The indigenous people of what is now…

1524 CE

The indigenous people of what is now known as Nicaragua are part of the Intermediate Area, between the Mesoamerican and Andean cultural regions, and within the influence of the Isthmo-Colombian area.

The Pipil migrated to Nicaragua from central Mexico in the ninth century BCE.

At the end of the fifteenth century, western Nicaragua is inhabited by several indigenous peoples related by culture to the Mesoamerican civilizations of the Aztec and Maya, and by language to the Mesoamerican Linguistic Area.

Meanwhile, the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua is inhabited by other peoples, mostly Chibcha language groups.

They had coalesced in Central America and migrated also to present-day northern Colombia and nearby areas.

They live a life based primarily on hunting and gathering.

In 1502, Christopher Columbus became the first European known to have reached what is now Nicaragua as he sailed southeast toward the Isthmus of Panama.

On his fourth voyage, Columbus explored the Miskito Coast on the Atlantic side of Nicaragua.

The Spanish then returned to the western part of what became known as Nicaragua and encountered the three most populous indigenous tribes of people in the land: the tribe led by Nicaragua, the indigenous chieftain Nicaragua is truly named after, but was erroneously thought to be Nicarao, the chief of another group of indigenous peoples, and Diriangen, the chieftain of a group of indigenous peoples living in central Nicaragua.

The Spanish attempted to convert all three tribes to Christianity; Nicaragua and Nicarao and their people converted, but Dirangen, however, did not, and was openly hostile to the Spaniards.

The first attempt to conquer what is now known as Nicaragua was by Gil González Dávila, who arrived in Panama in January 1520.

After exploring and gathering gold in the fertile western valleys, González was attacked by the indigenous people, some of whom were commanded by Nicarao, and an estimated three thousand led by the chief Diriangén.

Francisco Fernandez de Córdoba is an officer of Pedro Arias Dávila, known also as Pedrarias Dávila.

Hernán Cortés and Hernan Ponce de Leon support Cordoba during the conquest of Nicaragua in 1524.

Granada, founded in western Nicaragua beside Lake Nicaragua at the foot of Mombacho Volcano, is named by Córdoba after the ancient Spanish city of Granada.

This is done in honor of the defeat of the last Moorish stronghold, Spanish Granada, by the Catholic King and Queen of Spain.

Córdoba follows the establishment of Granada with …