History of Nicaragua
The history of Nicaragua is one that dates back to the year 500. As the largest nation in Central America, it is roughly the size of New York state, and it is home to nearly six million people. Of that six million, nearly all of them, roughly 98%, are under the age of 65 and 50% live in poverty. Although it is now a popular tourist destination known for a beautiful tropic climate and cheap hotel rates, the history of Nicaragua is rife with war, poverty and famine.
• Around the year 500, the first settlers came to Nicaragua. Archaeological evidence in the history of Nicaragua points to the earliest residents being Paleo-Indians. By the 1500s, Nicaragua was inhabited mostly by people of Indian and Mexican origin. The Mexicans and Indians survived by using the land for farming. The country was not known as Nicaragua until 1522, when Spanish explorer Gil Gonzalez Divila named the nation for a Indian king whose name translated to Nicarao. Nicaragua history shows that Davila, like Columbus, did not mean to set foot in the area he did. Leaks in the ships he was leading in exploration forced them to stop along the coast of Panama. After exploring the area, Davila became impressed and dispatched his men to baptize the Indians. Eventually, they were met with resistance.
• Although the history of Nicaragua did not start in 1500s, not much is known about the time period before that. In 1524, it is a Nicaragua history fact that Francisco Hernandez de Cordoba, sailing for Spain, finished conquering the country of Nicaragua, officially making it one of Spain’s territories. Because of this, it is de Cordoba who is considered to be the official founder of Nicaragua. His men departed from Nicaragua with pounds of the gold that they found in the region.
• Nicaragua history shows that for about 300 years, Nicaragua remained a territory of Spain. However, in 1821, Nicaragua declared independence from Spain and joined the Mexican Empire. Soon after, 1823, Nicaragua became part of United Provinces of Central America. It was not until 1838 that the history of Nicaragua shows that independence from other countries and empires was finally achieved. As a country that had long suffered through war and outside control, a Nicaraguan general named Jose Santos Zelaya took control of the country. Soon after, according to Nicaragua history, his reign did not last long, as the United State military troops overthrew him in 1909.
• In 1937, General Anastasio Somoza Garcia became President of Nicaragua. The history of Nicaragua shows that he and his family maintained control of Nicaragua for the next 40 years. During his time as president, an earthquake hit Nicaragua’s capital of Managua, killing 5,000 to 10,000 people. Soon after in 1979, the President of Nicaragua, a Garcia family member named Anastasio Somoza Debayle fled the country when the rebel group called the Sadinistas took over the country.
• Nicaragua history shows that it was around this time that the United States stopped all aid to Nicaragua and began supporting a group of fighters known as the Contra. This fighting continued until the late 1980s. In that time period, the history of Nicaragua was rife with fights and a Sadinista member named Daniel Ortega was elected as president. The Sadinistas ruled Nicaragua for six years and during their reign, almost 200,000 residents were left homeless due to Hurricane Joan. This disturbing piece of the history of Nicaragua was followed by the death of thousands due to Hurricane Mitch in 1998. Ortega took back control of the land in 2007.
Although Nicaragua history is filled with war, the area is becoming safer as time progresses. Currently, it is becoming a popular tourist destination despite its poverty.