was causing too much trouble for the region (including the former British Honduras - now Belize). So, whilst Walker proclaimed the injustice of not being granted the niceties of Diplomatic cover, he was transferred to the custody of the Honduran army, who promptly took Walker to a fort in the city of Trujillo, I believe, tied him to a post and shot him with a firing squad. That was the end of William Walker, but his legacy lives on.
Leon has suffered somewhat here for inviting Walker in the first place. The Walker experience has colored US- Central American relations ever since.
While walking around Leon, you see the scars of several other conflicts. It was here in the fort above the town, el Fortin, that the Somoza took power in a coup de etat. The struggle that followed found populist leaders like Agusto Sandino leading the people in the fight to kick out the dictators.
Old Cathedral from moving Taxi
Sandino was later invited to a dinner after the peace accords were to be signed, then Somoza had him and his cohorts shot. He is now enshrined in the legends of Nicaraguan history. The country´s International Airport is named after him, as is the Sandinista Liberation Front. The Samoza´s (3 of them ) ruled with a corrupt, iron hand for 36 years in this country. They ruled with the National Guard. It was here in Leon, that the same fort was retaken, this time from the National Guard, by the FSLN (Faribundo Marti Sandinista Liberation Front of Nicaragua) Throughout the city today are memorials and monuments to the fallen. Three students and a professor shot during a street protest, an American Juggler and Unicyclist killed by the National Guard. Before the overthrow of the Somoza´s the family had acquired ownership of more property here that the size of the entire country of El Salvador. They also owned all transport, and most of the commerce. I´m sorry to have lost the photos, particularly of the monuments, and the old National Guard headquarters, which was shot to pieces. After the rebels stormed and took the NG HQ, they rearmed with new and improved weapons, stormed and opened the jail, before retaking the Fort on the hill outside town.
Following the Sandinista victory, the US organized a counter or Contra¨effort to destabilize and retake the country. The US provided aide and weapons to a new reorganized army of 100,000 contras to re invade the country. Most of that fighting took place in the mountainous northeast near Esteli. That is where we will spend Christmas. When US congress cut the funding (Bolten Ammendment), Reagan and company kept the war going using money they illegally recieved by selling weapons to the Ayatolla Khomeni. Can you say Iran Contra? Following the most recent peace accords, there have been two or three elections. One centerist (Violeta Chomorro), one right wing (Aleman), and now they have elected Daniel Ortega, one of the original Sandinistas. Go Figure!
We are heading by bus this afternoon to the Segovia Mountains and the small town of Esteli. Stay Tuned there will be more photos. Tomas
