Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-03-23
IN NICARAGUA.
FEATURES OF INTEREST TO THE
TOURIST.
public--The Sebastopoi of Gen.
trail America-Etc.

Especial Correspondence of the RECORD UNIoS.l
GRANADA, March 10, 1889.
Though city of fifteen thousand souls
Including the suburban municipality of
Jalaxara), and the collegiate center of the
Republic, to my mind this Nicaraguan
Granada is the oldest place l have yet
stumbled into. Its mother across the sea,
for whom it was named-the ancient Ora
NADIA of the Moors, in the south of Spain
cannot be more quantity picturesque and
uncomfortable in all its appurtenances and
belongings; and we long ago discovered
that discomfort and picturesqueness are
synonymous terms, representing something
pleasant to look upon at long range-the
longer the better-but not TO be lived with
enjoyment At any rate, those Moorish
Kings of the eighth century, and the
doughty Calls of Cordova who succeeded
them, and the later sovereigns of CASTLE,
each IN his little day on the banks of the
Jenil and the Guadiaro and among the
Sierras of Ronda and Alpujarras-never
attempted to control queerer people than
are crowded together in this Central
American namesake of that long-disputed
territory bordering the Mediterranean.
Nestled at the feet of dark and lofty
range of mountains called the Buombacks,
and s1irted on the other side by the great
lake of Nicaragua, Granada's situation is
ipI.r oil hot aa,,1I h.
evidently its founders believed, for Her
nandez de Cordova and his followers, who
built it in the year of our Lord 1922, ex-
pended upon it all their architectural re-
sources and a vast amount of dinero
(money)-the latter mostly Borrowed"
from the conquered aborigines Many
gigantic works still remain to attest those
early splendors. The wide and handsome
streets are remarkably well paved, the
churches magnificent in their proportions,
and many of the spacious and massive
cdsGs yet show upon their elaborately
carved fronts the arms of some of the
noblest houses of old CASTLE.
Granada used to be the seat of many
thriving commercial establishments. and
before the civil war of 1854, the natural
waterway to the Caribbean Sea via Lake
Nicaragua and the San Juan river, was
covered the paraguas and hat-bottomed
boats of the Granadians, carrying indigo,
cocoa, wool and hides to the port of San
Juan del Norte, now renamed Graytown.
From the spring of that year QS54), till
the following February, Granada was I'M
der seige; but was bravely and successfully
defended by Senior Don Fruto Chamorro.
the local leader of the Conservative" (cleri-
CALI party. In 1856, after the untimely death
of Don Chamorro, the city was surprised
and taken by the Liberals" but was re-
taken the following year by the "Conserva-
tiyes" As natural result, between two
such holly opposing elements, the old town
was almost annihilated, and more wreck
and ruin was wrought in one short year
than the winds and storms of three CEN
turtles had been able to accomplish. Since
the establishment of peace, efforts have
been made to effect Granada's restoration:
but her wounds were too many and the
sears too deep for obliteration.
Though rejoicing under the name of the
"Sebastopol of Nicaragua" the inhabitants
are now wretchedly poor even those
who live in the grandest stone cdsas, with
their balconies of turned wood before the
windows, and pendent ornaments, curiously
carved, swaying from the projecting roofs
like the little balls on a bull-fghters SOM
brero.
Some of the long streets straggle down
to the lake and apparently plunge into it
for a much-needed bath. At the foot of
one of them-built out over the water-is
an ancient fort, dismantled and overgrown
with trees and bushes, dismal wreck, too
shaky to venture into, and infested with
snakes, bats, rats, bugs insects, and ghosts
may be. 1t is very interesting, however.
viewed at respectful distance, as relic of
the first Europeans who set foot on the
American continent, it being, beyond
doubt, the very fortress that Cordova built
just 1861 years ago.
Under the walls of the moldy ruin,
within the scanty shade of trees growing
near it and bushes growing out of it, the
Indian women of Granada wash their
garments and hang them up to dry. 9th
ers wade out with their water Jars, passing
beyond the breakers, to obtain water clear
of sand. At any time between daybreak
and dark the scene is always the same
the women with their washing and their
water jars; men swimming, entirely un-
abashed by the presence of spectators :;
servants bringing horses aud mules to
drink few perGguGs native boats) pad
ding about, or hauled up, high and dry,
on the shore. We hired one of the latter
for sunset row, but were glad to return
after an exceedingly short voyage, for
though the exceedingly narrow boat
forty feet long and drawing three feet of
water) rode the bounding pillows like a
bird, it seemed too much like going to sea
in an eggshell to induce feeling of safety.
The Granadians live after simple
fashion OF their own, which is common
enough in this part of the world but
seems odd to strangers. A northern ladv
who has lived here several wears, gave
us many interesting items of her expert
ences as housekeeper-d la Nicardquanese
There are no boarding houses, the hotels
are very few, very poor and very expen-
sive; consequently if one is to remain
even a few weeks, the better plan is to set
up casa of your own. You hire an I'M
occupied house, finding only bare walls
covered with cobwebs like tapestry of
strong fabric, (for the spiders are big,
busy and numerous here), and tiled floors
ONci iHc liELdIus, SHAKES, lBudndS,
ct al, wander at will. Tables, chairs, beds.
dishes, in short the most common articles
of household necessity command the most
exorbitant prices, if obtainabe at all.
The native merchants appear to have as
many prices for their goods as they are
calls upon them, always expecting to
haggle and eventually "come down" to at
least third of the sum originally asked.
They have no respect for the purchaser
who is so green as to close with the first
offer, and consider cheating him as merely
legitimate business.
The Northern lady above mentioned as
sures me that she paid 81 80 per dozen for
cups and saucers of the most ordinary
quality; So per dozen for knives and forks
with clumsy horn handles; small pot of
mustard, 81; broom, IS cents; slaked lime
for embarrassing, Sc per bushel, etc, etc.
But food, such as can be obtained, is cheap
enough to make up for extraordinary ex-
penses in other directions, and if one eats
to live, instead of living to eat, the native
fare will do well enough. Every article
not produced in the country brings an ex-
cessiye price, and everything requiring Sc
we're manual labor is hardly to be pro-
cured at all.
Our friends house viii do as well as any