Nicaragua is a nation in Central America. It is located roughly halfway between Mexico to its north and Colombia to its south and bordered by Honduras to its north and Costa Rica to its south. Nicaragua ranges from the Caribbean Sea on its east coast to the Pacific Ocean on its west coast. Nicaragua also possesses a series of islands and cays located in the Caribbean Sea.
The etymology of Nicaragua is Nicānāhuac, which was the name the Nicaraos, a Nawat-speaking people, gave to western Nicaragua and northwestern Costa Rica. It means "here lies Anahuac" in Nahuatl and is a combination of the words "Nican" (here), and "Ānāhuac", which in turn is a combination of the words "atl" (water) and "nahuac", a locative meaning "surrounded". Therefore the literal translation of Nicanahuac is "here surrounded by water". It is a geographical endonym that refers to the large bodies of water surrounding the land the Nicaraos inhabited, the Pacific Ocean, lakes Nicaragua and Xolotlan, and the rivers and lagoons. In addition it fits the theory that the etymology references bodies of water inside the country.
Pre-Columbian Nicaragua
Western Nicaragua was populated by Mesoamerican groups such as the Nicaraos and Chorotegas, who were agriculturalists, and cultivated maize, cacao, tomatoes, avocados, squash, beans, and chili, which was the typical Mesoamerican diet.Fowler, 1989 The Nicarao also dined on various meats such as turkey, deer, iguana, mute dogs, and fish from the sea, rivers, lakes and lagoons. Eastern Nicaragua was populated by Misumalpan and Chibchan-speaking groups, belonging to the Isthmo-Colombian area. Here, the population consisted of extended families or tribes. Food was obtained by hunting, fishing, and slash-and-burn agriculture. Crops like cassava and pineapples were the staple foods. The people of eastern Nicaragua appear to have traded with and been influenced by the native peoples of the Caribbean, as round thatched huts and canoes, both typical of the Caribbean, were common in eastern Nicaragua.
When the Spanish arrived in western Nicaragua in the early 16th century, they found three principal tribes, each with a different culture and language: the Nicarao, the Chorotega, and the Chontal. Each of these diverse groups occupied much of Nicaragua's territory, with independent chieftains who ruled according to each group's laws and customs. Their weapons consisted of swords, lances, and arrows made from wood. Monarchy was the form of government of most tribes; the supreme ruler was the chief, or cacique, who, surrounded by his princes, formed the nobility. Laws and regulations were disseminated by royal messengers who visited each township and assembled the inhabitants to give their chief orders.
Occupying most of western Nicaragua and the Pacific Coast, the Nicaraos were governed by multiple rulers, such as chiefs Macuilmiquiztli, and Agateyte. Macuilmiquiztli was a rich ruler who lived in Quauhcapolca, now the city of Rivas, while Agateyte was the ruler of Teswatlan, located in present-day northwestern Nicaragua, specifically Chinandega.McCafferty and McCafferty 2009, p. 186. They spoke the Nawat language and had migrated from El Salvador around 1200 AD, and ultimately from central and southern Mexico before that.Fowler 1985, p. 37. Although not much is known about the military forces of Nicanahuac, the Nicarao did have a warrior tradition. Nicarao warriors wore long and thick padded cotton armor that extended down to their thighs and knees, fought with spears, atlatls, bow and arrows, clubs edged with stone blades, knives and daggers with obsidian blades, and macanas, a wooden sword edged with obsidian blades similar to the Aztec macahuitl. The Chorotegas, also known as Mangue, are an Oto-Manguean people closely related to the Zapotecs and Mixtecs of Mexico. They lived in parts of central and western Nicaragua, and are also thought to have ultimately migrated from central Mexico or Oaxaca, between 600 and 700 AD, given that their language belongs to the Oto-Manguean family. These two groups had intimate contact with the Spanish conquerors, paving the way for the racial mix of native and Spanish stock now known as mestizos. The Chontal (which means foreigner in Nahuatl), also known as the Caribs, occupied the central mountain region. This group was smaller than the other two, and it is not known when they first settled in Nicaragua. This group may have modern representatives in the Cacaopera people.
In the west and highland areas where the Spanish settled, the indigenous population was almost completely wiped out by the rapid spread of new diseases brought by the Spaniards, for which the native population had no immunity and the virtual enslavement of the remainder of the indigenous people. Most indigenous groups survived in the east, where the Europeans did not settle. The English introduced guns and ammunition to one of the local peoples, the Bawihka, who lived in northeast Nicaragua. The Bawihka later intermarried with runaway slaves from Britain's Caribbean possessions, and the resulting population, with its access to superior weapons, began to expand its territory and push other indigenous groups into the interior. This Afro-indigenous group became known to the Europeans as Miskito, and the displaced survivors of their expansionist activities were called the Mayangna.
Spanish conquest
Nicaragua was first encountered by Europeans when Christopher Columbus sailed south from what is now Colón, Honduras, exploring the eastern coast of Central America on his fourth voyage in 1502. The first time Europeans incur into the limits of Nicaragua occurs on September 14, 1502. When he reaches the limits of the present Honduran coastline, Christopher Columbus names the mouth of the Rio Coco, Cabo Gracias a Dios. Eleven days later on September 25, Columbus arrives to what is today the Mosquito Coast. Columbus describes the people he encounters as "people of a good disposition, very sharp, [and] wanting to see." Columbus notes seeing "hogs and big mountain cats, and they brought them to the ships: [where] here we took (people) for language [purposes]. And they were left somewhat scandalized." He goes on to add that the ancestors of Nicaragua "had threaded cotton" and "their faces painted".
In 1522, the first Spaniards entered the region of what would become known as Nicaragua. Gil González Dávila with a small force reached its western portion after a trek through Costa Rica. He proceeded to explore the fertile western valleys and was impressed with the Nicarao civilization for the vast amounts of food it had in addition to their elaborate markets and permanent temples. Macuilmiquiztli initially welcomed the Spanish and their Tlaxcallan translators, however, Dávila and his small army used the opportunity to gather gold and baptize some of the Nahuas along the way. Understanding the threat that the Spanish imposed, Macuilmiquiztli waged war against Dávila, and both Chorotega and Nicarao warriors forced the Spanish to withdraw to Panama. As González Dávila retreated to his expedition's starting point in Panama, he reported on his discovery, naming the area Nicaragua. However, governor Pedrarias Dávila attempted to arrest him and confiscate his treasure. He was forced to flee to Santo Domingo to outfit another expedition.
Within a few months, Nicaragua was invaded by several Spanish forces and their Tlaxcallan allies, each led by a conquistador. González Dávila was authorized by royal decree and came in from the Caribbean coast of Honduras. Francisco Hernández de Córdoba, at the command of the governorate of Panama (then called Veragua), approached from Costa Rica. Pedro de Alvarado and Cristóbal de Olid at the command of Hernán Cortés, came from Guatemala through San Salvador and Honduras.
Córdoba apparently came with the intention of colonization. In 1524, he established permanent settlements in the region, including two of Nicaragua's principal towns: Granada on Lake Nicaragua and León west of Lake Managua. But he soon found it necessary to prepare defenses for the cities and go on the offensive against incursions by the other conquistadores.
The inevitable clash between the Spanish forces devastated the indigenous population. The Indian civilization was destroyed. The series of battles came to be known as The War of the Captains.Duncan, David Ewing, Hernando de Soto – A Savage Quest in the Americas – Book II: Consolidation, Crown Publishers, Inc., New York, 1995 By 1529, the conquest of Nicaragua was complete as the Nicaraos and the Chorotegas suffered devastating defeats in addition to demographic and societal collapse from a combination of disease, war against the Spanish and their Tlaxcallan allies, and being sold into slavery. Several conquistadores came out winners, and some were executed or murdered. Pedrarias Dávila was one such winner. Although he lost control of Panama, he moved to Nicaragua and established his base in León.
The land was parceled out to the conquistadores. The area of most interest was the western portion. It included a wide, fertile valley with huge, freshwater lakes, a series of volcanoes, and volcanic lagoons. Many Indians were soon enslaved to develop and maintain "estates" there. Others were put to work in mines in northern Nicaragua, but the great majority were sent as slaves to Panama and Peru, for significant profit to the new landed aristocracy. Many Indians died through disease and neglect by the Spaniards, who controlled everything necessary for their subsistence.
From colony to state In 1538, the Viceroyalty of New Spain was established, encompassing all of Mexico and Central America, except Panama. The Spanish used Nicaragua for their massive agricultural export economy in the region. The slave trade was particularly important on the pacific coast of Nicaragua. The large urban population was exploited by the Spanish for removal to places like Panama and Peru. Slaves filled several manual labor roles with the exception of soldiers. The depopulation of the Indigenous population following the arrival of the Spanish was catastrophic. The highest estimates are that the population declined by 500,000 to 600,000, including 30,000 deaths from famine, and as few as 5,000 surviving. Up to 500,000 Nicaraguans were exported as slaves. By the 1580s, the Indigenous population had declined by up to 97%. It has been estimated that only 20% of slaves survived.
Bartolomé de La Casas (1484-1576) was a Spanish landowner who joined the Dominican Order after bearing witness to the massacre of a group of Indigenous people in Cuba by some Spaniards. He would commit himself to documenting Spanish atrocities in Central America to try and get the crown to act. He also established a convent in Granada, but would eventually abandon it in 1536 and would try again in Guatemala. He advocated for the outlawing of slavery and his manuscript, A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies, convinced the Spanish crown to agree to some reforms and the enacting of the New Laws of the Indies that among other changes, abolished the enslavement of Indigenous persons.