Since 1610, León has been one of the two main colonial cities of Nicaragua - along with Granada - with customs and traditions that are part of the national identity, as well as a rich and varied history and culture that gives rise to our way of being.
Without León, Nicaraguans would not be or act the way they do. The stories, customs and traditions of León, the verses that are mentioned during the presentations of the giantess and the big-headed dwarf, the Guadalupe fritters, the pig with yuca and myths and legends such as the weeping woman, the headless father and the blind egua, are part of our cultural identity.
The country's cultural tradition also comes from our writers and poets such as the immense bard Rubén Darío and others such as Salomón de la Selva, Azarías H. Pallais and Alfonso Cortés, known as the three greats, who have influenced prominent poets and novelists from all over the nation.
The churches of León are part of the cultural heritage of the people of León and of Nicaragua in general. Among these, the largest cathedral in Central America stands out, the Insigne y Real Basilica Catedral de la Asunción de la Bienaventurada Virgen María, which holds a lot of history within its walls and is also, according to a UNESCO resolution, a World Heritage Site.
Other churches that national and foreign tourists should visit when they come to León are La Recolección, La Merced, El Calvario, the church of San Juan Bautista, Sutiaba and the church of San Francisco, all of them a legacy of Spanish colonization through the Catholic Church.
One of the most deeply rooted traditions of Nicaraguan popular Catholic culture, which was born in León, is the songs and prayers to the Immaculate Conception of Mary, which has been celebrated throughout the month of December every year for 162 years, that is, since 1857.
This religious activity was an initiative of the priest Gordiano Carranza, whose greatest expression is the Gritería, on the 7th of that same month, an activity in which Catholics place the image of the Virgin on the doors of their homes, where the population sings to her and receives a small gift, known as a “brindis” or “cap”.
The architecture of the city of León, that is to say its manor houses, have wide corridors, roofs with clay tiles, adobe and taquezal walls, with narrow streets and are its main characteristics giving the sensation that time has stopped, for the enjoyment of tourists.
The last university founded in America before the Independence of Central America, with authorization from the Spanish monarch Ferdinand VII, was the University of León in Nicaragua.
Many figures in national history are from León, such as the wise Miguel Larreynaga, Máximo Jerez and Rubén Darío, who by chance was born in Ciudad Darío, but felt as Leonese as anyone else, taking into account that he spent the first 16 years of his life in his beloved León.
Another character in the cultural history of León is the outstanding musician José de la Cruz Mena, author of waltzes such as Ruinas, Amores de Abraham and Rosalía, who died of leprosy.
The gastronomy of León is varied: pork with yuca, nacatamal, fritters, enchiladitas, various varieties of baked goods, among which the perrerreque stands out, and popular soft drinks such as chicha made from corn. Atol, tibio and atolillo are also made from corn.
And because there are several Pacific beaches in Nicaragua nearby, you can also enjoy all kinds of seafood in León.
