The city of Somoto has been known in different ways: The City of Donkeys, La Flor del Henequén, and today as the Capital of Friendship.
It is the cradle of outstanding artists, nationally and internationally, in painting, poetry, dance, theater, narrative and music, the Mejía Godoy family standing out.
It also stands out for its exquisite donuts, among other foods, as well as in sports through the Real Madriz football team.
Artistic expressions and manifestations
The brothers Carlos and Luis Enrique Mejía Godoy are the best known nationally and internationally, authors of the Nicaraguan Peasant Mass and the Epic Song to the FSLN, among other great performances throughout their artistic careers.
Another singer-songwriter is the remembered musician Edmundo Sandoval (RIP), a great exponent of northern regional music. Among his compositions are: Comadre have me el niño, La napkin, El divieso, La ravine, Río lindo, etc.
The Somoteños artists Raúl Hernández Martínez, Raúl Hernández Junior, Ernesto Balladares, Gladys Herrera Tercero, Martha Padilla and Antonio Medina stand out in music and song.
Among the local musical groups stand out The Traditional Musical Group Tapacalí; The Northern Band; Somoteña Band, Nicas Band; and the musical group Los Nomada.
Juan Manuel Romero Obando, cartoonist, musician, painter, known as MARO; studied at the Academy of Fine Arts
Arts in Managua. He has inventoried and immortalized through caricature, painting and music picturesque, popular and historical characters who have contributed to the history of the city of Somoto.
Álvaro Balladares, a prominent painter, has his own painting school, where he teaches painting, drawing and decoration classes.
Osman Díaz stands out as a muralist and Rolando Hernández for his primitive painting; as well as Bislan García, Erick Carrasco, Rolando Hernández, Emilio Ponce, Antonio Padilla and Reynerio Espinoza.
The "Namacambre" dance group is the most representative group in the municipality, it is made up of 12 dancers and has been established for more than five years.
The AMEYAL Theater Group is highly recognized and represents the municipality in regional and national events.
In poetry, the poet Agustín González Moncada stands out, considered the forerunner of Somoteña poetry, Marcial Ríos Jerez and Enrique Cuevas.
Handicraft expression of ancestral popular culture
Somoto is known nationally and internationally for his delicious donuts, made in different family workshops: the Vílchez family workshop; the Tinoco; the Garcia family; the Espinoza family; the Vasquez family; the Cañada family and the Soza family workshop.
At Henequén Handicraft Center You will be able to learn about the elaboration of handicrafts for domestic uses and henequen ornaments, appreciate the exhibition and acquire a beautiful souvenir. The workshop is located in the Unile community.
Other sites of historical and cultural interest
Piedras Pintadas Icalupe Archaeological Site: rock art place, known as "Painted Stones”, One of the most important sites in Nicaragua because it preserves pictographs and petroglyphs with paintings of human, animal and geometric figures in red, orange, cream and purple colors, unique in the country; It presents various motifs of polychrome petroglyphs, unusual and very striking. It is the most important cultural heritage in the municipality. It is located 30 kilometers north of the Somoto municipality, in the Icalupe community.
Archeological Museum: it has an interesting collection of pre-Hispanic ceramics, which shows the sequence and development of aboriginal cultures in the area; segovia orange-type ceramics and some objects made of marble known as alúa marble predominated. This museum is located in the House of Culture, located 250 meters east from the Municipal Mayor's Office.
Ethnography collection: It is made up of different types of objects that make up sub-collections of different themes that have to do with local culture and universal culture. Some very unlikely objects in their nature stand out. One part of the collection is exhibited in the museum and the other part in a house, which is located in the Constantino Maldonado neighborhood. Its owner is the collector Eddy Antonio Barreda, whom you can locate in the Museum of Archeology; He is the director of this institution.
House of Culture: en This center offers painting, music, theater and dance classes for children, youth and adults. It has a varied program of cultural events. It is located from the municipal mayor's office 250 meters to the east.
Craft Market: Local handicrafts are exhibited and sold and activities take place at night. It is located on the north side of the Salomón de la Selva School Center, adjacent to the Intur Madriz Delegation.
Tepeyac Hill: It is another religious historical site, it is dedicated to the Virgin of Guadalupe, located in the Carlos Fonseca neighborhood. On December 11 religious activities are carried out in this place; among them vigils, pilgrimages and the traditional procession where children and adults participate with costumes that recall indigenous clothing; It culminates with a field mass on December 12, the day of the Virgin of Guadalupe.
Hill of La Cruz: located to the southwest of the city, where the pilgrimage takes place every May XNUMX in honor of the Holy Cross. The height of the hill stands out, from where you can see the entire city.
In Somoto, like other cities in the north, several myths prevail, among which the legends of the localities stand out, such as:
La Posa del Caulatu; Somoto's Mountain Serpent; The Loma del Grito; The Cerro de La Cruz; El Cerrito Inglés; La Cegua; The Headless Father; La Chancha Bruja and El Cadejo.
Sanctuary of the Virgin of Cacaulí: It is a sanctuary since the appearance of the Virgin Mary was given to the believer Francisco José Tercero Dávila popularly known as "Panchito", this fact generated a commotion since the viewer revealed that it appeared on the 08th of each month, this Sanctuary is located in Cacaulí community, four kilometers from the city of Somoto.
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