Granada: History

Pre-20th-Century History

Founded in 1524 by Francisco Fernández de Córdoba, Granada is the oldest city in the New World. It was constructed as a showcase city - Spain's first chance to prove that they had more to offer than bizarre religions and advanced military technology - and still retains an almost regal beauty, each adobe masterpiece faithfully resurrected to original specifications after every trial and tribulation.

A trade center almost since its inception, Granada's position as the mistress of Lago de Nicaragua became even more important when the Spanish realized, in the 1530s, that the Río San Juan was navigable from the lake to the sea. This made Granada rich - and vulnerable. Between 1665 and 1670, pirates sacked the city three times.

Undaunted, Granada rebuilt itself, growing even richer and more powerful, and became a conservative cornerstone of the Central American economy. Furthermore, after independence from Spain, the city chose to challenge the colonial capital, longtime rival and liberal bastion León, for leadership of the new nation.

Tensions erupted into full-blown civil war in the 1850s, when desperate León contracted the services of American mercenary William Walker and his band of 'filibusterers'. Armed and funded by the burgeoning Confederate States of America, Walker defeated Granada, declared himself president and launched a conquest of Central America - and failed. He was then forced into retreat after a series of embarrassing defeats that pushed him north, from Costa Rica to Rivas. As Walker fell back to his old capital city, he set it on fire and left in its ashes the infamous placard: 'Here was Granada'.

Modern History

Fortunately spared the worst of both the revolution and the Contra War, Granada's beauty and location are once again attracting business. Over recent years, a massive restoration project - some of it public, but most of it being undertaken by wealthy Nicaraguans and interested expats - has seen the rebuilding of this fine city to its original glory.

Recent History

With its stunning colonial architecture and picturesque location, Granada is a logical destination for visitors to Nicaragua. Its rural surrounds also offer many interesting community-based ecotourism opportunities, which are becoming increasingly popular.

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