Masaya
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Masaya | |
---|---|
Municipality | |
![]() La Asunción church in the Central Park of Masaya | |
Coordinates: 11°58′N 86°06′W / 11.967°N 86.100°W | |
Country | Nicaragua |
Department | Masaya Department |
Government | |
• Mayor | Orlando Noguera |
Area | |
• Municipality | 57 sq mi (147 km2) |
Population (2022 estimate)[1] | |
• Municipality | 191,574 |
• Density | 3,400/sq mi (1,300/km2) |
• Urban | 138,657 (4th Nicaragua) |
Masaya (Spanish pronunciation: [maˈsaʝa]) is the capital city of Masaya Department in Nicaragua. It is situated approximately 14 km west of Granada and 31 km southeast of Managua. It is located just east of the Masaya Volcano, an active volcano from which the city takes its name. With an estimated population of 138,657 (2022),[2] it is Nicaragua's fourth most populous city, and is culturally known as the City of Flowers.[3][4]
History
It is believed that the Nicaraos were the first people to dwell in the land of Masaya (the Chorotegas had also inhabited these areas).[5] There is evidence of their settlements in small towns like Nindiri, Niquinohomo and Monimbó from before the Spanish Conquest. One of the city's principle neighborhoods is Monimbó (which in Spanish means "close to the water") and is located very close to the lagoon. There is documented evidence that in the 6th century, Monimbó had a population of about 150 tribes.
On 24 March 1819, the King,
Of all the different indigenous settlements, only Monimbó has conserved its ethnic identity over time.[7]
On 19 September 1912, during the
Production
Masaya is located centrally to a large agricultural production region in Nicaragua. Much of the production from the departments of Masaya and Carazo and the surrounding areas is shipped through Masaya on its way north, towards Managua and Leon. Masaya is also a notable industrial center, producing footwear and clothing. Other industries in the city include the processing of fiber and the manufacture of cigars, leather products, soap, and starch. Many of the communities surrounding Masaya produce hardwood and wicker furniture, and there is a neighborhood in Masaya near the lake dedicated to the production of hammocks.[citation needed]
Attractions
Masaya is known as "The Cradle of Nicaraguan Folklore" and is the very heart of Nicaraguan handicrafts. The main market in Masaya is located next to the central bus station. The market is divided into sections, with each section serving a different need. Aside from unique Nicaraguan products such as hand woven hammocks, embroidered blouses, wood carvings, and hemp weaving the market is very diverse. An entire section of the market is dedicated to selling electronic devices and clothing, while another area is reserved for raw meat. Everything is available in the market from hardware and beauty supplies to produce from the surrounding area.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7e/Masaya_Market%2C_Nicaragua.jpg/220px-Masaya_Market%2C_Nicaragua.jpg)
The 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 and a couple of blocks away from the general population market. This market has been revitalized and set as a tourist spot, where crafts from Masaya and other areas of Nicaragua can be found. In addition, every Thursday night there is a Noche de Verbena or Night of Revelry, where folkloric dances are presented. Masaya is noted for the annual fall fiesta of San Jerónimo which features folkloric dances and other street processions, such as the carnivalesque "Torovenado" celebrations, which often have groups and individuals who perform satires of local and national political figures.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4d/Street_View_of_Masaya.jpg/220px-Street_View_of_Masaya.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a7/Masaya_street.jpg/220px-Masaya_street.jpg)
The historical city center has open
Masaya is actually the name of one of Nicaragua's Departments, which the city of Masaya is the head of. In addition to Masaya, the department includes the municipal cities of Catarina, Nindirí, Masatepe, Tisma, Niquinohomo, Nandasmo, San Juan de Oriente and La Concepción.
Masaya Volcano
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/84/Masaya_Volcano.jpg/220px-Masaya_Volcano.jpg)
Volcán Masaya National Park is a popular tourist site. It has a small museum and tourist information. Tour guides and proper equipment are provided for treks inside bat caves created by lava flows from past eruptions. Today, lava can be visible in the volcano's crater. Masaya is the most active volcano in the region. It is actually made up of two volcanoes: Masaya and Nindirí with a total of five craters. The Spanish first described the volcano in 1524 and believed the belching lava to be melting gold. But when Fray Bartolomé de las Casas first saw it he called it the "Gates of Hell". Since then, Masaya Volcano has erupted at least 19 times. From 1965 to 1979 the volcano contained an active lava lake. The last reported eruption event was in 2003, when a plume reportedly shot ~4.6 km into the air. Masaya is an unusual basaltic volcano because it has had explosive eruptions. An eruption in 4550 B.C. was one of the largest on Earth in the last 10,000 years.
Apoyo Lake
The City of Masaya is also located west of a large, deep crater lake named "Apoyo". which is part of the Apoyo Lagoon Natural Reserve. This lake is a popular attraction in the area, and is host to several hostels and small resorts. Apoyo's crater measures four miles wide and over 656 feet deep. Major activities include fishing, water sports and scuba diving.[11] Archaeological researchers have found evidence of pre-colonial occupation.[citation needed]
Coyotepe Fortress
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/32/Coyotepe_Fortress_cell.jpg/220px-Coyotepe_Fortress_cell.jpg)
Gastronomy
Masaya boasts a varied culinary tradition based on pre-Columbian recipes. Nacatamal is a giant
Vaho is another heavy meal, normally eaten at lunch. It consists of thick, long slices of salted, dried beef marinated in sour orange juice. The beef is mixed with yucca, green plantains, ripe plantains, tomatoes, onions, garlic, cabbage, and placed on a pot with the interior walls lined with plantain leaves, and then covered with the same leaves and a lid, and steamed slowly. Vaho is eaten with tortillas. Yucca tubers are essential to Masayan food whether boiled, steamed, fried, or broiled and used in many different dishes such as vigorón. Vigorón consists of boiled yucca, topped with sweet-and-sour cabbage cut into strips, diced tomatoes, onions, green currants, Congo chilis, vinegar, and salt.
Notable people
- Enrique Bolaños, former Nicaraguan president
- Olga Núñez Abaunza, first Nicaraguan female lawyer
Twin towns – sister cities
Belo Horizonte, Brazil[13]
Cartago, Costa Rica[14]
Dietzenbach, Germany[15]
Leicester, England, United Kingdom[16]
Nijmegen, Netherlands[17]
Notes and references
- ^ Citypopulation.de Population Masaya municipality
- ^ Citypopulation.de Population of the major cities in Nicaragua
- ^ Perez, Max; Quintero, Glenda; Amoretty, Ezequiel. "Masaya la "Ciudad de las Flores"" [Masaya "the City of Flowers"] (in Spanish). Inside Managua. Archived from the original on 18 February 2018.
- ^ Garcia, Nary (6 December 2009). "Bailes de Negras: tradición y cultura" [Black Dances: tradition and culture]. El Nuevo Diario (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 18 February 2018.
- ISBN 9781498558976.
- ISBN 99924-59-66-2.
- ^ Romero, German; et al. (1992). Persistencia indígena en Nicaragua. Managua: CIDCA-UCA. p. 107.
- ISBN 978-0-02-588210-2.
- ISBN 978-0-89141-737-8.
- ISBN 978-0-8131-1496-5.
- ISBN 978-0-415-40169-2.
- ^ American Naval History, An Illustrated Chronology of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps, by Jack Sweetman, p. 114
- ^ "Cidades Irmãs de Belo Horizonte". portalbelohorizonte.com.br (in Portuguese). Belo Horizonte. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
- ^ "En Masaya y Cartago, Actuemos Ya en contra de la xenofobia, con el hermanamiento". elaventinonicaragua.com (in Spanish). El Aventino. 25 February 2020. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
- ^ "Partnerstädte". dietzenbach.de (in German). Dietzenbach. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
- ^ "Chongqing, Masaya and Strasbourg: everything you need to know about Leicester's twin cities". leicestermercury.co.uk. Leicester Mercury. 17 February 2019. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
- ^ "Internationale samenwerking". nijmegen.nl (in Dutch). Nijmegen. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)