Man, oh Managua

I guess one could get caught in a trap of capital prejudiced. That is to say after visiting (or just hearing about) the capital cities in Central America, one might think they're all the same. Certainly my visits to Guatemala City, Belize City/Belmopan, San Salvador and Tegucigalpa helped prove the stereotype of "dangerous", polluted and even ugly cities. But even still, i went into the Nicaraguan capital of Managua with an open mind.

Managua became the capital as sort of a compromise in 1852. The cities of Granada and Leon were constantly battling to be the country's capital, seemingly unendingly. Managua's location, pretty much in the middle of the two more established cities, plus the added feature of being right on Lake Managua. The city has certainly had to overcome adversity during it's stint as capital. A major earthquake in 1931, killing 2,000, had understandably serious effects on the city. But in 1972 an earthquake of 6.2 essentially flattened the city. Some say 20,000 dead and 10s of thousands injured. The city is still rebuilding from the '72 quake. But later in the decade, 1979, is when even bigger troubles began. Nicaragua's civil war began with the overthrow of the Somoza regime and decade long Contra War ensued. Then in 1998, Hurricane Mitch dealt the area yet another blow. Managua didn't really have a very good century.

But the city rebuilds, poco a poco (little by little). The tree-lined boulevards make for an excellent skeleton to build upon. The city seems much less chaotic than other regional capitals. The mixture of the older, devastated buildings next to the newer shiny ones is quite an interesting contrast. Nowhere is this more obvious than in the area know as Area Monumental. And specifically Plaza de la Republica. In the centre of the square lies the Old Cathedral. Once a testament to religious worship, the place now lies in ruins. Mostly destroyed in the '72 quake (and a few bullet holes for atmosphere) promises to rebuild have never come to fruition. But right next to the cathedral is the Palacio national de Cultura. A new fancy-pants building housing the national museum. This dichotomy is represented everywhere in the city, especially in the Area Monumental.

But likely the most visited place in the city is Parque Historico National Loma de Ticapa. It's a long name for "big hill with an old building". This is the place where former leader, Augusto Nicolas Calderon Sandino, had his presidential palace. It also happens to be the place where the national hero was executed in 1934. Little remains of the palace now, except for the parking garage-esque underbelly (a mini-photo museum was set up there when i visited). But large silhouette of Sandino stands tall and is visible from pretty much anywhere in the city. But the real reason to come up here are for the sweeping 360 views over the urban sprawl, the lake and the volcanoes in the distance. There's a small fee foreigners have to pay at the bottom of the hill. I'd say, it's worth the couple dollars and the minimal effort to get up there.

I can't say that Managua is my favourite city in the world. But as for Central American capitals, it's one of the better ones. Besides, chances are most travellers to the region will have to either arrive here or at the very least transit through it. The city deserves a day to explore before heading of the rest of Nicaragua.