Sights in Masaya
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A
The Malecón & Laguna De Masaya
Just seven blocks west of the parque central, past hammock factories and Iglesia San Juan, is one of the most inspiring views in a region famed for the same, across Laguna de Masaya to the smoking Santiago crater. The still attractive, if crumbling, malecón was constructed in 1944, when you could still swim, drink or fish in the impressive lagoon.
Things have changed. Several trails carved into the volcanic crater millennia ago still lead from a humble collection of restaurant/bars down to the water, but hardly anyone ever uses them anymore.
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B
Forteleza Coyotepe
Built in 1893 atop Cerro de los Coyotes, eerie Forteleza Coyotepe witnessed the last stand of Benjamín Zeledón, the 1912 hero of resistance to US intervention. The marines managed to take the fortress, watched all the while by a young man named Sandino, who vowed his revenge. In the end it would also be the National Guard's last stronghold, overrun during Sandinista's final 1979 offensive.
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C
Iglesia de San Jerónimo
Among the major buildings worst hit by the earthquake of 2000, which also destroyed about 80 homes, was 1928 Iglesia de San Jerónimo, the spiritual heart of Masaya and one of the most recognizable silhouettes on the skyline. But that hasn't stopped anyone from celebrating the longest fiestas patronales in Nicaragua, with their epicenter, as always, right here.
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D
Museo & Galería Héroes y Martires
Inside the alcaldía (mayor's office), the Museo & Galería Héroes y Martires honors Masayans who gave their lives during the revolution. There are walls of photos and interesting displays of bomb-building materials and weapons, as well as personal effects including musical instruments and a few Chorotegan funeral urns. It's poignant.
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E
Monimbó
Masaya may have been declared the 'Cradle of National Folklore,' but the folklore of Masaya is the folklore of Monimbó. Once the region's most important indigenous city, this famous Masaya neighborhood, centered around Iglesia San Sebastián, is still populated mainly by people of Chorotegan descent.
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F
Parroquia El Calvario
Parroquia El Calvario is a squat colonial structure with no spire, most remarkable for the extra-gory statues of Jesus and the thieves being crucified, right at the entrance. Those are original - the rest had to be remodeled after the earthquake of 2000.
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G
Iglesia San Juan
Although Iglesia San Juan is usually closed to the public, check out the surrounding neighborhood strung between La Asunción and the lake, with more than a dozen hammock workshops and factories.
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Parroquia de La Asunción
At the center of it all is the 1750 Parroquia de La Asunción, an attractive but scarred late- Baroque beauty that the Spanish government has offered to help repair.
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I
Iglesia de San Miguel
Another church worth seeing includes more modern Iglesia de San Miguel, whose resident San Miguel Arcángel makes the rounds during the procession of St Jerome.
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Iglesia María Magdalena
Iglesia María Magdalena, sort of the female counterpart to San Sebastián, is where many of Monimbó's most important festivals begin or end.
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K
Iglesia San Sebastián
Monimbó is Masaya's most famous neighborhood, its ancient center now marked by the 1935 Iglesia San Sebastián.
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San Juan Bautista
The 1848 San Juan Bautista is a small, simple church and much nicer inside than out.
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