Nicaraguan Flag

The symbolism of all the parts of the Nicaraguan flag are very inspirational. The two blue stripes on the top and bottom represent the two oceans that border Nicaragua. In the center, the white stripe represents purity. The center shield is an equilateral triangle containing a series of five volcanoes at the base that represent the five countries of the Central American isthmus. The rainbow in the shield is a symbol of peace and the Phrygian cap is an emblem of liberty, from which rays of light beam.

Yummy Nacatamales

When we moved to Managua in 2005, I had never heard of Nacatamales! Tamales, yes, but nacatamales, no . . .

So I had a real treat when I tasted my first delicately flavored chicken nacatamale. We went to Sampson's one morning and had a choice between chicken and pork. It was scrumptious!

When we left Nicaragua, I decided to take nacatamales back with me -- hoping that all my friends and relatives would enjoy them as much as we had. So some very expert chefs, my friends Martha, Chilo and Jose gave my daughter, Lilia, and me a lesson. It was great fun, but I'll have to admit that the long and arduous process will never be repeated by me! It was so complicated and time consuming that I decided I would always go to the mercado or the neighborhood nacatamale shop to get what I needed!


But the batch that we did make that day was duly mixed, patted, wrapped, and cooked. They were then frozen and packed into my suitcase for the trip to the US. Nicaraguan customs seemed very amused when I explained what these funny frozen lumps were in my luggage, and the US customs didn't even blink an eye! So all my family and friends received a small taste of Nicaragua.

Below, Chilo takes her turn watching over the boiling nacatamales.






Below, almost finished and ready to eat!

On the Evening of September 1, 1992

On the evening of September 1, 1992, an earthquake measuring 7.0 on the Richter scale with an epicenter 75 miles southwest of Managua, Nicaragua, sent a mammoth tsunami into Nicaragua's western coast. The devastation and disaster that followed brought death and misery to thousands of Nicaraguans.

The quake and two big aftershocks that followed hit the Nicaraguan Pacific coast with a vengeance, and sent huge waves that washed over islands and coastal communities from San Juan del Sur, a city on the border with Costa Rica, to Corinto in the northwest coastal area.


Kevin Gallagher contributed these photos of remnants of buildings that were destroyed at Playa Jiquilillo, northwest of Corinto. Kevin reports that the beach was lined with houses of wealthy Nicaraguans. The water storage tank in the photo above is all that remains of what was a beautiful house on Playa Jiquilillo. Above left, another photo of the physical devastation to the structures near the beach.

It's hard to believe that the serene water below could have the power to wash away people, animals, buildings, boats and everything else in its path.

Thank you Kevin for letting your photos appear on NicaPOD!