THE CITY OF LEON—ORIGINALLY BUILT ON THE SHORES OF LAKE MANAGUA—CAUSE OF
ITS REMOVAL—ITS PRESENT SITE—DWELLINGS OF ITS INHABITANTS—STYLE OF
BUILDING—DEVASTATION OF THE CIVIL WARS—PUBLIC BUILDINGS—THE GREAT
CATHEDRAL—ITS STYLE OF ARCHITECTURE; INTERIOR; MAGNIFICENT VIEW FROM
THE ROOF—THE “CUARTO DE LOS OBISPOS,” OR GALLERY OF THE BISHOPS—THE
UNIVERSITY—THE BISHOP’S PALACE—“CASA DEL GOBIERNO”—“CUARTEL
GENERAL”—THE CHURCHES OF LA MERCED, CALVARIO, RECOLECCION—HOSPITAL
OF SAN JUAN DE DIOS—STONE BRIDGE—INDIAN MUNICIPALITY
OF SUBTIABA—POPULATION OF LEON—PREDOMINANCE OF INDIAN
POPULATION—DISTINCTION OF STOCKS—MIXED RACES—SOCIETY OF LEON—THE
FEMALES; THEIR DRESS—SOCIAL GATHERINGS; THE “TERTULIA”—HOW TO
“BREAK THE ICE” AND OPEN A BALL—NATIVE DANCES—PERSONAL
CLEANLINESS OF THE PEOPLE—GENERAL TEMPERANCE—“AGUARDIENTE”—AND
“ITALIA”—FOOD—THE TORTILLA—FRIJOLES—PLANTAINS—THE MARKETS—PRIMITIVE
CURRENCY—MEALS—COFFEE, CHOCOLATE, AND “TISTE”—DULCES—TRADE OF LEON.
The city of Leon is situated in latitude 12° 25′ north, and longitude
86° 57′ west. As I have elsewhere mentioned, it was founded in 1523, by
Hernandez de Cordova, the conqueror of the country and the founder of
Granada. Its original site was at the head of the western bay of Lake
Managua, near the base of the great volcano of Momotombo, at a place now
called Moabita, or, as it is spelled in the early chronicles, Ymbita,
where its ruins still exist, overgrown by trees undistinguishable from
those of the surrounding forests. This site was abandoned in the year
1610, for that now occupied by the city, which was then the seat of a
large Indian town called Subtiaba. There is a tradition that a curse was
pronounced upon the old town by the Pope, when he heard of the murder
there, in 1549, by Hernando de Contreras, of Antonio de Valdivieso,
third bishop of Nicaragua, who opposed the cruelty and oppression
towards the Indians practised by Contreras, and who, for this reason,
fell under his anger. In consequence of this curse, it is said, the city
was visited by a succession of calamities, which became insupportable;
and the inhabitants, driven to despair, finally, on the 2d of January,
1610, after a solemn fast, with the flag of Spain and the officers of
the municipality at their head, marched to the site now occupied by the
city, and there proceeded to lay out a new town. The cruel and
sacrilegious deed of Contreras is, even yet, mentioned with horror; and
many of the people believe that the stains of the blood of the bishop,
who fled to the church, and died of his wounds at the foot of the altar,
are yet visible upon its ruined walls, a lasting evidence of God’s
displeasure.
In common with Granada, Leon suffered from the attacks of the pirates,
during their predominance in the South Sea. In 1685, a party of English
freebooters, amongst them the celebrated Dampier, landed in the Estero
Doña Paula, and advancing rapidly upon the city, surprised and captured
it, notwithstanding the brave resistance of the little garrison of fifty
men. They sacked the entire city, and burnt the cathedral, the convent
of La Merced, the hospital, and many of the principal houses.
Leon is situated in the midst of the great plain of the same name, which
I have described, about midway between the lake and ocean. The choice of
position seems to have been determined by the same considerations which
influenced the Indians in selecting it for one of their own towns, viz.:
the proximity of water. Upon both sides of the city are deep ravines, in
which are a multitude of springs of pure water, forming perennial
streams of considerable size, which unite at the distance of half a mile
from the city. From these the supply of water for the town is chiefly
obtained. In later times many wells have been sunk, but they require to
be of great depth—from one hundred and twenty to two hundred feet—and
the water is not esteemed to be as good as that from the ravines.
Like all other cities under the tropics, Leon covers a large area of
ground. It is regularly laid out, with squares or plazas, at intervals,
in each ecclesiastical or municipal district. The houses, like those of
Granada, are built of adobes, and are rarely of more than one story.
Each one encloses a spacious _patio_ or courtyard, filled with fruit or
shade trees. Sometimes the building has an inner or back court for the
domestic animals, while that immediately connected with the dwelling is
ornamented with shrubbery and flowers, and surrounded on all sides by a
broad corridor. This style of building, which is well adapted to the
climate, and rendered necessary in a country where earthquakes are so
frequent, admits of very little architectural display. The builder has
no opportunity of exhibiting his taste or skill, except in the
“_puerta_” or “_zaguan_”—portal, or principal entrance,—and in the
elaboration of the balconied windows. These portals are often high and
imposing, and profusely and tastefully ornamented. Some are copies of
the Moresque arches so common in Spain, and are loaded with ornaments
peculiar to that style of architecture. Others are of the severer
Grecian styles, and others of orders utterly indescribable, and
eminently original. Above these arches the old aristocracy often placed
their arms; those of a military turn carved groups of armor, and those
piously inclined a prayer or a passage from the Bible.
Formerly, very few of the buildings had more than two or three openings
on the street, but of late years windows are becoming more numerous.
These windows are broad and high, projecting two or three feet, and are
guarded by iron balconies. Within the balconies are seats, which in the
evening are occupied by the señoras, who here receive their visitors,
and return the salutations of their passing friends. The gallant
saunters from one to the other, and pays his devoirs without entering;
an easy custom, which, in the early evening, gives the streets an air of
great gayety and cheerfulness. He often carries his guitar with him, and
sings a song when conversation flags. Sometimes the mounted cavalier
reins in his steed before the balcony, to pay his compliments to the
fair occupants,—stealthily pricking the animal with his spurs, to show
off his skill in managing him, and to impress the señoras with
admiration for his spirit. They are quite up to these little tricks in
Nicaragua, as well as in other countries.
The interiors of the dwellings of the better classes convey an idea of
great comfort, in a country where room and ventilation become necessary
conditions of existence. The principal apartments, with rare exceptions,
open upon the corridor, and are also connected by inner doors. In the
main body of the building is the grand _sala_, or what we would call a
parlor, used only for receptions, or as a sitting-room for the ladies.
On either side are the private rooms of the families, while the wings
are appropriated for sleeping apartments, to the servants, and for
stores. Very few are ceiled, but are open to the roof, allowing a free
circulation of air between the tiles. The floors are paved with large
square tiles or bricks, occasionally with marble, and are usually kept
well watered. And as the windows are never glazed, every passing breeze
enters freely, and the ventilation is made perfect. Meals are taken in
the corridor, on the side most shaded from the sun; and here hammocks
are swung for those who choose to occupy them. The walls, both of the
corridors and inner rooms, are sometimes painted, in imitation of marble
or of hangings; but owing to the lack of skill on the part of the
artists, the effect is not usually good. The accompanying ground-plan
will convey an idea of the arrangement of the various parts of a Central
American dwelling, from which the details may be discovered without
further explanation. I need only repeat that, however at variance with
established rules of architecture in other countries, they are probably
better adapted to the climate and country than edifices of a more
pretending character.
[Illustration: PLAN OF A DWELLING-HOUSE IN LEON.]
In Leon, as in Granada, the dwellings on the outskirts of the city are
simple cane structures, covered with thatch, but sometimes plastered
with mud and roofed with tiles. And here, as in all the other towns,
they are embowered in trees, and surrounded with cactus fences. The
accompanying engraving of a hut in the barrio of Saragossa, may be taken
as a type of all the others.
The streets in the central part of the city are paved. The object
principally had in view is the prevention of dust, which, towards the
close of the dry season, is almost unendurable in the unpaved parts of
the town.
Perhaps no city in America has suffered more from war than Leon. During
the contest between the aristocrats and liberals which followed the
declaration of independence, a large part, embracing the richest and
best built portions, was destroyed by fire. Over one thousand buildings
were burned in a single night. The great cathedral is surrounded by
entire squares of ruins of what were once palaces. The lofty and
elaborate archways, by which they were entered, still indicate their
original magnificence. Entire streets, now almost deserted, are lined
with the remains of large and beautiful edifices, destroyed in the civil
wars. Within their abandoned courts stand rude cane huts,—as if in
mockery of their former state. Leon was formerly one of the best built
cities in all Spanish America. “It is,” says the old traveller, Gage,
writing in 1665, “very curiously built; for the chief delight of the
inhabitants consists in their houses, in the pleasure of the country
adjoining, and in the abundance of all things for the life of man. They
are content,” he adds, “with fine gardens, with the variety of singing
birds and parrots, with plenty of fish and flesh, with gay houses, and
so lead a delicious, lazy, and idle life, not aspiring much to trade and
traffic, although they have the lake and ocean near them. The gentlemen
of Leon are almost as gay and fantastical as those of Chiapas; and it is
especially from the pleasure of this city that the province of Nicaragua
is called Mahomet’s Paradise.”[18]
-----
Footnote 18:
The pirate, Dampier, in giving an account of the capture and burning
of Leon by himself and his associates, says:
“Our countryman, Mr. Gage, who travelled in these parts, recommends
Leon as the pleasantest place in all America, and calls it the
Paradise of the Indies. Indeed, if we consider the advantages of its
situation, we may find it surpassing most places for health and
pleasure in America; for the country about it is of a sandy soil,
which soon drinks up all the rain which falls. It is encompassed with
savannas, so that they have the benefit of the breezes which come from
any quarter; all of which makes it a very healthy place.”—_Dampier’s
Voyage round the World_, vol. i. p. 218.
-----
------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Illustration: CATHEDRAL OF ST. PETER, LEON.]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The public buildings of Leon are among the finest in all Central
America. Indeed, the great cathedral of St. Peter may perhaps be
regarded as second to no similar structure in any of the Spanish
American States. It was finished in 1743, having occupied thirty-seven
years in building. The cost is said to have been five millions of
dollars, but this seems to be an exaggeration. It covers an entire
square, and its front extends the whole width of the grand plaza. It is
constructed of cut stone, and is one firm mass of masonry. The roof is
composed of massive arches, and has all the solidity of a rock. Nothing
can better illustrate its strength, than the fact that it has withstood
the storms and earthquakes of more than a century; and, with the
exception of one of the towers, which during my residence in the country
was struck by lightning, and cracked from top to bottom, it is now
nearly as perfect as it came from the hands of its builders. Yet it has
often been converted into a fortress, and has sustained more than one
cannonade and bombardment from besieging forces. In 1823, it is said, no
less than thirty pieces of artillery were planted on its roof. On its
most exposed side, towards the east, there is hardly a square inch of
its walls which is not indented with shot.
Its ornaments are of stucco, and are simple and chaste. Viewed from an
eminence, the entire structure is very imposing, but seen from the
plaza, it appears low in proportion to its width. The interior is not
unworthy of its exterior; but is comparatively bare of ornament. At the
head of the principal aisle, beneath a lofty, spacious dome, is the
great altar, composed of silver, elaborately chased. The side chapels
are not remarkable for their richness or beauty. For, in the civil
commotions of the country the churches have not escaped the rapacity of
the soldiery. The cathedral was once possessed of extraordinary wealth,
and the costliness and variety of its ornaments were a proverb in Spain
itself; but now it has little to boast beyond its massive proportions
and architectural design.
I visited it shortly after my arrival, under the guidance of one of the
canónigos, who was conscientious in pointing out to me everything worthy
of notice. What most interested me, however, was a small room, in which
were contained all the portraits of the bishops, commencing with Zuniga.
They were forty-four in number, and displayed every variety of feature
and complexion. The dark skins and black hair of some of the bishops
showed that native or Indian blood had been no bar to ecclesiastical
preferment, and contrasted strongly with the fair complexions of others
of European birth. Most had an expression of great austerity; types of
rigorous zealots, who looked as if every sentiment and feeling of
humanity had been rudely rooted from their hearts; while others wore
more cheerful faces, and a few, I am sure, had been right jolly old
fellows in their day, not averse to the grape, nor wholly indifferent to
the smiles of beauty.
Both the façade and rear of the cathedral were once ornamented with the
royal arms of Spain, but these were removed in the first fervor of
republican zeal, and their places yet remain blanks,—emblematic of a
country which has got rid of one government, without having as yet fully
succeeded in establishing another in its place.
One of the finest views in the world is commanded from the roof of the
cathedral; and standing here, I saw for the first time the waters of the
Pacific, a rim of silver on the edge of the western horizon. In the east
bristled the nine volcanoes of the Marabios, which I have already
mentioned, their outlines sharply defined against the sky, and in their
regularity of outline emulating the symmetry of the pyramids. From this
position alone is a good view to be obtained of the city, which, seen
from one side, or from a distance, presents only a monotonous succession
of tiled roofs, half-buried amongst the trees, and only relieved by the
white walls of the churches.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Illustration: CHURCH OF MERCED AND VOLCANO OF EL VIEJO, FROM
CATHEDRAL.]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Illustration: VOLCANOS OF AXUSCO AND MOMOTOMBO, FROM CATHEDRAL.]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
To the left of the cathedral, and separated only by the street, is the
“Palacio del Obispo,” the Episcopal Palace. It was described as follows,
in 1751, by the then Bishop of Nicaragua, Señor Don Pedro Augustin Morel
de Sta. Cruz, and has changed but little since.
“The Episcopal Palace is situated at the corner of the principal
plaza, contiguous to the Sagrario; it is built of adobes and tiles,
with two balconies, and is distinguished by a certain air of
respectability. It is entered by a portico of good proportions, and
has not less than fourteen apartments, furnished and ornamented with
pictures, canopies, curtains, tables, silk beds, and many well-carved
chairs. The principal sala and the oratorio are the largest; the
others are proportioned to their purposes. They all open upon a broad
piazza, running entirely around the court, within which is a garden,
with many trees and flowers, and a fountain very beautiful and
refreshing to the sight. Back of the building is another square for
the servants, stables, etc. In short, nothing is wanted to make it a
suitable habitation for the prelate, except a revenue sufficient to
enable him to keep up a style commensurate to the edifice.”
Adjoining the palace of the Bishop, is the Tridentine College of St.
Ramon, established in 1675. This institution was once very flourishing,
and had numerous students, with professorships of law and medicine. It
has, however, shared in the general decadence of the country, and has
now but little more than a nominal existence. Efforts have lately been
made to revive it upon a new foundation; and with an improvement in the
country at large, there is no doubt it may regain something of its
former position.
The government house, which occupies the northern side of the grand
plaza, is distinguished for nothing except that it is somewhat more
lofty than its neighbors, and has a raised corridor extending along its
entire front. Opposite to this is the Cuartel General, or head-quarters
of the regular forces of the government, with a guard of soldiers
constantly on duty; for, in case of disturbance, this is the first place
to be attacked, inasmuch as it is the general depository of the arms of
the State.
The churches of La Merced, the Recoleccion, and Calvario, are remarkable
for their size and their fine façades. The front of the latter is
ornamented with panels containing Scriptural groups, admirably executed
in bas-relief, and with niches containing statues of the saints. It has
suffered much from shot, having been twice occupied by besieging forces,
while the superior position of the cathedral was in possession of the
other party. The Merced has also suffered from the same cause, but in a
less degree. It contains some fine paintings, and its principal altar is
an elaborate and very beautiful piece of composition. A convent was once
attached to this church, as also to the church of the Recoleccion, and
to that of San Juan de Dios. But these have been abolished; and the
convent buildings of the Merced, at the time of my arrival, were used as
cavalry barracks, while those of San Juan de Dios had been converted
into a hospital. Besides the churches which I have named, there are ten
or twelve others, but less in size, and of more moderate pretensions.
And as each of these has a chime of bells, and nearly every day is
dedicated to some saint, in whose honor it is essential to ring them
all, a continual clangor is kept up, which, until the stranger becomes
habituated to it, or is deafened outright, is excessively annoying.
When to this list I have added the stone bridge across the ravine to the
south of the city, connecting with the barrio de Guadelupe, I have
finished the architectural notabilities of Leon. This bridge was never
fully completed, but was boldly projected, and the arches spanning the
stream are models of symmetry and good workmanship.
The Indian pueblo of Subtiaba is really part of the city of Leon,
although constituting a distinct municipality. It has also its grand
plaza, and separate public buildings. Its great church is second in size
to no other in Nicaragua, except the cathedral of Leon. The façade is
quaint, with numerous niches filled with figures of grim old saints. It
is substantially built, and has a very high antiquity. “The Parroquial
of Subtiaba,” said the old Bishop, Augustin Morel, writing of this
church in the year 1751, “is the largest and most beautiful in the
Bishopric. The principal and side chapels, and baptistery, are arched,
and high and ample. The body of the church consists of three naves; the
columns are of cedar, with gilt capitals. It has eight altars, four
chapels, a neat sacristy, and is admirably decorated. Its towers are
well proportioned, and its façade imposing and tasteful, and altogether
the edifice is fit for a cathedral.”
Subtiaba has suffered no less than Leon from intestine wars, and is but
a shadow of what it once was, when it could muster two thousand fighting
men in its plaza at a moment’s warning.
It is difficult to form a correct estimate of the population of Leon.
The city is spread over so wide a space, and so involved amongst trees
that, even after a three months’ residence, I found myself constantly
discovering new and secluded portions, of the existence of which I was
before ignorant. And although at first I thought twenty thousand an over
estimate, I ultimately came to regard the number set down in the census
attempted in 1847, viz: thirty thousand, as probably nearer the truth.
In this calculation I include the Indian municipality of Subtiaba, which
is generally, but erroneously supposed to be a town separate from Leon.
Here, as everywhere else in Nicaragua, the Indian and mixed population
greatly predominates, and the pure whites constitute scarcely one-tenth
of the whole number. The general complexion is however considerably
lighter than at Granada, but not so clear as at Managua and some of the
smaller towns. An infusion of Indian blood is easily to be detected in a
large proportion of those who claim to be of pure Spanish descent. It
displays itself less in the color of the skin than in a certain
quickness of the eye, which is a much more expressive feature in those
crossed with the Indians than in either of the original stocks. In
respect of _physique_, leaving color out of the question, there are
probably no handsomer men in the world than some of the Sambos, or
offspring of Indian and negro parents. They are of course darker than
the Indian, but taller and better developed. It should however be
observed that the negroes of Nicaragua differ very widely in appearance
from those of the United States. They must have been derived from an
entirely different portion of the African continent. They have, in
general, aquiline noses, small mouths, and thin lips,—in fact, with the
exception of the crisp hair and dark skin, they have few of the features
which, with us, are regarded as peculiar and universal in the negro
race.
The fusion between all portions of the population of Nicaragua has been
so complete, that notwithstanding the diversity of races, distinctions
of caste are hardly recognized. The whites, in their social intercourse,
maintain a certain degree of exclusion, but in all other relations the
completest equality prevails. This would not probably be the case if the
white population was proportionably greater, and possessed the physical
power to keep up the distinctions which naturally separate the superior
and inferior families of men. With a full consciousness of their
numerical inferiority, their policy is plainly that of concession; and
however repugnant it may have been originally to their pride, it has now
come to be regarded as a matter of course, and is submitted to with a
good grace.
A few days in Leon sufficed to show me that, in the tone of its society,
and the manners of its people, it had more of the metropolitan character
than Granada. And although the proportion of its inhabitants who laid
claim to what is called “position,” was even here comparatively small,
and not at all rigid in its adherence to the conventionalities of the
larger cities of Mexico, South America, and our own country; yet, in the
essential respects of hospitality, kindness, and courtesy, I found it
entitled to a position second to no other community. The women are far
from being highly educated, but are simple and unaffected in their
manners, and possessed of great quickness of apprehension, and a
readiness in good-natured repartee, which compensates, to a certain
extent, for their deficiency in general information.
The condition of the country for many years has been such as to afford
few opportunities for the cultivation of those accomplishments which are
indispensable accessories of refined society; and we are therefore, not
justified in subjecting the people of Leon, or of any other city of
Central America, to the test of our standards. I can conceive of nothing
more painful, or more calculated to awaken the interest of the visitor
from abroad, than the spectacle of a people, with really high
aspirations and capabilities, borne down by the force of opposing
circumstances, conscious of its own condition, but almost despairing of
improving it.
In dress the women of Leon have the same fashions with those of Granada,
but the European styles are less common, owing to the circumstance that
there are fewer foreign residents to infect the popular taste. They have
an equal fondness for the cigarito; and in the street are not less proud
of displaying a little foot and a satin slipper. As everywhere else in
the world they are very attentive in their devotions, but beyond their
daily visit to the churches, rarely go out of doors, except it is in the
early evening, when visits are paid informally. If chance brings
together a sufficient number, a “_tertulia_” or dance, is often
improvised. Set parties or balls are of rare occurrence, and are
generally given only on public occasions, and then with great state and
ceremony.
We were witnesses of a tertulia at our own house, the second evening
after our arrival. A dozen señoras casually found themselves together, a
dance was proposed by the gallants loitering at the balconies, and the
proposition meeting with favor, they at once dispersed to bring in
recruits and the “musicos.” In an hour the grand sala was filled. The
females as they came in were all ranged on one side of the room, and the
males on the other. This looked rather stiff, and I began to fear that a
_tertulia_ was no great matter after all. Directly, however, a single
couple took the floor; the music struck up, and as they moved down the
room, the measure brought the lady first on one side, and then on the
other. As she passed she alternately tapped a señor and señora on the
shoulder with her fan, thus arbitrarily determining the partners, who
were obliged at once to join in the dance. In this manner the whole
party was brought to its feet, _nolens volens_,—and such I found was a
frequent mode of opening the tertulia. After the first set is over, the
ice once broken, and the excitement up, the gallants are permitted to
exercise a choice. I thought the practice a good one, obviating a great
deal of awkward diplomacy at the outset, and putting every one very
speedily at their ease. As the evening progressed the party augmented,
and before ten o’clock we had got together the _élite_ of Leon. All
joined heartily in the spirit of the affair, and when the bell of the
cathedral tolled eleven, I think I never saw a more animated assemblage.
The polka and the waltz, as also the bolero, and other well known
Spanish dances, were all danced gracefully and with spirit; and besides
these, after much persuasion, we had an Indian dance, a singular affair,
slow and complicated, and which left upon my mind a distinct impression
that it was religious in its origin. After the dancing, we had music,
but beyond the national air, which was given with force and spirit, I
cannot say much for the singing.
During the whole evening, the windows were festooned with urchins, and
the doors blockaded by spectators, who when they were particularly
pleased, applauded tumultuously, as if the whole affair had been got up
for their special entertainment. The police would have driven them off,
but I won an enduring popularity by interceding in their behalf, and
they were consequently permitted to remain. Upon the occasions of the
more formal balls subsequently given, soldiers were stationed at every
entrance, and the crowd kept at a distance.
Amongst the lower classes, fandangoes and other characteristic dances
are frequent, and are sufficiently uproarious and promiscuous. For
obvious reasons, I never witnessed any of these in the city, although I
stumbled upon them occasionally in the villages, during my excursions in
the country.
The people of Nicaragua are generally scrupulously clean in their
persons, except when travelling or ill, and then the touch of water is
prohibited. But beyond the grand sala, and the apartments appropriated
to visitors, their houses are frequently very far from being patterns of
neatness. I have seen sleeping apartments, occupied by families of the
first respectability, which certainly had not been swept for weeks, not
to say months. Yet the beds in these rooms were clean and neat—the more
so perhaps from the contrast. These remarks are less applicable to
Granada than Leon, for in the former city the example of the foreign
residents has worked a partial reformation amongst the native
housekeepers.
The Spanish people, in all parts of the world, are temperate in their
habits. Those of Nicaragua in this respect do no discredit to their
progenitors. Strong liquors are little used except amongst the lower
orders of the population; and even here excess is less common than with
us. The sale of brandy and the “aguardiente,” or native rum, is a
government monopoly, and is confined to the “estancos,” or licensed
establishments, where it pays a high duty to the State. I do not
remember to have seen a single respectable citizen drunk during the
whole of my residence in the country. Yet a bottle of “cogniac” is
usually offered to the stranger, whenever he pays a visit. A
considerable quantity of sweet or Spanish wines, are used in the
principal towns, but the lighter French wines have the largest
consumption. There is a delicious kind of _liqueur_ made from the
Muscatel grape, called “Italia,” or “Pisco,” which is brought from Peru.
It is, however, produced in small quantities, upon, I believe, a single
estate, and is consequently introduced in Nicaragua to a very limited
extent. Should it ever become generally known to the people of the
United States, it would, no doubt, create for itself a large demand. But
whether it can be produced in sufficient quantities to supply a
considerable market, is a point upon which I am ignorant.
[Illustration: ANCIENT METLATL, OR GRINDING STONE.]
In their food, the Nicaraguans are also exceedingly simple. Tortillas
and frijoles are the standard dishes. The first are composed of maize,
and if well made are really palatable. Fresh and unblemished maize on
the ear is always selected. It is shelled, soaked in alkali to remove
the hull, and then carefully and repeatedly washed in cold water. It is
afterwards placed on a _metlatl_, or grinding stone, and reduced to the
extremest fineness. A very little cheese is ground with it, to give it
consistency. A roll is then taken in the hands, beaten into a flat cake,
and placed on an earthen pan, already heated upon the fire. When
sufficiently done upon one side, it is adroitly turned on the other, and
is finally served hot and crisp at the table. I “cottoned” to the
tortilla from the start, and always preferred it to the native bread,
which although light and fair to the eye, is invariably spoiled by
sweetening. The tortilla is an aboriginal invention; and the foregoing
engraving represents an ancient _metlatl_ or grinding stone which was
dug up during my residence in Leon. The form is unchanged to this day,
although few are as elaborately ornamented as that here introduced,
which is a favorable specimen of aboriginal carving.
It will be observed that this stone is curiously ornamented with
_grecques_, which are shown more distinctly in the subjoined enlarged
sketches of the upper and lower extremities of the _metlatl_ (_a._ _b._)
[Illustration: ORNAMENTS OF THE METLATL.]
_Frijoles_, in plain English, are baked beans; but the beans are quite
of a different flavor from those in use in more northern latitudes. They
are small, white, black, or brown in color, and indigenous in the
country. They are not usually relished at first, but a taste for them is
gradually acquired, and a meal without _frijoles_ finally comes to lack
an essential ingredient. The man who cannot “go” the _frijoles_ had
better keep away from Central America. For the weary traveller, in
soliciting the bill of fare at the Indian hut where, four times out of
five, he is obliged to stop for the night, has generally this brief
catalogue, “_hay tortillas, frijoles, frijolitos, frijolitos fritos, y
huevos_,”—“tortillas, beans, little beans, little baked beans, and
eggs!”
Excellent beef and pork are to be obtained, at cheap rates, in all the
principal towns, and poultry is abundant. A pair of chickens costs from
a _quartillo_ to a _medio_,—i. e. from three to six cents. Next to the
tortillas and frijoles, however, the chief articles of consumption are
rice, plantains, and a kind of cheese, which is supplied in great
quantities from the “haciendas de las vacas,” or cattle estates. The
plantains are cooked in many ways,—boiled, fried, and roasted,—and are
singly capable of sustaining life. And when I add that, in many parts of
the state, they may be had for the asking, and that everywhere six cents
worth will sustain a small family for a week, it will be understood that
the incentives to labor cannot be very strong, and that the poorest
wretch need not go hungry.
The markets of Leon display the greatest profusion of fruits and
vegetables, of which it would be almost impossible to give a complete
list. Water and musk melons, papayas, pine apples, oranges, mamays,
nisperos, pomegranates, marañons, jocotes, yucas, plantains, bananas,
beans, maize, and occasionally small potatoes but little larger than
bullets, brought in bales from the highlands of Costa Rica and Honduras,
and sold by the pound. And as the smallest coin in the country is a
_quartillo_, or three cents, which would purchase more of almost any of
these articles than most families would require at one time, change is
made in the aboriginal coin of the country, namely _cacao nuts_, of
which four are about equivalent in value to one cent of our currency.
But two meals a-day are eaten by the inhabitants at large. A cup of
coffee or chocolate is served at the bedside, or immediately upon rising
in the morning. Breakfast follows at nine or ten o’clock in the
forenoon, and dinner at three or four in the afternoon. Tea is only
drunk by foreigners, and by them to a very limited extent. It is not to
be found therefore in any of the shops. A cup of chocolate, or more
frequently a cup of _tiste_ (parched corn ground with chocolate and
sugar and mixed with water), passed unceremoniously in the evening,
supplies its place, and is not an unacceptable substitute. It should be
mentioned, however, that large quantities of “dulces,” literally
“sweets” or sweetmeats are eaten between meals, especially by the women.
The Spanish taste for “dulces” long ago passed into a proverb, but it
rather surpasses itself in Nicaragua. The venders of “dulces,” generally
bright Indian girls, gaily dressed, and bearing a tray, covered with the
purest white napkins, and temptingly spread, upon their heads, pass
daily from house to house; and it is sometimes difficult, and always
ungallant to refuse purchasing something, however trifling, from their
stock. The “mil gracias Señor!” in the silverest of voices, is always
worth the money, and so one gets the “dulces” gratis. They sometimes,
however, trespassed a little upon my good nature, and carried off more
of my loose change than was proper, considering that, having a
reasonable regard for my stomach, I never ate any of their dyspeptic
compounds.
Leon has little trade beyond the supply of its local wants. The
principal import and export business for this portion of the state is
done in the large and flourishing town of Chinandega, situated within
two leagues of the port of Realejo. Its shops are nevertheless well
supplied, and it has some wealthy merchants. Its principal inhabitants,
however, are “propietarios,” owners of large estates which are carried
on through agents. Attempts have recently been made to augment the
commercial importance of Leon by opening a shorter and direct
communication with Realejo; but its interior position will always prove
a bar to its progress in this respect. Chinandega has already a start,
which it will doubtless keep, unless a town, more favorably situated
nearer the port, should spring up under the requirements of commerce.
Since the above was written, a new town called “Corinth,” has been laid
out on the south shore of the harbor of Realejo, in the direction of
Leon, which will greatly benefit the latter city.
[Illustration: MACHETE AND TOLEDO.]