The city of Leon

Wednesday, June 20^th

Today was our final day in Leon and we spent it exploring some of the city. We took a self-guided tour of the Cathedral (Basilica de la Asuncion). This cathedral is the pride of Leon and Nicaragua and is one of the largest in all of Latin America. It is legend that the plans for the cathedral, on which construction began in 1747, were accidentally switched with plans from another country. This would explain why such a small country has such a large cathedral, but this is more legend than truth. Either way, the Latin American baroque structure is very different from the colonial structure in Granada. The Leon cathedral shows signs of damage from fire, hurricanes, earthquakes and war while the Granada cathedral has a fresh coat of paint. Still the Leon cathedral is both majestic and gritty, like the country itself.

From there, we went to visit the Museum of the poet, Ruben Dario. The story of this man is novel to Americans. He is known as “El Leon de Nicaragua” (The “lion of Nicaragua”). Born in a small village, he was raised by his mother and his aunt in Leon after his mother left his abusive father back in Honduras. He was a brilliant young boy and the poetry he wrote is among the most celebrated in the entire Spanish language. His face is on the 100 cordoba bill, everyone knows his name and he is a national hero. I can’t think of any poets in our culture who garner the same kind of fame and respect. And yet, prior to coming to this country, I had never heard his name. How can that be? The museum was a look into his life, with excerpts of his poetry everywhere. I purchased some small copies of verses of his in the hopes that I might use them to work on my Spanish. Regardless, I won’t forget this lion – a poet with the status of a hero.

We will leave this town for Granada tomorrow. At first glance, Leon appears to be quite similar to Granada, but it has a very different feel. We will remember it for its more assertive political nature and its vibrant university culture. Less of a tourist destination, Leon offers us a different view into Nicaragua than Granada does.

Also, it is much more clear here what the sentiment is about our

country (and our president in particular).

I am very glad we came.