Crafts Totogalpa has ancestral cultural wealthTheir handicrafts possess a diversity of artistic expressions and skills that promote the preservation of cultural heritage and are an important source of employment and income for poor families who dedicate themselves to making and/or marketing these varied products at a good price in their different forms: Tule, Clay, Corn Husk, Gourd, Henequen Fiber, Tule, Horn and paintings among other items.

Minor Basilica of Saint Sebastian: An architectural gem with a majestic dome and interior frescoes depicting religious scenes. It is considered one of the most beautiful churches in the country.

The Public Clock: A historic landmark and meeting point that has become the visual symbol of the city.

Town Center: It is characterized by its spacious stately homes with high ceilings and neoclassical facades, remnants of the coffee economic boom.

Lthe Catholic church “Saint Mary Magdalene”: Declared a national historical and cultural heritage site in 1998, it is one of the few buildings considered a Monument due to its age and Baroque architectural style. An inscription beneath the dome of the Santa María Magdalena church tower reads: “This tower was built by the municipality and its neighboring towns in 1871, by Juan Pablo, and directed by the master builder Trinidad Dávila.” According to a document written by Father Pedro Agustín Morel, Bishop of the

The Diocese of Nicaragua, during its visit to Totogalpa in 1751, described the church as “a house with a small room for a sacristy, old, dilapidated, and thatched. It contains two indecent altars and two small bells. The inhabitants of that town, who are Indians, have dedicated themselves to building another suitable church, made of adobe, earth, and tiles.” In his book, *The Naturalist of Nicaragua*, written by the Englishman Thomas Belt, he notes that, during his visit to Totogalpa in 1871, “the church appears very clean and beautiful, adorned with a simple square tower, built of ordinary stone and covered with a white cement that shines like marble when viewed from a short distance, which is due to the mixture of very fine black sand with lime lye.”

RELIGIOUS FESTIVITIES

The municipality celebrates its patron saint festivities in honor of Our Lady of Santa María Magdalena on July 22nd, and traditional celebrations are held on September 8th in honor of Our Lady of Mercy. This latter celebration lasts for 15 days during the month and includes a horse parade, religious activities, a corn fair, bullfights, dances, a greased pole climbing contest, and other traditional activities.

Fiestas of the May flowers

LaMay flowersUnique in our country, this religious activity takes place during the 31 days of May. It is a traditional activity that has been carried out for many years. Doña Juliana López López (may she rest in peace) stated that she dedicated herself to this religious activity from a very young age, and that it has existed for a very long time, estimated to be between 300 and 400 years. Most of the people of Totogalpa celebrate the "May Flowers" every year, using the national flower, the sacuanjoche, which they carefully and patiently prepare to make garlands that will adorn the Virgin of Fatima, to whom they pay tribute every year in the designated month. The first person to begin the procession goes to the church where the image of Our Lady of Fatima is kept, awaiting the prayer offered at 6:00 p.m. that day. Afterward, the image is taken to the home where it will spend the night, and there, the novena is prayed (a religious rite). Between noon and 1:00 p.m., the image is carried back to the church, accompanied by parishioners. Firecrackers and homemade mortars are set off. At 2:00 p.m., a prayer or novena is recited with the participation of the person handing over the image, the person receiving it, and other parishioners. At 6:00 p.m., prayers are offered to Our Lady of Fatima, and the image is then taken to another home, where the process is repeated. On the final day, May 31st, it is Juana Gómez López's turn to conclude this religious activity. At the same time, the Virgin's image is brought together by parishioners from Sabana Grande and Santo Domingo, before the procession continues to the church. This activity is supported by the Totogalpa Municipal Government, which provides the 31 women in charge with products such as corn and sugar to prepare the beverage.

LMojiganga with his cloak

This traditional activity has a 50-year history and takes place on December 25th and January 01st, with dancing and parading through the main streets of the town center accompanied by guitar music. Local groups entertain with their guitars, accordions, flutes, and chicheros (traditional musicians) playing native tunes, along with the traditional street theater dances of the "Mojiganga or the dance of the Gigantona" with its mantudos (masked figures) and the ever-present regional dance of youth groups.

The first years featured accordion music, and the last 8 years included mariachi and a disco. The festivities begin at 7:00 pm and last until 1:00 or 2:00 am. This activity is a carnival where many people dance in costumes (mantudos). In recent years, it has grown in scale due to the influx of tourists from surrounding municipalities and the presence of foreign tourists.

The Xilonem Corn Fair

It is a traditional activity that has been carried out in this municipality since 1982, to celebrate corn, our root, and to value and promote our traditions by showcasing our typical dishes and drinks derived from corn (tamales, atol, güirilas, pozol, chicha, pinolillo, bread rolls, tortillas, etc.). It takes place in the first days of September each year, as a recognition of the farmers of this municipality for producing the land, as well as an incentive for the production of basic grains, with special attention to corn, which is the quintessential grain.

which was most needed as a food base for human beings and which is also used for the production of flour for making bread, at the same time served as a mechanism to confront and defend our food sovereignty against the economic blockade imposed on Nicaragua by the United States in the 80s. This activity features massive participation from the urban population, students from educational centers in urban and rural communities, and representatives of the indigenous Chorotega community of the municipality, who actively participate in the various activities. These activities are part of the cultural transmission of knowledge about domestic trades, gastronomy, and ceremonial acts of our ancestors to attract rain for the crops. They include an original form of parade with floats adorned with materials and products derived from corn, the election of the Xilonem Corn Queen, ceremonial acts of cultural heritage from our ancestors to the Corn God, and presentations by cultural groups and works to exalt, preserve, and pass on our cultural traditions to new generations regarding corn cultivation and the ways and customs of preparing delicious corn-based dishes.

Other festivities held in the municipality include the traditional Holy Week activities, among which the Centurions stand out, a tradition with over half a century of history. Judea which narrates the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, in which young local artists participate who dramatize this religious event of the Christian people.

The highlights include beef soup, chicken soup, tripe soup, nacatamales, izote flower stew, corn atole, piñuela atole, pinol, pozol, chicha bruja and sozolca (unfermented corn chicha), as the diet is based on corn and beans produced in the area and rice, sweets such as huevo chimbo, piñonate, milk cajeta, sweet cajeta, torrejas, papaya syrup, gofios, homemade bread, squash in honey among others.