Chinandega (Capital City)
The departmental seat of Nicaragua's Chinandega department is the city of Chinandega (pronounced [tʃinanˈdeɣa] in Spanish). Additionally, it serves as the administrative hub for the nearby municipality of the same name. With a population of 115,067 (2022 estimate) and a total of 137,539 in the municipality, it is the sixth largest city and the second most important city in terms of the economy of Nicaragua. On the Honduran border, it is roughly 72 kilometers (45 miles) southwest of El Guasaule and 134 kilometers (83 miles) northwest of Managua. The distance between Chinandega and the Pacific Ocean is roughly 20 kilometers (12 miles).
Chinandega Airport serves the city.
In particular, oil, flour, peanuts, shrimp, sugarcane, and distilled liquors are produced in the area surrounding Chinandega.
Because of its low elevation in the tropics, the city experiences warm, humid weather.
Geography
Chinandega is on the CA-1 (Pan-American Highway), close to Nicaragua's Honduran border. Chinandega (the department seat), El Viejo, Corinto, Chichigalpa, Posoltega, El Realejo, Puerto Morazán, Villanueva, Somotillo, Santo Tomás del Norte, San Juan de Cinco Pinos, San Pedro del Norte, and San Francisco del Norte are among the thirteen municipalities that make up the 4,929 square kilometers (1,903 sq mi) department. Its population is 378,970.
The department is home to many beaches, natural reserves, historic towns, mangroves, and old churches. It is also home to Nicaragua's highest volcano, San Cristóbal, along with the other volcanoes in the San Cristóbal complex, which include El Chonco, Moyotepe, and Casita, and the peninsula-forming Cosigüina volcano farther to the east.
Growing sugarcane, bananas, peanuts, cashews, sesame seeds, oranges, and grains, Chinandega is a major agricultural hub. It is a fishing and shrimping hub that also produces leather items and salt. The nation's biggest rum factory (Flor de Caña) and sugar mills are located in the city.
Salomón Ibarra Mayorga, who wrote Nicaragua's national hymn, Tino López Guerra, who composed "Rey del Corrido," priest Tomás Ruiz, and athletes Vicente Padilla and Próspero González are all natives of the department.
Climate
There is usually a noticeable dry season in this area. Chinandega has a tropical savanna climate, denoted by the letter "Aw" on climate maps, according to the Köppen Climate Classification system.
History
Chinandega has been dubbed "the Hot City" (Ciudad Cálida) and "the City of Oranges" (Ciudad de las Naranjas). Although its exact meaning is up for debate, its Nahuatl name may have originated from the phrase Chinamitl-tacalt, which means "place surrounded by reeds."[6] [7] [8] [9]
Despite being a tiny city during the colonial era, Chinandega eventually gained prominence due to its location among rich flatlands and its role as a commercial center. In his compilation and account of the West Indies, the Spanish historian Friar Antonio Vázquez Espinoza detailed his trip to Chinandega in 1613:
"The town of Chinandega is comprised of many Indians, plentiful corn, and all of the fruits of the earth, and appears to be a piece of paradise."
Antonio Rojas, an engineer, designed the city, which was officially designated as a community (poblado) in 1796. A law establishing a fair on December 8 of each year was instituted on March 30, 1835.
It was given the title of town (villa) on March 15, 1836, when José Núñez was in power, and the title of city on September 2, 1839.
Hurricane Mitch caused major flooding in Chinandega on November 1, 1998. In addition to causing thousands of people to lose their homes, the water damaged infrastructure that had not yet been repaired as of 2009.
Churches
Our Lady Santa Ana Parish
The city is built around a central park that houses the Romanesque-style Our Lady Santa Ana Colonial Church, in keeping with its colonial background and colonial-era urban planning. It has survived more than a century of harsh earthquakes, wars, and storms. After suffering significant damage in an earthquake in 1885, the church was eventually restored to its current condition. However, this is not where the original seventeenth-century edifice was located. Documents from Bishop Morel of Santa Cruz from June 1751 state that "This church owns three naves on the river, with its sacristy and choir close by, two small bells, limestone walls, and tiled floors" . On the north and south sides of the church are two old doors in the Antigueño style that have withstood earthquakes, including the one in 1925 that destroyed the towers and façade.
Every year on July 26, people commemorate Saint Anne's feast day.
After being restored to its previous colonial glory, the church is now awaiting the announcement that it will become the seat of a new diocese and be made a cathedral.
El Calvario Parish
Bishop Monsignor Manuel Ulloa y Calvo constructed El Calvario ("Calvary") Parish in 1874, and it is situated in the neighborhood of the same name. The original adobe building here was damaged by an earthquake on October 11, 1885, and was subsequently rebuilt. It is commemorated annually on the final Sunday of January and is patronized by the Holy Name of Jesus. The church also celebrates Saint Pascal Baylon's feast day on May 17. The COEN Foundation has refurbished the church.
Our Lady of Guadalupe Sanctuary
Although it was built recently, its roots are in a building that was constructed in 1855 but was destroyed in an earthquake in 1885. During a cholera outbreak, it was first constructed as an offering to Our Lady of Guadalupe. Following the eruption, on December 25, 1856, a picture of Our Lady of Guadalupe was first shown in the cathedral. Pope Pius IX then made the church the first in Central America to be named a sanctuary. It was renovated by the COEN Foundation, and it celebrates processions during Holy Week in addition to its main feast day on December 12.
Church of Saint Anthony (Iglesia San Antonio)
This church was enlarged after suffering significant damage in the 1885 earthquake. Unofficially, the church was linked to the city's nobility; within its walls, aristocratic weddings were lavishly celebrated. When the Franciscans arrived to the church in 1923, it underwent a comprehensive reconstruction. Every year, June 13 is its main feast day. Every year on January 1st, there is also a procession.
Colonial buildings
Though not as many as the Nicaraguan cities of León and Granada, Chinandega is home to a large number of colonial-era structures. However, many of these were damaged during a bombardment in 1928 by Liberal forces who had rebelled against Conservative Adolfo Díaz. Only the churches were spared, and the majority of the city was destroyed. Unlike León and Granada, the city lacks a code that safeguards colonial architecture.
Culture
Prior to the Spanish invasion, Chinandega was home to a variety of Mesoamerican peoples, some of whom may have come from northern Mexico. This is when the region's cultural and historical riches began to emerge. 1,200 pre-Columbian archaeological relics can be found in the city's "Enrique Mantica Deshon" museum. Additionally, there is the 400-seat "Rodrigo Callejas" municipal theater.
Sport
Chinandega FC and VCP Chinandega are two football teams from Chinandega who have both competed in the highest division in recent years. In the northwest of town, close to the airport, they share the Estadio Efraín Tijerino Mazariego. The city is also home to Tigres de Chinandega, a team in the Nicaragua Professional Baseball League. Mark Minicozzi is one of several Major League Baseball players who have played for Los Tigres.
Famous individuals
- Reynaldo Aguado Montealegre (born 1960), human rights activist
- Carlos Alonso (born 1979), former footballer
- Elí Altamirano (1934-2006), politician and trade unionist
- Russel Carrero (1950–1990), Olympic sprinter
- Oswaldo Mairena (born 1975) former relief pitcher for the Chicago Cubs and Florida Marlins
- Hermógenes L. Mora (born 1979), poet and writer
- Ana Violeta Navarro-Cárdenas (born 1971), political strategist and commentator
- Vicente Padilla (born 1977), former pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies, Texas Rangers, Los Angeles Dodgers and Boston Red Sox
- Ileana Rodríguez (born 1939), academic in Latin American studies
- Bismarck Veliz (born 1993), footballer
- Samuel Wilson (born 1983), footballer
Credits: www.wikipedia.org/wiki/
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