Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
SANDINO: PROPHET OF THE SEGOVIAS
Born in 1895 to a wealthy Niquinohomo landowner, Gregorio Sandino, and an indigenous ser-
vant girl, Margarita Calderón, Augusto César Sandino was always painfully aware of class differ-
ences. He spent his childhood in poverty until his mother abandoned him and the Sandinos un-
enthusiastically took him in.
The family eventually entrusted him with overseeing the farm, but after he almost killed the
son of a prominent local Conservative politician in a gun duel, Sandino had to leave that life and
flee the country. He traveled and worked in Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico, discovering yoga,
communism and Seventh Day Adventism along the way, even becoming a Freemason. For seven
years he primed himself for a higher path, and when the statute of limitations ran out on his
attempted-murder charges, he returned to Nicaragua, which was by then embroiled in civil war.
Sandino offered his services to the Liberal forces, which refused to arm the untried newcomer.
A group of prostitutes loaned Sandino the money instead, and he began a tireless guerrilla cam-
paign, attracting mostly
campesino
(farmer) and indigenous followers.
In 1927 more than 2000 US Marines arrived with a treaty and orders to enforce it. 'All my men
surrender,' said the Liberal commander during the formalities, tired of war and now hopelessly
outgunned. 'Except one.'
On July 15, 1927, Sandino attacked the marines in Ocotal; the US responded with aerial bomb-
ing. Sandino retreated to the mountains and began a six-year, low-intensity war with US occupi-
ers and the Guardia Nacional. Throughout the early 1930s Sandino's ragged army collected a
series of hit-and-run victories. He declared himself the incarnation of Caesar, saying that a horrif-
ic Managua earthquake was proof of his divinity, and delivering the
Manifesto of Light and
Truth,
which revealed that Nicaragua would be the final staging ground in the battle between
good and evil. Things had gone way beyond ridding Nicaragua of US imperialism.
By 1933, despite Sandino's position as the de facto president of a large chunk of Nicaragua,
the writing was on the wall: international support was gone and popular moderate Juan B Sacasa
had just been elected president.
In exchange for peace, Sacasa gave Sandino 36,000 sq km of homestead near Jinotega, which
they operated as a commune, and Sandino seemed to settle down. But the US military, which had
to pull out due to domestic pressures, suspected he still had a secret cache of weapons.
As an insurance policy, the US began providing substantial military support to Anastazio So-
moza García, a former water-company official married to a niece of President Sacasa, who spoke
fluent English. He was among the guests at an official dinner party celebrating the big peace
treaty with Sandino's forces on February 20, 1934.
After dinner, as they left the presidential palace, Sandino and his supporters were abducted and
shot by Somoza´s men. Their bodies were never found.
Drinking & Nightlife
Café Flor de Jinotega
CAFE
