Tag Archives: Nicaragua history

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 … Continue reading