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| Caribbean Property Magazine Home / May 2010 / 'Granada: Great Sultan of the Great Lake' | SEND THIS PAGE TO A FRIEND  |
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M A Y
 2 0 1 0 Issue 40
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| GRANADA: GREAT SULTAN OF THE GREAT LAKE by Raquel B. Tejeda GRANADA NOW One of my favorite cities in the Americas’ is also one of the Americas' oldest cities – Granada, Nicaragua. Historical, uniquely beautiful , with its own type of charm and deep Nicaraguan roots. Granada is a department (state) in western Nicaragua and also the department's seat with an estimated population of 110,326 (2003), is Nicaragua's fourth most populous city and capital of the Granada Department. Granada is historically one of Nicaragua's most important cities both economically and politically. It is situated on the northwestern shore of Lake Nicaragua and was founded by Francisco Hernández de Córdoba on December 8, 1524. It has a rich colonial heritage, seen in its architecture and layout. Granada is commonly nicknamed the "Gran Sultana del Gran Lago" - the Great Sultan of the Great Lake. Economy and Tourism Granada has long been a center of commerce, including timber, gold and silver. Granada's economy continues to grow as it is becoming the national tourism hub. Though Granada remains Nicaragua's fourth largest city, it is widely known for preserving some the finest colonial-era architecture in the country. A real estate boom had been underway for several years, with many European and Americans purchasing and renovating the area's homes for retirement or holiday homes and several foreign realtors establishing offices, but that boom slowed in 2007, but as North Americans have been plagued by their own dire economic crisis, many are looking to points south as an area for relocation and Nicaragua is definitely on their wish list. The prior escalation of real estate prices in Granada and other parts of Southwestern Nicaragua has led to a shift of investor attention toward Northern Nicaragua and the cities of Matagalpa, Leon, Corinto and the surrounding beaches of Leon and Corinto. Granada, though now highly dependent on tourism, also has fertile agricultural land within the municipality. Major production of organic coffee and cacao, cattle, plantain and bananas occurs within its boundaries. Museums have opened, including one of the finest in the country, the private Mi Museo, and new hotels and restaurants are proliferating at a fast clip.
Granada is like most of the Nicaraguan Pacific; primarily populated by a Spanish-speaking majority of Mestizos followed by whites. There are also people from the USA, Canada, Spain, Germany, Italy, Austria, the Netherlands, and France residing in Granada. This is primarily due to Granada's booming tourist economy. Recently, the number of foreigners seeking colonial homes for purchase has brought a growing number of Europeans and Americans to Granada. Real estate prices are comparatively low although increasing regularly. This influx of foreigners is influencing culture and commerce in Granada. Most of Granada's streets are quite narrow due to the city's layout before the advent of motorized vehicles. Due to this, many streets are one-way which can add a challenge to visitors traveling by car. After many years of neglect, primarily due to the economic collapse of the nation in the 1980s, most of Granada's buildings and infrastructure began to deteriorate. Roads and public utilities were severely un-maintained. Gradually, more investment has been directed in re-establishing much of Granada's infrastructure and public utilities. The city government has directed fund towards recognition and restoration of many of Granada's historic structures. The Spanish government has provided financial cooperation for the refurbishment of the city, one of the projects which currently are transforming Calle La Calzada into Peatonal (foot traffic only) Street. Awhile back I read of one visitor’s amusement when he read a New York couple’s online review of their hotel stay in Grenada, Nicaragua as "very noisy" on the street at night. At the quiet end of the same street, Calle Calzada, every morning of my recent stay at a friend's house, cathedral bells clanged, dogs barked, horses clopped, scooters ripped, and women carrying baskets on their heads yelled the names of fruit at the top of their lungs and the sun wasn't even up yet. Whether at night or in the morning, this city is up. The soundtrack of the streets are music to the ears of most. NICARAGUA IS A COUNTRY OF HEARTBREAKING AND BEAUTIFUL COUNTERBALANCE. GRANADA IS ITS JEWEL… Nicaragua is a country of heartbreaking and beautiful counterbalance. Granada is its jewel. One of the oldest cities in the Americas, claimed for Spain by Francisco Hernandez de Cordoba in 1524, it is an architectural time warp. Although none of the buildings now standing remains from the early 16th century, they are all of colonial style, from grand balconied three-story stand-alone homes to squat concrete rows with heavy tile roofs, their facades ranging from wildly colorful to drab. Like few cities today, Granada (population about 115,000), has maintained its old footprint, growing neither out nor up. There's no evidence this is due to policy or imposition of historic standards; it has just happened that way. Many structures are crude -- corrugated tin houses with dirt floors, for instance -- but everything looks like part of the same family. The absence of corporate America seals the charm factor for me. Fast food is what Nica vendors pile into a banana leaf for you from their carts; "ma and pa" is the only retail. The tallest buildings in Granada are its grand churches. A must-see panorama stretches out from the bell tower of La Merced: rippled tile roofs, cupolas, iron work, palm trees and, in the distance, Mombacho volcano and Lake Nicaragua. Granada is most authentic on the streets near the marketplace -- a jam and weave of scooters, bicycles, pedestrians, cars and sidewalk vendors. Money changers wave shocks of bills amid shouts and honking. Today, gringo businesses have proliferated, and the street has been squeezed into a one-way, partially closed off during certain hours. Sidewalk tables and trees in planters extend into the street. Nine years ago, Granada was attracting new residents from the first-world -- retirees and people looking for life of a different stripe. Most tourists were young backpackers. Today, the ranks have swelled to include more ex-pats and more tourists of means. A house you could have gotten for $60,000 in 2001 -- one with an open-air garden in the middle -- now may cost $175,000. The investment in Granada has brought jobs. Yet the prevailing station for most is still very low. Because of poverty and a often disappointing government, many Nicaraguan children forgo school to work. They work alone or with families as vendors from carts and on foot. They wait in doorways of gringo restaurants and stop at sidewalk tables to sell hammocks, ceramics, Chiclets, cigarettes, small paintings and jewelry. IT IS THE ONLY FRESH WATER LAKE IN THE WORLD WHERE SHARKS LIVE Geography & Ecology Granada is located along the coast of the Lake Cocibolca, the world's twentieth largest lake. Granada is a very warm city all year round, with very similar temperatures to Managua. This is due to similarities in geography with its close proximity to a lake and surrounded by high hills. Rainfall in Granada is approximately between 1,100-2,100mm annually. The vegetation around Granada is a reflection of its climatology. Dry forests and also humid forests skirt the Mombacho volcano. The volcano is also home to a wide array of fauna. The lake is also home to many creatures, both marine and freshwater creatures. It is the only fresh water lake in the world where sharks live (Nicaragua shark!). Fishing in the lake is quite good and fisherman, both commercial and recreational; regularly catch guapote and mojarras, as well as sardines. Nicaragua has recently banned freshwater fishing of the Nicaragua shark and sawfish because of population decline. |
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| Other important cities and towns within the Granada district include Malacatoya, El Paso, El Guayabo, Diria, Macatepe, El Guanacaste, Nandaime and Diriomo, known nationally as the last city of witches. Mombacho volcano is the highest point (1,345m) within Granada; the now dormant volcano blew most of its cone into the lake, forming the 365 Islets of Granada, from where the volcano provides an amazing view. It is also possible on a clear day to see Ometepe and Zapatera Islands. This latter island is the second largest island in Lake Nicaragua and it too is an inactive volcano. It is a national treasure, known as the home of pre-Columbian statues and idols which were found on the island during the Spanish conquest, these are now exhibited in the Convento San Francisco Museum. Granada has many beaches on Lake Nicaragua which are very popular around Semana Santa (Holy week). GRANADA THEN Founded in 1524 by Spanish conquistador Francisco Hernández de Córdoba, Granada is the oldest city of the Americas on firm land. Prior to being colonized by the Spanish and becoming an important trade route, Granada was the site of bustling indigenous communities. Various exhibits at the Iglesia y Convento San Francisco “Granada’s Convent-Church of San Francisco: A Must-See Museum” give a glimpse of pre-Columbian indigenous life in the area. It was named after the Ancient Spanish city of Granada by Hernández de Córdoba. This was done in honor of the defeat of the last Moorish stronghold, which had been Spanish Granada, by the Catholic King and Queen of Spain. Granada, Nicaragua was historically the sister capital in Central America to Antigua, Guatemala. During the colonial period, Granada maintained a flourishing level of commerce with ports on the Atlantic, through Lake Nicaragua (Cocibolca) and the San Juan River. In the colonial era, Granada was highly prized for its natural wealth (gold and fertile soils) and easy access to both coasts (the Caribbean via the Río San Juan ; the Pacific via stagecoach). Repeated attacks by pirates and other would-be rulers attest to its highly sought-after status. In their efforts to secure Granada’s lucrative position for themselves and defend against pirates traveling up the Río San Juan from the Caribbean, the Spanish constructed an imposing fortress on the southern bank of the river near Lake Nicaragua. Today, the ruins of this fortress can be explored from the town of El Castillo, which can be reached by boat from Granada or by plane from Managua. Nicaragua gained independence from Spain in 1821 and, after being part of the Central American Federation for a while, became a republic in 1835. In the years that followed, Granada (by that time quite wealthy and conservative) and León (much more liberal on the political spectrum) often engaged in heavy fighting as each city attempted to establish its supremacy over the other. This ongoing battle came to a head during the 1850s when the feud erupted into a full-blown civil war. A compromise in 1857 settled the matter: Managua was chosen as the capital. The differences between Granada and León in political ideology, however, persist today. For many years Granada disputed with León its hegemony as the major city of Nicaragua. The city of Granada was favored by the Conservatives, while Léon was favored by the Liberals. For many years there was conflict that at times became quite violent between the cities' families and political factions. In the mid 1800s a compromise site was agreed on and the capital was finally established in between both cities at Managua. Courtesy of Cornelius Vanderbilt, another source of wealth for Granada was the Accessory Transit Company (founded in 1849) that brought thousands of gold-rushers to California. Surprisingly, in the mid-1800s, the quickest route from New York to San Francisco was through Granada via the Caribbean, the San Juan River, Lake Nicaragua, and then by stagecoach to the Pacific Ocean. As Granada became increasingly important, it wasn’t long before the infamous filibuster William Walker —motivated by greed, racism, and León’s call for assistance— set his sights on Nicaragua (after failing in Mexico). After his successful military campaign against Granada in 1855, he ruled Nicaragua from there for the next two years, and from there attempted to take control of Central America as a ruling monarch. It wasn’t until neighboring Central American countries themselves felt threatened by Walker’s power-hungry ways that they pitched in, eventually forcing William Walker’s retreat once and for all. Sadly, on his way out, Walker and his cronies burned Granada to the ground, leaving behind many destroyed or damaged colonial buildings and the notorious placard inscribed, “Here Was Granada.” Luckily, a bit of the original colonial Granada —Casa La Gran Francia and the Merced Church— survived. No stranger to calamity, Granada rebuilt and persevered. Walker fled to Honduras where he was executed by a firing squad in Puerto Cortés. The city has been witness and victim to many of the battles with and invasions from English, French and Dutch pirates trying to take control of Nicaragua. Fortunately, for the most part Granada avoided damage during the years of conflict in Nicaragua in the 1980s. Granada is more than the ‘Great Sultan of the Great Lake’ – it is a one-of-a-kind city that is a must see, and a city that one can never forget. |
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Author: Raquel B Tejeda, a medical industry professional, calls herself the” accidental freelance writer.” As a keen observer of the Latin political and social scenes she began to write occasionally for various Latin publications leading her to an exciting career as a part-time journalist. |
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