This town, founded 1523, is famous for medicine and magic, curanderos and shamans. On the festival of San Pedro the excited locals “accompany” the saint as he inspects the village, dancing (the townfolk, not Saint Peter) and, in the case of two or three men I saw in a video, waving around machetes like batons. I guess people come here from far and wide to see this, but my wife and I have seen such goings-on before. We made a beeline for the road leading to the nature area overlooking Laguna de Apoyo, a volcanic lake. By the way, “volcano lake” in Nicaragua is almost always redundant.
I was so glad to get this photo. A picture of power. Did you know that draft horses are more powerful than oxen, but not as economical to maintain? That may be why we saw quite a few oxen providing the horsepower.The long and winding path that leads down to the lake. Unlike some paths we have been on in Central America this trail was pretty natural. We saw monkeys, squirrels, various flycatchers, motmots, tanagers, even a couple of manakins.Cane Toad,Rhinella marina. I think this is part of their natural range, but they were unwisely introduced elsewhere. An ecological blunder of scientists who thought that importing these voracious tropical critters would keep the Cane Beetles in check. They didn’t. But they did reduce the number of various indigenous animals. And they reproduced. And reproduced. Finally made it to the lake. Do you see those dark objects floating near the shore. Those are pieces of tuff, very light, porous, volcanic rocks. Residents here sometimes use them to scour their utensils. Tuff is actually solidified ash. If rocks have more than 50% percent tuff they are classified as tuffaceous. And the higher the “tuffness” the more they float. I scooped up a couple as souvenirs.
What a view! We had the whole place to ourselves.Area wildlife, Left: Variegated Squirrel. Center: Turquoise-browed Motmot, Eumomota superciliosa. Right: Mantled Howlers, Alouatta palliata
MASAYA
The Parroquia San Jerónimo in the background, known for its Mary statues and, in November, marimba music.Coyotepe Fortress overlooks the rail line and city it could not defend. Nicaraguan rebel force led by General Benjamín Zeledón fought against government troops of President Adolfo Díaz and U.S. Marine Major Smedley Butler‘s marine battalion. Butler and fellow Marine Colonel Joseph H. Pendleton later stormed the hill and fort, capturing it. General Celedón was killed, “his dead body dragged from a trotting horse, to instill fear among the population and to prevent a potential uprising. But quite to the contrary, Celedón’s death was the spark that inspired Augusto C Sandino and other famous figures to fight for 7 years” (Wikipedia).
Smedley Butler, one of the Americans instrumental in taking the fort, later had a change of heart about his involvement: “I spent most of my time as a high class muscle man for Big Business, for Wall Street & the bankers. In short, I was a racketeer, a gangster for capitalism. I helped in the raping of half a dozen Central American republics for the benefit of Wall Street. I helped purify Nicaragua for the International Banking House.” . From his book, “War is a Racket”.A famous local journalist, immortalized in the photo on the left. The photo on the right is one of several structures that still have bullet holes.The Central Masaya Market Castle has several murals within the walls, as well as artisan stalls. In contrast to the chaotic market by the bus terminal, this place is more spacious and upscale.More bullet-riddled quaint buildings. Can you find the Beatles poster?Masaya, like Diria, has its own volcanic lake. From the malecon and park at the edge of town you can see the lake and volcano. Two volcanoes, actually: Masaya and Nindirí. And still very much active, last erupting in 2003.Masaya Market Castle, Mercardo de Artesanias (Craft Market) is located inside what used to be the “mercado viejo” (old market), a 1900s structure that is located near the center of the city.Bus Terminal and Local Market. This is the place to get cheap produce or a quick meal. The market is very extensive, honeycombed with narrow passageways. It is easy to get lost here or, in my case at least, have a back ache from bending over from all of the low clearances! Vendors come out to the Terminal and come on to the bus selling tortas, mangoes, etc.
From NOwhere 2 nowHERE 