Things to do in Masaya
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Aeropuerto 79
Just south of Masaya on the main road, this fairly spectacular spot - colorful tilework, beautiful gardens, sculptures of large-breasted women - has well-prepared typical food, and specializes in exotic meat, such as armadillo, rabbit or deer. It was a Sandinista military depot during the revolution, and a nearby plane crash in 1979 inspired the peacetime name.
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Los Agüizotes
Los Agüizotes is an important celebration, featuring spirits of the dead and characters from indigenous horror stories (many originating during the Spanish conquest). The Headless Priest and La Carreta Nagua (Chariot of Death) are used throughout the year to scare children into better behavior, but on the last Friday in October make their way through the streets of Monimbó and Masaya.
Costumes are prepared the night before in a ceremony called La Vela de Candil (Vigil of the Candle). They are placed on a table with a large candle in the middle, and those watching over it throughout the night keep themselves awake with fireworks, live music, alcohol and dancing, after…
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Comidas Criollas
Right on the park, this impressive steam-table buffet serves huge portions of great food with a few solid vegetarian options.
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La Ronda
This rather tranquil and elegant spot right on the park has a good happy hour and popular Wednesday karaoke night.
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Mercado Artesanías
Masaya's main claim to fame is shopping, and savvy buyers come here to find great deals on Nicaragua's finest handicrafts. Tours and taxi drivers drop you off at the 1888 Mercado Artesanías, a somewhat incongruous, black-basalt Gothic structure with a Spanish-fortress motif, including turrets, towers and oversized gates.
Despite a major fire in 1966, it was used as a regular market until 1978, when Somoza's National Guard all but leveled it. The building, which covers an entire city block, was abandoned until renovations began in 1994.
Today it is a wonderful place to stroll, with attractive booths separated by wide and breezy walkways, showcasing the highest-quality…
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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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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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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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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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Tourist Train
If you're here between Thursday and Sunday, consider taking the cute little tourist train from Hotel Madera's Inn on a guided tour of Masaya. Highlights include the malecón (waterfront), Iglesia de San Jerónimo and the old 1926 train station (Av Zelaya), which unfortunately remains closed to the public.
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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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Servitour Monimbó
Most people organize tours from Granada, but there is one homegrown Masaya outfit, Servitour Monimbó. It offers inexpensive tours of local crafts workshops, as well as trips to Aguas Clara hot springs and Reserva Natural El Chocoyero-El Brujo. Most trips are geared toward larger groups.
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Los Farolitos
This narrow restaurant/bar serves breakfasts with a backpacker-friendly gimmick: you pay for each item (toast, fried plantains, gallo pinto - blended rice and beans) separately. Creative salads (try the broccoli and chicken) and other snacks come all or nothing.
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Bar Restaurant Che-Gris
This popular spot has a selection of meat, seafood and vegetarian meals; a comida corriente (mixed plate of different foods typical of the region) is available. It's considered one of the best restaurants in town, which may be true, but don't get all excited.
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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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Horse-drawn Carriage
One of the best ways to see the town is in a horse-drawn carriage. Skinny horses may dissuade some would-be riders, but note that Granada's burgeoning tourist industry (ie horrified, complaining tourists) has inspired some serious equine weight-gain.
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La Jarochita
Jarochita is well known throughout the region as one of the (if not the) best Mexican restaurants in Nicaragua. It is very good, with Vera Cruz-style tacos, spicy posole rich hominy stew) and good seafood; it doesn't skimp on the cheese.
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El Toro Loco
El Toro Loco gets packed on reggae nights, while Chapo's Bar & Grill, the new hot spot, serves steak, allows smoking in the open-air bar and hosts all-night reggae parties on weekends, conveniently right next to the budget hotels.
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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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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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Coco Jamboo
Danceheads opt for this big club at the south end of the malecón, where a cheesy good time can usually be had.
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La Comedor Criolla
Not to be confused with Comidas Criollas, this place is close to the budget hotels and also does a good steam-table buffet.
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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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