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León & Northwestern Nicaragua

This is Nicaragua at its most passionate. The regional capital of León is – and will always be – a hotbed of intellectualism and independence. The city has nourished some of Nicaragua’s most important political and artistic moments, and it's beloved for its breathtaking art museum, hopping nightlife and spirited revolutionary air.

Just out of León, more than a dozen volcanic peaks wait to be climbed (some can be surfed). Along the still-crowdless beaches there's the best beach accommodations – and gnarliest surfing – in the country. And the virgin wetlands of the Reserva Natural Isla Juan Venado are not to be missed.

Further afield, you'll find the biggest mangrove forest in Central America, awe-inspiring beauty at Reserva Natural Volcán Cosigüina and windows into everyday Nicaraguan life in the little towns along the way.

Top attractions

These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout León & Northwestern Nicaragua.

  • See

    Iglesia de la Recolección

    Three blocks north of the cathedral, the 1786 Iglesia de la Recolección is considered the city’s most beautiful church, a Mexican-style baroque confection of swirling columns and bas-relief medallions that portray the life of Christ. Dyed a deep yellow, accented with cream and age, the lavishly decorated facade may be what makes the cover of all the tourist brochures, but be sure to stop inside and admire the slender mahogany columns and ceiling decorated with harvest motifs.

  • See

    Museo de Arte Fundación Ortiz-Gurdián

    Probably the finest museum of contemporary art in all of Central America, the Ortiz-Gurdián Collection has spilled over from its original home in Casa Don Norberto Ramírez,which was refurbished in 2000 to its original Creole Civil style, with Arabic tiles and impressive flagstones. The collection, spread across two buildings and surrounding greenery-filled courtyards, includes works by Picasso, Chagall, Miró and a number of noted Nicaraguan artists. Begin surrounded by the luxurious realism of the Renaissance and spare beauty of the colonial period, then wander through romanticism, modernism, postmodernism and actually modern pieces by Cuban, Peruvian and other Latin American schools. Big names make an appearance, but it’s the work by Latin American masters – Diego Rivera, Rufino Tamayo, Fernando Botero, Roberto Matta and more – that defines the collection.

  • See

    Museo Histórico de la Revolución

    León is the heart and soul of liberal Nicaragua. Stop into this museum for an overview of the Nicaraguan revolutionaries who stood up against the Somoza dictatorship, tracing national history from the devastating earthquake of 1972 to the Sandinista overthrow. The true highlight here is being shown around by the former revolutionaries who can tell you all about their role in the conflict.

  • See

    Catedral de León

    Officially known as the Basílica de la Asunción, León’s cathedral is the largest in Central America, its expansive design famously (and perhaps apocryphally) approved for construction in much more important Lima, Peru. Leonese leaders originally submitted a more modest but bogus set of plans, but architect Diego José de Porres Esquivel, the Capitán General of Guatemala (also responsible for San Juan Bautista de Subtiaba, La Recolección and La Merced churches, among others), pulled the switcheroo and built this beauty instead. This is the cathedral’s fourth incarnation. The 1610 original was replaced in 1624 with a wood-and-adobe structure that pirate William Dampier burned to the ground in 1685. Another adobe was used until work began on this enormous ‘Antigüeño,’ Central American baroque-style masterpiece in 1747. Construction, done primarily by indigenous laborers from Subtiaba and Posoltega, went on for more than a hundred years. The cathedral is a sort of pantheon of Nicaraguan culture. The tomb of Rubén Darío, León’s favorite son, is on one side of the altar, guarded by a sorrowful lion and the inscription ‘Nicaragua is created of vigor and glory, Nicaragua is made for freedom.’ Nearby rest the tombs of lesser-known Leonese poets Alfonso Cortés and Salomón de la Selva, as well as Miguel Larreynaga. Among the magnificent works of art within are the Stations of the Cross by Antonio Sarria, considered masterpieces, and El Cristo Negro de Pedrarias, possibly the oldest Catholic image in the Americas, brought here in 1528. Marble statues inside are beautifully crafted, most notably the elaborate Inmaculada Concepción de María. If it’s clear, go up on the roof (US$3), with a spectacular view of the city and smoking volcanoes beyond. The office selling tickets for roof access is on the eastern side of the cathedral, facing the market, and you ascend through the tower in the cathedral's northwest corner.

  • See

    Museo de Leyendas y Tradiciones

    León’s most entertaining and eclectic museum is housed in La XXI (the 21st Garrison), decorated with murals graphically depicting methods the Guardia Nacional used to torture prisoners. What makes this museum unmissable is the striking contrast of its main subjects: a quirky collection of life-sized papier-mâché figures from Leonese history and legend (such as Rubén Darío and a musician known as the Divino Leproso), handmade by founder señora Toruña. You’re led from room to room, each dedicated to a different aspect of Leonese folklore, from La Gigantona – the giant woman who represents an original colonist, still ridiculed by a popular ballet folklórico – to La Carreta Nagua (Chariot of Death), which picks up the souls of those foolish enough to cross intersections, and kitty-corner and macabre figures, such as the pig-witches and Toma La Teta – a hideous woman with one enormous breast who attacks men with it, "leaving them stunned and asphyxiated". Check out the mosaics in the garden, too. If you get the curator to show you around, between each rundown of local legends, your Spanish-speaking guide will cheerfully shift gears to describe the gory human-rights abuses – stretching on racks, beatings, water tortures etc – that took place here regularly until June 13, 1979, when Commander Dora María Téllez successfully breached Somoza’s defenses and secured La XXI for the Sandinistas, releasing all prisoners. Signage is in English and Spanish.

  • See

    Iglesia de San Juan Bautista de Sutiaba

    The Subtiaba neighborhood is centered on this church, located about 1km west of the León cathedral. It’s better known as ‘Catedral Subtiaba,’ and is the oldest intact church in the city. Built in the 1530s and reconstructed in 1710, its relatively plain beige facade and precious wood interior are largely unadorned; even the struts are there to stabilize the structure during earthquakes. There are two exceptions: spirals outside, and an extraordinary sun icon mounted to the typical arched timber roof, pay homage to deities far older than the Spanish conquest.

  • See

    Museo Rubén Darío

    Nicaragua's most famous poet, Rubén Dario, lived in this house for the first 14 years of his life – indeed, he started writing poetry right here at age 12. That first poem is on display here, as are various personal effects. Of all of Nicaragua's museums and monuments dedicated to the poet, this colonial house seems like the one where you’d be most likely to run into his ghost, (and, in fact, here you can see his death mask). Exhibits are displayed throughout the house, ranging from everyday items that provide a window into well-to-do Nicaraguan life in the late 1800s to handwritten manuscripts of Darío’s famous works. His bible, the bed where he died ‘an agonizing death’ and the fancy duds he wore as the ambassador to Spain are just highlights among the historic bric-a-brac. Darío’s final resting place is in the León cathedral.

  • See

    El Fortín de Acososco

    The Guardia Nacional’s last holdout in León can be reached by the 2.5km dirt road from the western side of Guadalupe cemetery, on the southern border of Barrio Subtiaba. The large, squat, gray building was originally constructed in 1889 to take advantage of the great city views. It was abandoned until the 1950s, when the Somozas realized that they needed to keep an eye on León itself. They lost the fort on July 7, 1979. You may need to ask for permission to enter this grim place; check out the abandoned torture chambers in the basement. Muggings are common on this stretch, so go with other people and take a taxi.

  • See

    Museo de Arte Sacre

    Call ahead to make sure this intriguing museum is open. You’ve probably noticed this neighborhood’s churches are in some disrepair, a situation that inspired locals to preserve the region’s absolutely beautiful 16th- and 17th-century religious art right here, where it would be safe. Art ranging from faithfully detailed wooden saints (including one of the first Virgins of Guadalupe) to more ostentatious examples of baroque overkill, including lots of gold and silver artifacts, have been packed into the original Casa Cultural de Subtiaba, built in 1544.

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