Founded in 1524 by Francisco Hernández de Córdobas in honour of his native Granada in Spain, due to its geographical position it suffered several pirate raids in the 1665,1670th century that plundered the city. These raids took place in 1685, 1856 and XNUMX. In XNUMX it was burned and almost completely destroyed by the troops of the Filibuster William Walker. After the National War its reconstruction began, leaving behind a rich colonial and neoclassical architecture in its churches and other buildings and squares.
PNational Alcaza
House of Lions
Xalteva Colonial Complex
The houses are located on the south side of the Plaza de Xalteva. The complex has porticoed corridors that run along the south side of the plaza, which is bordered on its north side by the Walls of Xalteva. The side of the plaza is bordered by houses with colonial construction antecedents. The complex of houses, the plaza and the walls define a unique urban and architectural complex of great value. All the houses in the colonial complex of Xalteva have their special antecedents in a Hacienda House that had access to colonial means of transport and its spatial definition is located in the second half of the 19th century.
Columbus Park
Colon Park, also known as Central Park, is located in the city centre, with Calle Real as a continuous axis that links the Central Plaza with the old indigenous centre of Xalteva, and Calle La Calzada, which connects the city centre with the surrounding shores of the Great Lake. It is surrounded by important buildings with different uses and was built around 1880 to replace the old Tiangue that occupies the vicinity of the City Square.
Granada Cathedral
Granada, although it was not the seat of an episcopate, built several important churches that today are an important part of the city's tourist offer. In the 17th century, a Parish Church was built, which later gave way to the current Cathedral, located in the centre of the Plaza Mayor. Its façade is absolutely Neoclassical. It consists of a two-body front topped by domes and lanterns. The first body of the front has three niches and two entrances and Ionic columns that form nine intercolumns. It has a porticoed atrium and its main entrance is highlighted by twelve Ionic columns, divided by two bodies by a double cornice. It consists of three naves and its walls are built of concrete blocks and quarry stone. The most important Baroque church in the city is the Church of La Merced.
La Pólvora Fortress
La Polvora Fortress Museum
The fortress located at the end of the urban axis of Calle Real, marks the city's limit and serves as the finishing touch to the perspective seen from the Colon park. In 1784, the need to build this fortress was seen because the city lacked an appropriate place to store gunpowder to properly preserve it and protect it from humidity. It was then that its construction began and it was originally called Casa Almacén la Pólvora. In its construction there are two well-defined styles, the first is found in the house that has a clearly Colonial style, the second corresponds to the fortress that consists of five towers located at the vertices of the wall similar to Medieval fortifications. The portal of the fort is of neoclassical influence. The interior facilities were built of adobe and the walls of lime and stone, the floors are of cement bricks and the roof is of a wooden structure and cane from Castile, covered with clay tiles.
Convent and Church of San Francisco
The San Francisco Convent and Church, founded in 1529, is the first church in the city and one of the most important colonial buildings in Central America. This museum also houses some of Nicaragua's pre-Columbian monumental statuary. Other sites of interest include the Ceiba Church and the Hotel of the same name, where you can engage in water sports, fishing, and spend the night under the star-filled sky. Take pictures at the San Pablo Fort. To the south is Zapatera Island, famous for its large number of pre-Columbian petroglyphs that are worth seeing.
Mombacho volcano
Among clouds and ecosystems of dwarf forest and Nebliselva you can enjoy the trail of the burnt, which leads to enjoy the natural beauty of 450 species of flora and 175 of fauna among which stand out: palms, giant ferns, bromeliads, aroids, orchids and the fumarole field.
The Mombacho Volcano Natural Reserve is located 18 km south of Granada, with its height varying between 850, 1345 and 40 meters above sea level.
The colossus is an extinct volcano from the Quaternary volcanic period, located in the volcanic mountain range of the Great Tectonic Depression in the Central Pacific Region of Nicaragua.
Nebliselva forests and fauna of Mombacho
- Birds of the Laguna and Isletas de Mecatepe (1200 Hectares) refuge for national and migratory birds.
- The Manares River Nature Reserve (1100 hectares) feeds a wetland system, a refuge for fish and birds.
- Waterfowl in the Genízaro Ponds.
- The fish of the great lake.
- Zapatera Archipelago National Park.
- Large island in the islets, and Monkey Island which is located in the entrance channel.
Zapatera Island
Located south of Granada, it contains the Zapatera Archipelago National Park of volcanic origin, and is notable for its flora, fauna and pre-Columbian rock art. The Isla del Muerto pre-Columbian sanctuary contains an enormous variety of statuary and ceramics.
Other important destinations
– The more than 300 islets
– Asese Bay
– The Sites in the Reserve: The Crater, Plan de las Flores, Cutirre, Pichichá, and Charco Muerto.
– Apoyo Lagoon Nature Reserve (3500 Hectares)
– Genízaro Pool and Panaloya Pass.
The typical and traditional dish in Granada is Vigorón, made with Yuca (Cava), Chicharón (fried pork skin/rine), cabbage salad and other spices such as chili peppers with wicker, you can enjoy it with a refreshing and tasty Chicha de Maíz (fermented corn drink) or cocoa, served at the city kiosks in the Central Park and the municipal market.
Fried fish is also very popular, due to the Great Lake located near the city and you can find it in different restaurants in the city.
In Granada you can find small shops selling different types of local homemade sweets and candies made from fruits and milk, such as pine nuts, donkey milk and fruits in honey.
Fried fish
Granada
The municipality of Granada is located 45 kilometers southeast of the capital, Managua. It is bordered to the north by Tipitapa, to the south by Nandaime, to the east by Lake Nicaragua, to the west by Laguna de Apoyo and the municipalities of Tisma, Masaya, Catarina, Diriá and Diriomo.
Tourism is the main economic activity of the city, occupying an important place in the national economy.
nandaime
Historical destination, land of General José Dolores Estrada, was called "Nandaiyme" located in front of the Zapatera Island. The urban development of Spanish style, with its formal and solid Catholic temple, buildings of the same structure, was destroyed by an eruption of the Mombacho Volcano. Fray Alonso Ponce, claims that this eruption took place between the years 1524 and 1544 although the chronicler Juan López de Velasco sets this date in the year 1570.
Would say
It belongs to the Mangue or Chorotegas peoples and has its origins in the first migrations of Mexico, on the slopes of Cerrito La Flor, a magical town full of legends. As a tourist, you can visit the San Pedro Church, the Yegüita dance, the dance of Los Negros de San Pedro during their patron saint festivals, the sorcerers or healers and the mythical Laguna de Apoyo.
Diriomo: “Village of Witches”
48 km from Managua, next to the foothills of the Mombacho Volcano, a peaceful and mysterious town, full of healers and hardworking women who prepare the famous chicha bruja (witch's drink). The largest religious celebration is to the Virgin of Candelaria in the month of February.
Granada's folklore has several expressions linked to Catholic religious celebrations. One of them is the Atabal, which is unique and special, as it has not been imitated in any other town in the country. The Cartel is a masquerade and carnival dance, but it is a festive dance that goes through the streets to collect money for the religious celebration of the Virgin of the Assumption, the Patron Saint of the festivities that take place on August 15, which took place shortly before the feast of the Conception of Mary in December. The participants in the Cartel wore all kinds of costumes, danced to the sound of bulls and the whole expression had a steward.
The Devils
Opposite the north gate of the Market lived the Fuentes family, alias Mico, from where the famous Diablitos would come out on Sundays in October. It was a kind of luxury cartel. The masked men dressed in red velvet, patent leather slippers and colorful turbans on their heads. They played guitars, rattles and jucos. They walked the streets of Granada and were very well received in the main halls.
The Little Mare
In the Fariñas house lived the picturesque Nicho Fajardo alias Nacho Reseda. He is known as such because he planted 2 Reseda trees in front of his house. The day of San Juan was a new joy in Cuiscoma. On June 24, the day of San Juan, the Yegua went out through all the streets of Granada, with a dance of the Indian women who brought offerings to the Chapel of the Most Holy. The dance of the Yegüita has elements in common with other expressions in the country. It consists of the Yegüita accompanied by a group of men carrying sticks with leather claws, forming two opposing groups headed by a boss who fights to possess the Yegüita. (the celebration of the Yegüita and the dance of the Yegüita take place in the municipality of Diría)
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