Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
renowned for the gem-toned paintings and balsa-wood sculptures that so colorfully (and
accurately) capture the tropical landscape. If you can't get to the islands yourself, try the
Masaya markets, or any of the art galleries in Managua or Granada.
A more venerable form of the art is on display every Semana Santa in the Subtiava
neighborhood of León, when 'sawdust carpets,' scenes painstakingly rendered in colored
sawdust, are created throughout the neighborhood, then swirled together as religious pro-
cessions go by.
THE WRITING (PAINTING) ON THE WALL
Nothing quite captures Nicaraguans' spirit, creativity and political sentiment like their love for
murals. Often strikingly beautiful pieces of art in their own right, murals served a practical and
political end in the days before the Sandinistas' Literacy Crusade of broadcasting a message to an
audience that was largely illiterate.
There are murals in all major cities, but the Sandinista strongholds of León and Estelí are
standouts, where at one stage nearly every blank wall in the downtown was covered with colorful
revolutionary messages. The area around the UCA university in Managua has some fine ex-
amples too.
However, with the modernization of the cities, some of the best examples have been painted
over, often with propaganda from multinational cell-phone networks.
Estelí has its own NGO teaching mural painting to kids and teenagers, and is also home to a
new movement of muralistas, who use more-recognizable graffiti techniques but continue to
paint the walls of the city with images of a social slant.
For a look at murals from around the country, check out the gorgeous coffee-table book
The
Murals of Revolutionary Nicaragua
by David Kunzle.
