Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Granada Highlights
Cruise the narrow waterways of Las Isletas ( Click here ) , where luxury holiday mansions cast
shadows on humble fishing shacks
Giddy-up on a horse-drawn Granada city tour ( Click here )
Feast on some of Nicaragua's most innovative cuisine in Granada's restaurants ( Click here )
Shift down a few gears and visit small villages offering community-based tourism, such as La
Granadilla ( Click here )
Bike out along the Peninsula de Asese ( Click here ) to secluded swimming beaches
Hike below the imposing summit of Volcán Mombacho ( Click here )
Dig the petroglyphs at Parque Nacional Archipiélago Zapatera ( Click here )
History
Nicknamed 'the Great Sultan,' in honor of its Moorish namesake across the Atlantic,
Granada was founded in 1524 by Francisco Fernández de Córdoba, and is one of the oldest
cities in the New World. It was constructed as a showcase city, the first chance that the
Spanish had to prove they had more to offer than bizarre religions and advanced military
technology. The city still retains an almost regal beauty, each thick-walled architectural
masterpiece faithfully resurrected to original specifications after every trial and tribulation.
A trade center almost from its inception, Granada's position on the Lago de Nicaragua
became even more important when the Spanish realized that the Río San Juan was navig-
able from the lake to the sea. This made Granada rich - and vulnerable. Between 1665 and
1670, pirates sacked the city three times.
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