Managua History

Managua, the capital and largest city in Nicaragua, contains a third of the country’s population, or 1.4 million people. The city is at an altitude of 165 feet above sea level. Managua stretches 338 miles along the shores of Lake Managua (Lago Xolotlán). At least 6,000 years ago, Paleo-Indians inhabited the site; their fossilized footprints, called the "Footprints of Acahualinca," have been discovered along the lake shore.

Originally established as a fishing village, Managua was named Nicaragua’s capital city in 1852 to settle the feud between Granada and Leon, as both cities had been competing for the title. Natural and political disasters have done a number on the city through the years, with large fires decimating Managua in 1931 (after an earthquake) and 1936. In 1972, another earthquake destroyed 90 percent of the city and killed over 10,000 people. Rather than rebuild the old city center, the Managua of today was built up in a circle around the disaster zone. In 2007, Managua mayor Dionisio Marenco declared the city "free from illiteracy" after rates dropped below 3.2 percent.