Leon, Nicaragua - Capital de la Revolucion

Leon is beautiful colonial city where many important events happened in the history of Nicaragua, especially during the Sandinista revolution over the Somoza dictatorship. After a long day driving from El Salvador, we made it to a nice hotel (Hotel laRecoleccion) near the center of the city. Spent two nights in Leon exploring the city. Leon is one of the oldest cities in Latin America, founded in 1524 by Francisco Hernandez de Cordoba, who also founded Granada in the same year. For many years, Leon and Granada were rival cities, with Leon favored by the liberals and Granada favored by the conservatives. Managua, in between the two cities, was made the capital of Nicaragua n 1852 as a compromise between the different factions. Leon was important during the revolution of the Sandinistas over the Somoza regime in the 1970s. Somoza was overthrown in 1979, which was then followed by the US-backed contras fighting the Sandinistas in the 1980s. We learned much about the Sandinista revolution, as well as the earlier battles with Augusto Cesar Sandino, at the museum of the revolution. Sandino fought against the American occupation of Nicaragua in the late 1920s and early 1930s and subsequent installation of the Somoza regime. An interesting museum. A very nice guide. The building is a bit worn. At one point we went to the roof for a view of the city. It was a bit nerve-racking walking on the roof thinking we might fall through at some point. Another highlight of the city was visiting the cathedral, the third largest cathedral in Latin America. You can go up to the roof of the cathedral for a beautiful view of the city and surrounding landscape. A nice visit to Leon. My only regret is that I did not get to go volcano boarding on a nearby volcano.

Some of the murals in the city of Leon