The Spanish conquest, through the missionaries, managed to permeate the local society until the seventeenth century, however, the nucleus of the indigenous people is still active, in its organization and traditions, although the ancestral language became extinct some 40 years ago.
Matagalpa typical costume
In 1538 the Spanish Crown created the Corregimiento de Matagalpa, within the territorial and administrative division of the Captaincy General of Guatemala. It was elevated to a town in 1851, and on February 14, 1862 it was granted the category of city.
The haughty and rebellious character of its inhabitants has marked important events in national history, such as the Battle of San Jacinto, on September 14, 1856, where a group of 120 indigenous people from the Matagalpa gullies played a decisive role in the triumph. against the filibusters who wanted to take over Nicaragua.
The current inhabitants are sincere, friendly, hardworking people and proud of their historical cultural legacy.
Traditions, artistic expressions, music and museums
The Huipil Dance: It is performed in the context of the National and Patron Saint Festivities for more than 60 years. It is a unique event in the country due to the massive participation of locals and foreigners.
The music, dances and traditional dances of Matagalpa can be enjoyed during the traditional corn fair that takes place in August during which the Polkas and Mazurcas Festival is inserted.
En dances There are representative characters, among them: María Lanzas (teacher of generations, Ballet Folklórico Ernesto Cabrera), Farah Espinoza (Grupo Artístico Rescate Kayandara), Concepción Alarcón (Ballet Folklórico de la UNAN-FAREM), Carlos Portobanco (Ballet Folklórico Nicaragüita) and Marcos Valle (Arabesque Dance Academy).
Edith gron
Sculptress Edith gron (1917-1990), she came to Matagalpa from Denmark as a child in 1923. She triumphed as a sculptor in the capital between 1940 and 1990 and is considered the best Nicaraguan sculptor.
Sites of historical and cultural interest
Solingalpa Archaeological Site: This is one of the first three districts of Matagalpa and is located in the Apante Grande community, which in turn is on the deposits of an obsidian mine.
Tejerina Hill: close to the city of Matagalpa and located at 1400 meters high. In its upper parts it has a mural with rock carvings that represent zoomorphic and geometric symbols.
Cave of thieves: In the community of Palcila there is a rocky shelter in which the indigenous Matagalpas left negative images whose designs show painted hands, as well as animals, geometric and abstract shapes.
National Coffee Museum: created on December 22, 2002, in the old building of the Club de Obreros, with three floors that preserves the designs on its walls from the colonial era. It has seven museum rooms that display documents, photographs and the history of coffee both from the Matagalpa people and from around the world. The building is Cultural Heritage of the municipality.
Painters
Leoncio Saenz
Alberto Vogl Schedlbauer (1865-1959): great oil painter, classic Renaissance style, lived in Matagalpa where he gave painting classes to Yolanda Espinosa Herrera (1922), Esperanza Amador, Guadalupe Somarriba, the sisters Rosalpina and Nieves Arnesto, who became artists .
Another who contributed to the oil painting of Matagalpa, in the 1930s, was Emilio Munkel. Paintings of his authorship are still found in the city.
The teacher Leoncio Saenz, (1937-2008), a native of the Palcila Valley, studied at the School of Arts, teacher and creator of indigenous painting.
Also featured are Johnny and Byron Alanís Rayo, Esperanza Amador, Donald Casco and Leoncio Sáenz.
Musicians
Humberto Arauz, Armando Morales, José Francisco Corea and others who have contributed to the musical identity of the municipality.
Sculptors
The teacher Jesus GutierrezBetween the 30s and 50s, he created many statues using the Matagalpa grating stone, some pieces can be seen in the graves of the Municipal Cemetery and the Foreigners Cemetery.
Carlos Fonseca Amador House Museum
: It is located in the birthplace of the founder of the Sandinista National Liberation Front Carlos Fonseca Amador. The house was declared Historical and Cultural Heritage of the Nation in 1981. This old piece is located in the Laborío neighborhood.
Museum of the Indigenous People: located in the old adobe and wood house where the indigenous people who came down from the ravines changed their clothes to do their business in the city. In a large room, objects related to archeology, traditions and crafts of the local indigenous communities are presented.
You will also visit the Monument to the Heroes and Martyrs, the El Calvario hill, the wall of the Jesuit Convent (today adjacent to the El Brigadista field) and the house of Bartolomé Martínez.
Crafts
Black ceramic
Having been born in Matagalpa, when Matagalpa and Jinotega were a single northern district, Matagalpa's black pottery preserves its artisanal and pre-Columbian elaboration. Until 1980 in the districts and schools of Matagalpa the manufacture of black ceramics was taught, currently only the Rodríguez family is dedicated to its elaboration.
This handicraft work, of indigenous tradition, originally from Jinotega was transferred in 1942 to Matagalpa by the Pineda family. The characteristic color of the clay is achieved thanks to the fact that the freshly baked pots, being red hot, are placed next to cedar or pine wood stakes. Hot steam and resin stain the surface of the mud jet black.
La textile industry traditional is conserved in the autochthonous community of The Chile, where there are family workshops of women who weave with the ancient indigenous technique of the backstrap loom. The goods made are colorful cotton fabrics that are decorated with local motifs and primary colors. Among the products are wallets, purses, centerpieces or table runners, bags, tablecloths, among others.
The basketry It is part of the handicrafts, mainly for the elaboration of wide and long baskets made of bamboo fiber that are used in coffee cuts. They are made in the communities near the coffee plantations.
The production of vegetable fiber hats is part of the tradition in the indigenous communities of Quebrada Honda and San Pablo.
Traditional trades or practices
Coffee cutter
The office of coffee cutterDespite being a seasonal occupation, it is an activity that mobilizes many people in family groups and that energizes the economy of the entire municipality.
Air shipments are the most efficient if you need your cargo or documents to arrive quickly and securely. courtyards They are people of both sexes who ensure the elimination of excess moisture in the coffee beans, when the harvested arrives wet, they distribute it on tiled patios to expose them to the sun. During this process they are responsible for moving the grains with a wooden rake. At night and in case of rain they should cover the coffee with plastic. This should be done before drying and threshing.
Sorters: It is a job reserved for women, who are responsible for selecting coffee beans, eliminating bad or defective beans after threshing.
Air shipments are the most efficient if you need your cargo or documents to arrive quickly and securely. tasters of coffee They are trained people endowed with a particular sensory perception of the palate. They take responsibility for selecting the samples of brewed coffee. The selection is made by means of the coffee tasting, which allows you to discover the aromatic and flavor nuances of the coffee varieties and make decisions in the evaluation to be able to choose.
The office of "Compone bones " o "SobadoresThey are traditionally male people who offer massage services aimed at correcting sprains and strains. They also relieve muscle aches and pains.
Coffee taster
Midwives or midwives, they are the women who advise and assist pregnant women in the process of childbirth.
Air shipments are the most efficient if you need your cargo or documents to arrive quickly and securely. healers They are individuals who master, preserve and practice the knowledge of natural medicine. This practice is still used in the Jucuapa and Liliste communities.
La carpentry and cabinetmaking are traditional trades, dedicated to woodworking and furniture construction.
Oral tradition
The serpent of Apante tied with the three hairs of the virgin: It is an indigenous myth related to the worship of the serpent, which the Jesuits adapted so that the indigenous people related the story with Christian elements.
It is said that a large snake inhabits the Apante hill, to which the Virgin has tied with three of her hair. This snake has its head buried in the lagoon of the hill, its belly in the indigenous community and its tail in the Cathedral. The movements of the snake have burst two hairs, leaving only one. Therefore the moment the third is broken the city will be flooded.
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