León, volcano boarding and the ruins of León Viejo

Iglesia El Calvario from the roof of Leon Cathedral

We had a very long bus ride from Roatán in Honduras to León in Nicaragua. First we took the boat to La Ceiba after which we got on a bus to San Pedro Sula (the world murder capital), where we stayed the night in a hostel in a gated community. The next day we left at 4am for our 12 hour bus ride to our next destination, León.

The ride was largely uneventful. The bus driver took our passports to expedite them through Honduran and Nicaraguan immigration. We changed our Honduran lempiras (named after Lempira, a Honduran indigenous national hero who fought the Spanish conquistadors and died in battle) for Nicaraguan córdobas (this currency is named after the 16th century Spanish Conquistador Francisco Hernández de Córdoba who founded León and Granada and is referred to as the founder of Nicaragua) and arrived in León in the afternoon.

Leon Cathedral – the largest in Latin America

León is a fascinating city. A fiercely Liberal city, their politics sharply contrast that of rival Granada – a fiercely Conservative city.

Horse and cart in front of a colonial church

León has many churches; Basílica de la Asunción de la Bienaventurada Virgen María (also known as León Cathedral) is the largest cathedral in Latin America, and according to legend was mistakenly built in León instead of Lima, Peru. We went to the roof top of this building for some fantastic views of León. For US$3 you climb the stairs to the roof which is a dazzling white in the afternoon sun adorned with domes – and you have views of the most beautiful churches (Iglesia El Calvario, Iglesia La Recolección, Iglesia San Juan) in León with volcanos in the background. Inside the cathedral is the burial spot of poet Rubén Darío, the most famous Nicaraguan literary figure. In front of the cathedral we saw some kids dressed up as Gigantona and Pepe Cabezón, two characters from Nicaraguan folklore. These figures date from the colonial era and were influenced by the Spanish conquistadors. Gigantona, the biggest figure, represents Spanish society, while Pepe Cabezón, the smaller figure, represents the mestizo. We also witnessed some great Nicaraguan dancing next to the cathedral on our first morning.

Roof of Leon Cathedral

View of Iglesia La Recoleccion from Leon Cathedral roof

Gigatona in front of the Cathedral

We visited a museum and an art gallery while in León. The Museo de la Revolución was an educational experience; our guide – a former revolutionary – recounted the history of the civil war. At the end of the tour, our guide took us up to the roof which has an excellent view of Parque Central, the cathedral, the theatre and other buildings. León calls itself the Capital of the Revolution as it was the first city to be liberated from the dictatorship of the Somoza family. This university town was and remains pro-Sandinista and this is clearly on display throughout the city.

Mural in the Museum of the Revolution

The Ortiz Gurdián art gallery spans the buildings of the former residence of the Pellas family, who own the gallery, the Flor de Caña distillery, Victoria and Toña beer, etc. Their eclectic collection includes an Andy Warhol exhibition, Latin American abstract art, religious works from the 15th-17th Centuries, aristocratic portraits from the 18th Century, photos, prints, sketches, etc.

Cerro Negro volcano

We also did a couple of day trips while in León. We went volcano boarding on Cerro Negro, Nicaragua’s most active volcano and a popular destination for boarding. The volcano is relatively young and not that tall at an elevation of only 730m, but the views from the top and above the crater were spectacular. Around us were many volcanos and we could easily see the Pacific Ocean.

Ready to go down the volcano!

Sarah flying down Cerro Negro volcano

The ride down was an adrenalin rush! We raced 500 metres down to the bottom at an incline of 45 degrees, wearing a special suit to protect us. It was a great way to end the climb and much faster than going up! Looking a little like Zwarte Piet we went back to León for a badly needed shower!

We tried visiting the famous Flor de Caña distillery in Chichigalpa and with two other people hired a taxi to take us. We had tried calling a lot beforehand and nobody answered the phone (we read elsewhere that it is rare for the staff there to pick up the phone) but they advertise a 4pm tour on their website and brochure, so we thought it would be fine. It was not. They had arbitrarily cancelled the tour and the staff were insulted we had turned up and refused to help. Their loss, we went to Playa Las Peñitas instead to watch the sunset. This beach is 20 minutes from León on the Pacific Coast and we had a lovely end to the day, with a beer and a sunset.

As close as we came to getting into the Flor de Cana distillery

Sunset at Las Penitas

Leon Viejo monument

We also visited León Viejo, a UNESCO World Heritage listed site on Lake Managua and the first capital of Nicaragua. We took two chicken buses to get to the site and were the only people there. All entry fees include a guide to take you around the site. The ruins are now no more than some low walls and a monument in the Plaza Mayor. This monument is dedicated to the 18 indigenous victims who were executed by the Spanish governor Pedro Arias de Ávila in the town – they were fed alive to dogs, which is depicted on the monument. Underneath this monument lie two historical figures of great importance: Francisco Hernández de Córdoba (most of his torso is at least, his head was not buried with his body) and Pedro Arias de Ávila who ordered Córdoba’s execution. Their remains were found in the church crypt and relocated once excavated.

The ruins of Leon Viejo

To us the history was interesting, but the best part of the day lay in the surroundings. Where the fort used to be is an excellent view point of Volcán Momotombo (invoked by Victor Hugo in his poem Les Raisons du Momotombo to denounce the Spanish colonisation of the Americas) and Lake Managua. The views were breathtaking. Along with economic decline and earthquakes, the eruption of Volcán Momotombo was the third factor in moving León to its current location in 1610.

Volcano Momotombo and Lake Managua

We also saw a beautiful couple of motmots while leaving the site. The motmot is the national bird of both El Salvador (where they call it torogoz) and Nicaragua (where they call it guardabarranco). Our guide told us that because of their unusual tail feathers they do not fly straight but fly in an undulating way, like the shape of a wave.

Motmot – national bird of El Salvador and Nicaragua

León and its surroundings were beautiful and a lot of fun and we’re looking forward to the next colonial city of our trip and the rival to this city: Granada.

Nicaraguan dancers next to Leon Cathedral

Iglesia El Calvario from the roof of Leon Cathedral

Leon Cathedral