Huellas de Acahualinca

Lonely Planet review

Discovered by miners in 1874, the Footprints of Acahualinca are perhaps Managua's most intriguing site, and shouldn't be missed. These fossilized tracks record the passage of perhaps 10 people - men, women and children as well as birds, raccoons and deer - across the muddy shores of Lago de Managua some 6000 years ago.

Despite early speculation that they were running from a volcanic eruption, forensic specialists have determined that these folks were in no hurry and, oddly enough, were fairly tall, between 145cm and 160cm. The excavation was undertaken by the Carnegie Foundation in 1941 and 1942, and unearthed 14 layers (4m/13ft) of earth. About 2 metres (6.5ft) down, they found some later Chorotega ceramics and other intriguing artifacts, though there's presently no funding to take it further. There's also a nifty on-site museum with human skulls and lots of ceramics, and your fee includes a Spanish-language tour of the whole shebang.