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Le贸n, Nicaragua
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Le髇 is the second largest city in Nicaragua, after Managua. It was founded by the Spaniards as Santiago de los Caballeros de Le髇 and rivals Granada, Nicaragua, in the number of historic spanish colonial homes and churches. As of 2005, the city had an estimated population of about 175,000 people which increases sharply during university season with many students coming from other Nicaraguan provinces.
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Encyclopedia
Le髇 is the second largest city in Nicaragua, after Managua. It was founded by the Spaniards as Santiago de los Caballeros de Le髇 and rivals Granada, Nicaragua, in the number of historic spanish colonial homes and churches. As of 2005, the city had an estimated population of about 175,000 people which increases sharply during university season with many students coming from other Nicaraguan provinces. It is the capital and municipality of the Le髇 department.
Le髇 is located along the R韔 Chiquito (Chiquito River), some 50 miles northwest of Managua, and some 11 miles east of the Pacific Ocean coast. The drive from Managua takes less than 90 minutes. Although less populous than Managua, Le髇 has long been the intellectual center of the nation, with its university founded in 1813. Le髇 is also an important industrial, agricultural (sugar cane, cattle, peanut, plantane, sorghum) and commercial center for Nicaragua.
History
The first city named Le髇 in Nicaragua was established in 1524 by Francisco Hern醤dez de C髍doba about 20 miles east of the present site. The city was abandoned in 1610, after an eruption of the Momotombo volcano, located only a couple miles away, which left extensive damage in the form of flooding from Lake Managua. The inhabitants decided to move to its current location next to the Indigenous town of Subtiava. The ruins of the abandoned city are known as "Le髇 Viejo" and were excavated in 1960. In the year 2000, Le髇 Viejo was declared an UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Le髇 has fine examples of Spanish Colonial architecture, including the grand Cathedral of the Assumption, built from 1706 to 1740, with two towers added in 1746 and 1779.
When Nicaragua withdrew from the United Provinces of Central America in 1839, Le髇 became the capital of the new nation of Nicaragua. For some years the capital shifted back and forth between Le髇 and Granada, Nicaragua, with Liberal regimes preferring Le髇 and Conservative ones Granada, until as a compromise Managua was agreed upon to be the permanent capital in 1858.
In 1950 the city of Le髇 had a population of 31,000 people. Nicaraguan President Anastasio Somoza Garc韆 was shot and mortally wounded in the city on September 21, 1956.
The building of El museo de tradiciones y leyendas was once the infamous XXI jail before the 1979 revolution. There are also several political murals around the city.
Notable people
- Enrique Berm鷇ez, Nicaraguan Contra leader (born in Leon December 11, 1932).
Gallery
Twin Cities
Alicante, Spain
See also
External links
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