León, Nicaragua
"Santiago de los Caballeros de Leon" is a city and municipality in Nicaragua, provincial capital of the homonymous departament, located in the northwest of the Central American country.
Although less populous than Managua(the capital), Leon has been the intellectual home of the nation, with a university founded in 1813. León is also an important industrial center and trading Nicaragua. Until the appointment of Managua the capital of Nicaragua, León rivaled Granada for such representation.
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| Church of "La Recolección", León. |
It is also the second largest city in Nicaragua, after Managua. It was founded by the spaniards as "Santiago de los Caballeros de Leon" and rivals Granada, Nicaragua, in the number of historic Spanish colonial churches, secular buildings, and private residences.
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| León Downtown |
León is located along the "Rio Chiquito"(Chiquito River), some 90Km (56 miles) northwest of Managua, and some 18Km (11 miles) east of the Pacific Ocean coast.
History of León
The first city named León in Nicaragua was founded in 1524 by Francisco Hernandez de Cordoba about 20 miles (32Km) east of the present site. The city was abandoned in 1610 after a series of earthquakes. The ruins of the city are known as "Leon Viejo" and were excavated in 1960. The "León Viejo" was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the year 2000.
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| Ruins of house Gonzalo Cano |
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| Ruins of León Viejo |
León had been the capital of Nicaragua since colonial times, so naturally when Nicaragua withdrew from the United Provinces of Central America in 1839, León became the capital of the new nation.
Nicaraguan President and dictator Anastasio Somoza García was shot and mortally wounded in León on September 21, 1956.
The University
It is university was founded in 1813, the latest being founded in America before independence. León had the usufruct of university facilities and one of the largest faculties of medicine and law in Central America. In 1947, he being president of the republic Anastasio Somoza García, rose to the rank of National University, in 1958 his son, President Luis Somoza Debayle, by decree granted autonomy. In 1982 a decree of the government Junta of National Reconstruction universities divided in into two, separating the nucleus of leon of theManagua.
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| The National headquarters of the National Autonomous University of Leon. |
Heritage
León is rich in both monuments and historical places. Some architectural monuments include:
- Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption of León.
- Church of San Francisco
- City hall
- Esquivel House
- Church Hermitage of San Pablo
What to do in León
- Museum of guerrilla
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| The tank called Aracely |
- Museum Ruben Dario
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| This picture of Poneloya beach is courtesy by TripAdvisor |
- Las Penitas beach
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| This picture of Las Penitas beach is courtesy by TripAdvisor |
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