Convento y Museo San Francisco

Top choice in Granada


One of the oldest churches in Central America, Convento San Francisco boasts a robin's egg–blue birthday-cake facade and houses both an important convent and one of the best museums in the region. The highlight is the museum that focuses on Nicaragua's pre-Columbian people. Don't miss the Zapatera statuary, two solemn regiments of black-basalt statues, carved between AD 800 and 1200, then left behind on the ritual island of Zapatera.

The museum is through the small door on the left, where guides (some of whom speak English) are available for tours; tips are appreciated. Other museum highlights include top-notch primitivist art, a scale model of the city and a group of papier-mâché indigenous people cooking, relaxing in hammocks and swinging on comelazatoaztegams, a sort of 360-degree see-saw.

Most of the Isla Zapatera statues were discovered in the late 1880s and gathered in Granada in the 1920s.

The convent itself was originally constructed in 1585, subsequently burned to the ground by pirates and later William Walker, rebuilt in 1868 and restored in 1989.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Granada attractions

2. Plaza de la Independencia

0.12 MILES

North of Parque Central is Plaza de la Independencia, also known as the 'Plaza de los Leones.' The obelisk is dedicated to the heroes of the 1821 struggle…

3. Catedral de Granada

0.17 MILES

The cathedral, on the east side of the plaza, was originally built in 1583 but has been destroyed countless times since. This most recent version, built…

4. Museo de Chocolate

0.21 MILES

Granada's new chocolate museum is excellent if you're traveling with children: the 'beans to bar' chocolate workshop, where participants learn to roast…

5. Mi Museo

0.21 MILES

This museum displays a private collection of ceramics dating from at least 2000 BC to the present. Hundreds of beautifully crafted pieces were chosen with…

6. Iglesia de Guadelupe

0.33 MILES

The imposing, twin towered Iglesia de Guadalupe was originally built as a fort in 1626 and refurbished in 1945.

7. Iglesia La Merced

0.35 MILES

Perhaps the most beautiful church in the city, this landmark was built in 1534. Most come here for the spectacular views from the bell tower – especially…

8. Mercado Municipal

0.41 MILES

Head to the overflowing and lively Mercado Municipal, a neoclassical building constructed in 1892, for a chance to observe locals haggling over fresh…