Sights in Northern Nicaragua
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A
Museo de Café
There's a lot of information in the Museo de Café, almost all of it in Spanish, and very little actually pertains to coffee. Staff, however, who also operate a tour desk, are highly caffeinated, offer free cups of coffee, and also sell bags of the stuff.
This is actually more of a Nicaragua and Matagalpa history museum. It begins with a nice archaeology display, then segues into high-school-quality exhibitions about the city and region, from photos of beauty-contest winners past and present through a list of Latin America's great liberators, from Bolivar to Martí.
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Turicentro Estelimar Science Museum & Pools
A good excuse for a 2km walk toward Jinotega, Turicentro Estelimar Science Museum & Pools has a small science museum with some pretty fabulous solar- and pedal-operated dinosaurs made out of old car parts, plus displays involving alternative energy, gears and hydraulics. There are also three attractive pools where you can relax afterward and big cabañas that are a good deal for groups and families.
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Estelí Cathedral
Although Estelí's most impressive attractions are in the mountains surrounding the 'Diamond of the Segovias,' the 1823 Estelí Cathedral is worth a wander, and the murals surrounding the parque central (central park) are interesting as well. Several parks display petroglyphs that were brought down here from the mountains in the early 1900s, many of which are now badly damaged.
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B
Casa Museo Comandante Carlos Fonseca
The low-budget but heartfelt Casa Museo Comandante Carlos Fonseca honors Commander Carlos Fonseca, the intense and bespectacled architect of the Sandinista Movement. He grew up in this humble adobe with his single mother and four siblings, like Sandino, caught between abject poverty and relative wealth after his coffee-scion father finally admitted paternity when Carlos was in grade school.
At age 19, in 1955, Fonseca joined the PSN (Nicaraguan Socialist Party) and started publishing Marxist tracts. After the 1959 Cuban Revolution he was invited to a journalists' convention in Havana, where he ended up staying to host Sandino discussion groups. This sort of thing didn't s…
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Galería de Héroes y Mártires
Be sure to stop by the Galería de Héroes y Mártires, devoted to fallen revolutionaries, with walls of faded photos and personal effects, from clothing to weaponry, on display.
There are special exhibits (with a bit of signage in English) about Leonel Rugama Rugama, the warrior-poet whose last line was his best: when he and Carlos Fonseca were surrounded by 300 National Guard, with tanks and planes, they told him to surrender. 'Surrender, your mother!' he famously replied, which is one, quite literally, for the history books.
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Cecalli
About 1km south of town, Cecalli is an organic farming cooperative specializing in medicinal plants; it has a small museum with dried and fresh herbs that is well worth visiting. You can also check out the selection of herbal teas, organic shampoos, pomada Don Juan and other herbal remedies, or get a massage, have acupuncture, or just talk to a doctor about whatever ails you. No appointment is necessary. Afterward, La Casita café is right next door.
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C
Iglesia Catedral San Pedro
The 1874 Iglesia Catedral San Pedro is considered one of the country's most beautiful buildings. It's a solid neoclassical structure that has simply seen one too many bombing runs. Originally founded by the Jesuits, who were later run out of the country, this fading beauty fronts Parque Morazán, where most of the city's public events take place.
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Foreigners Cemetery
Just east of the city are two outstanding cemeteries, if you're into that sort of thing; the Foreigners Cemetery and the National Cemetery. There are great views, a break from the traffic and the headstone of Benjamin Linder, an American hydroelectric engineer and unicycle clown who was killed by Contra forces in 1987.
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D
Iglesia San José
Iglesia San José was originally constructed in 1751 and used as a jail for indigenous rebels in the late 1800s, then rebuilt to its current glory in 1917 by Franciscan friars. It fronts Parque Rubén Darío and has a nice baroque altar.
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National Cemetery
Just east of the town center, there are great views, a break from the traffic and the headstone of Benjamin Linder, an American hydroelectric engineer and unicycle clown who was killed by Contra forces in 1987.
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Museo de Historia y Arqueología
Museo de Historia y Arqueología has a small collection of pottery shards, shells and other miscellanea that could keep you entertained for a few minutes.
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Palacio Episcopal
Across the street from Iglesia Catedral San Pedro, 1938 Palacio Episcopal is architecturally interesting and now houses the high school.
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E
Iglesia Molagüina
The 1751 Iglesia Molagüina, in the center of town, is the plainest of the churches but has nice gardens.
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