Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
TEN WHO SHAPED NICARAGUA
President Violeta Barrios de Chamorro
(president 1990-96) The first female president in the
hemisphere pulled together a fractured nation.
Cacique Nicarao
Along with Cacique Nagrandano (for whom the Llanura Nagrandano, or north-
western plains, are named) and Cacique Diriangén (still remembered on La Meseta), wise Ni-
carao gave the nation his name.
President Daniel Ortega
(president 1984-90, 2007-) Love him or hate him, you've got to ad-
mire the man's tenacity (and patience), waiting 17 years for another bite at the presidential apple.
Rubén Darío
Began busting rhymes at age 12 and went on to become the favorite poet of a
poetry-obsessed nation.
Carlos Fonseca
Cofounder of the Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional (Sandinista National
Liberation Front; FSLN). The martyred, intellectual hero of the Sandinista revolution, felt by
many to represent its true ideals.
US President Ronald Reagan
(president 1981-88) Together with political philosopher Jeanne
Kirkpatrick, Secretary of State Alexander Haig Jr and Colonel Oliver North, Reagan master-
minded the Iran-Contra debacle.
Augusto C Sandino
His somber silhouette still dominates the Managua skyline, and his refusal
to back down dominates the Nicaraguan collective consciousness.
Costa Rican President Oscar Arías Sánchez
(president 1986-90, 2006-10) Architect of the
1987 peace accords that finally brought peace to Central America. Picked up a Nobel Prize for
his efforts.
The Somozas
A dynasty of Nicaraguan dictators, the first installed by the US military, and the
last deposed more than four decades later by popular revolution.
William Walker
The Tennessean who thought he could take on Central America but ended up in
front of a Honduran firing squad.
