Revolution Mural, Leon, Nicaragua

Leaving Granada we made our way 85 miles north to Leon with a couple of stops enroute.

First San Juan de Oriente a village specialising in making artisan ceramics and with beautiful wall murals. We had a brief stop in Masaya to look at their artisan market but it was a bit disappointing. We were supposed to visit the volcano but the site’s closed as the volcano is too active just now!

On to Managua which has been the capital since 1852 ending the rivalry between Granada and Leon! There was a noticeable army and police presence here. The city is festooned with FSLN flags (Sandinista National Liberation Front). We took in the main sites like the old cathedral, plaza de Revolution and the Sandino Monument.

Leon is a lively place! During the 1970s Nicaraguan Revolution Leon was a stronghold of the Sandinistas. There’s lots of murals across the city showing what happened.

Thursday night is mass night and the church bells started ringing around 5pm. Young men were playing basketball in the Park of Heroes and Martyrs as the sun went down and the temperatures dropped ever so slightly. The main square was packed with girls in fancy dress dancing.