LEON

It is located just 93 kms from Managua, and is known as the “University City” mainly because of its, at one-time, famous and fantastic University of Medicine.

Leon has 10 towns: Telica, Quezalguaque, La Reynaga, El Sauce, Achuapa, Santa Rosa del Peñon, El Jicaral, La Paz Centro and Nagarote.

History:

Leon city was founded on June 15, 1524 day of the Holy Trinity, by Francisco Hernandez de Cordoba on the banks of the Momotombo volcano. The location was 30 kms from the present city of Leon and is known today as Leon Viejo (Old Leon).

The ruins have become a tourist attraction. After an earthquake and the eruption of the Momotombo volcano in 1610, it was decided to transfer the city to a new location next to the old Indian village of Subtiaba. Leon was the capital of Nicaragua then, until 1824.

Leon still maintains the colonial style in its streets and buildings. It is evident in the beautiful Cathedral - considered the largest in Central America - with impressive atrium, decorated with lions, which are also found around the fountain of the central square.

This church was built between 1747 and 1860 and restored in 1992. Inside there are beautiful decorations in Baroque style, valuable paintings and frescoes, and an image of Christ carved in wood, which was rescued from León Viejo.

It houses the tomb of the “Prince of Castilian letters", Rubén Darío and the remains of the bishops, founders of the city, and other great poets, such as Alfonso Cortes.

Tourist Sites

The Route of the Churches

Journey around the 16 Churches, with different architectural styles representative of the city. They constitute an important source of architectural history from Baroque to Neoclassical; each temple has its own history, from the magnificent Cathedral, to the oldest Subtiaba Church.

The Cathedral

Illustrious and Royal Basilica, Cathedral “Asuncion de la Bienaventurada Virgen María”. It is the largest cathedral in Central America and the third in Latin America. Its beauty, magnitude, and capacity can only be compared with the Mexican cathedral (#1) and Peru’s Cathedral (#2).

There were seven bishops responsible of supervising the construction. The construction itself was done by indigenous people of Subtiaba Naborios, Telica, Quezalguaque, and Posoltega. The building materials were stone quarries, brick, mud, and sand mix with chicken eggshells.

Subtiaba Church:

The construction of this interesting church that began in 1698 and ended in 1710 was the work of an excellent citizen, Captain Don Diego Rodrigo Mendez.

This is the only church in the neighborhood of Subtiaba that has endured the adversities of weather and the horrors of political turbulence. It has a very interesting popular baroque style in both the front and inside, where the tourist can observe the indigenous influence on the faces of the saints and the fruits in the frames.

At the front of this very important church, is carved the sacred image of the Blessed Virgin Mary, authentic work of the Brothers. In this church, there are several monuments of priceless art, as well as some of the most beautiful and picturesque Spanish altars.

Iglesia de la Merced (The Merced Church):

The temple of Nuestra Señora de la Merced (our Lady of Mercy) was built in 1528 by the Order of Mercy.

This church is divided into three sections, its roof was made of straw on posts, and its walls were of adobe. In 1685, pirates burned it.

Iglesia “La Recolección” (Recollecting Church):

This church was built in 1786; Bishop Juan Félix de Villegas laid the first stone on December 5 of the same year.

The Priests of Recolecto of the Congregation of St. Francis of Nery founded it. Next to the church, Sister Victoria Holfembein who belonged to the Congregation of Sisters of St. Vincent of Paul built the school of La Recoleccion in November 22, 1880.

Laborío Church:

Laborio neighborhood is one of the oldest in the city of Leon. Its first inhabitants were Naboria Indians, (naborias means free Indian); they were dedicated primarily to artisan work and crafts, thus maintaining the city's economy.

On October 10, 1618, Philip III of Valladolid, Spain, ordered the construction of a church to be built in the highest part of the neighborhood, the missionaries who arrived with the conquistadors, did as they were told and built the church in the same place as where it currently stands.

Iglesia San Juan Bautista:

The original church was rebuilt in the 1625-1650. In the eighteenth century, many neighborhoods grew around it. Monsignor Santiago Abarca (1850-1860) who rebuilt its main façade and the south tower, carried out its last reconstruction; this information can be found inside the church.

Church of San Francisco.

Located on Calle Real (Real Street), the original temple and monastery were founded in 1639 by Brother Pedro de Zuniga.

The former convent located north of the church was demolished in the mid-70s of the twentieth century. The Church has suffered many interventions, so it has preserved very few original elements, in the early '60s the main facade was destroyed and rebuilt as it is exists today.

Iglesia de El Calvario (Calvary Church).

It was built during the first half of the eighteenth century.

By the end of the nineteenth century, the tower's south side was in very poor condition, it eventually collapsed. In the early twentieth century, it was rebuilt keeping its original appearance.

Iglesia de Guadalupe (Guadalupe Church).

The church was built in late nineteenth century, sponsored by Rev. Padre Villa Mil, replacing a chapel of the eighteenth century, serving as the core generator of the Guadalupe neighborhood.

Volumetric simplicity prevails on this religious property -a characteristic of the Franciscan order.

This is the only temple with a facade looking to the north, presumably to give greater visibility for a panoramic view of the avenue that connects it to the center of the city.

Iglesia y Hospital San Juan de Dios (Church and Hospital of St John of God).

It is located in the San Francisco Parish on Arechavala Street, forming the corner of Third Avenue West and linking the historic center of Leon with the Subtiaba neighborhood.

It is placed in an area where most buildings maintain the characteristic features of Leon’s popular architecture; with the exception of the park located on the west side, built at a higher level that alters the surroundings.

Iglesia de Zaragoza (Zaragoza Church).

Located in the neighborhood of the same name, it is structured in the traditional way, with its atrium and corridor side, and separated by the trace of its former square. The surrounding environment respects the continuity of the predominant urban low-income housing.

The construction was initiated between 1884 -1886 and completed in 1934 by Monsignor Salmerón. By graphic documents of late last century, one can see that the original work was conceived differently from the current work. Therefore, it is presumed that what was done was demolished in order to redo it again.

Iglesia de San Felipe (Saint Philip Church).

The church covers an entire block that includes a broad front and side porch with a large backyard. The remains of the original perimeter wall (north, south, and east) can still be seen.

The construction started in the second quarter of the seventeenth century, around 1685, intended for the black and mulatto population.

The original church was simple. It was rebuilt in the eighteenth century using the foundations of the original church, but in 1859, a much larger construction began on the same site using a more advanced technology compared to the construction methods used at the time.

Ruinas de las Ermitas de Sutiaba (Ruins of the Shrines of Sutiaba).

The ruins are composed of elements of the structures that served as shrines to San Andres, San Sebastian, and Santiago. Built in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.

The shrine ruins of San Andrés are located on the periphery of the district of Subtiaba.
The Santiago shrine is located outside the city, on the road to the beach of Poneloya, in the center of a block between Subtiaba and San Sebastian, on land formerly used as Indian burial grounds.

The shrine of San Sebastian was built in 1742 on Teocalli or Indigenous native worshipers’ site, the same as with San Andres.

Ermita de San Pedro (Saint Peter’s Shrine).

The chapel is located in Subtiaba; it still has at the main entrance, the small square, typical example of colonial architecture. The building is located in an area where the orthogonal urban layout is well defined, occupied by popular housing. It was built between 1706 and 1718 to replace the original primitive church of San Pedro.

Municipal Theater.

The Municipal Theater is located at the Second South Street and Second West Avenue.

The building stands in the surrounding urban scene where its residential colonial architecture character prevails. It also stands out because of its colors.

The first stone of the Municipal Theater was placed on February 1884. At this event, Dario read his poem "The Art", dedicated to the company promoter, his uncle, Pedro J. Alvarado, but the funding for its construction was actually sponsored by the municipality.

The architect was the Costa Rican Luis Cruz. The building was inaugurated in 1885 and presently bears the name of "Jose de la Cruz Mena", a famous composer and musician from Leon.

Ruinas de la Casa de la Pólvora (Ruins of the Gunpowder House).

Located outside the city, the ruins are enclosed in a natural environment on the road towards Fort Acosasco.

The property was built during the period of the Spanish colonization, between the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, for the purpose of storing the local garrison’s ammunition.

In conformance with the traditional sketches, the house was built using a process to protect the chamber from moisture with an air chamber inside the floor and a ventilation window above its monolithic body that, together with the perimeter wall, made it invulnerable.

The walls were made of quarry stone and mud brick with mortar, the dome was made of mud bricks with mortar with wooden mezzanine.

Fortin Acosasco (Acosasco Fortress).

This fortress is located on the Acosasco hills outside the city limits of Leon. A charming view can be seen, from this military construction, of the city of Leon and the Maribios mountain range.

This fort was built between 1889 and 1890, during the second presidential term of Roberto Sacasa, and later abandoned.

During Anastasio Somoza Debayle’s presidential period, this fort was restored to serve as a prison. As a defensive structure, it has wide walls with sloping channels at the top, used as trenches. It has entries through passageways on both sides; one of these entries is wide enough to introduce military equipment.

Puente de Guadalupe (Guadalupe Bridge).

With its construction, the city was finally connected, over the Rio Chiquito, to the southern suburbs of this river which are Guadalupe and San Sebastian. In 1850 the diplomat and scientist, E. G. Squier praised this work, saying, that it was a bold construction: "arcs lying on one side and the other of the creek, is a model of symmetry and good craftsmanship”.

This bridge consists of three arches on solid foundations forming a vertical profile, allowing the river water to flow. It shows a simple and solid solution, at the same time permitting the perfect distribution of the loads.

Museo-archivo Ruben Dario (Ruben Dario Archive-Museum).

The building is located on the corner of the Calle Real (Main Street) among buildings of similar characteristics, keeping their alignment, height, and plastic composition, allowing for a rich and homogenous urban image. This property was built around the 1800’s, during the colonial period.

Our great poet Ruben Dario lived there together with his relatives, Don Felix Ramirez and Doña Bernarda Sarmiento, during his childhood and adolescence.

The poet Alfonso Cortes also lived in this house. In 1964, this building became the Ruben Dario Archive Museum, -and, recently, the exposition rooms were rearranged and the office space expanded.

Las Peñitas and Poneloya.

The seashores of Poneloya and Las Peñitas are a great option if you are looking for some gorgeous sunny beaches. These small towns are located within 25 kms from the city of Leon (35 minutes drive approximately) and they are distinguished from others because of the enormously wide beaches, good for swimming and relaxing in a quiet environment.

In Las Peñitas, besides the traditional beach activities (sunbathing, swimming, and surfing), there is another interesting activity: A visit to Juan Venado’s Island, off the coast separated by a narrow arm’s-length of water. The island is a natural reserve; it maintains its virginal state. Its forests and mangroves are home to many species of local plants and animals as well as migrant species. Because it’s so close to the coast, the island and its mangroves can be toured by water in a kayak or boat.

Puerto Sandino (Port Sandino):

Puerto Sandino is located south of Leon, on the Pacific coast. A destination not visited very often, but beginning to be acknowledged for its huge waves and natural bay. A site that keeps its natural character a very important habitat for the preservation of many animal and plant species .

Today Puerto Sandino is visited by groups of foreign surfer as well as some nationals who are now hearing about the quality of its waves.

Volcanoes Route:

Cerro Negro, Momotombo, Pila, El Hoyo, Laguna Asososca Jr. One of the most fascinating tourist attractions of Leon, are its volcanoes.

The volcanic chain, called The Maribios, runs through the department and gives it a unique landscape. These impressive colossals are among the most active of Nicaragua, they can be seen from kilometers away. Leon’s Volcanoes are immeasurably interesting for exploration by tourists, scientists, and anthropologists.

Among them is the youngest of Central America, El Cerro Negro (the Black Mountain), an elevation of dark sand that offers good opportunities for hiking and sand skiing.

Another option is to climb the Telica volcano, which has a huge crater and a beautiful panoramic view.

The most notorious volcano in Leon is the active Momotombo, contributing, with its almost perfect cone, not only the most challenging of climbs, but also a fabulous view of the surroundings. A volcano with a very hard-to-reach summit, but at the same time is worth the hike, is El Hoyo volcano, which has an uncommon opening on one of its sides.

Los Hervideros de San Jacinto (The San Jacinto Boilers):

Located at the side of the road to San Isidro, there are a group of holes of boiling volcanic mud. This interesting phenomenon is probably related to the Telica volcano because of its nearness.

The name is derived from the small and quiet town of the same name. The city of San Jacinto can also serve as a starting point to climb the San Jacinto and Telica volcanoes.