Leon Viejo

Leon Viejo ( Spanish León Viejo - “Old Leon”) is the site on which the city of Leon ( Nicaragua ) was first founded, located near the town of Puerto Momotombo in the municipality of La Paz Centro of the Department of Leon, Nicaragua. The city was founded in 1524, shortly after the establishment of the colony, and after the earthquake of 1610, by decision of the inhabitants, was moved 32 kilometers to its present location.

The city is located on the shores of Lake Managua near the Momotombo volcano. The area of ​​the city is very warm and tectonically active due to the activity of the volcano, from which lava flows, ash and sand erupted several times, and several times eruptions caused earthquakes: in particular, 1594 and 1610, the last - a very large force, due to which The city was abandoned by its inhabitants.

However, the city was not destroyed, as it was believed. After the earthquake of 1610, which destroyed some buildings, discussions were held between residents, ending with the decision to move the city to a safe place, and the old city was eventually buried under layers of ash, and then lake sediments.

The ruins of the city were re-excavated in 1967, and a year later began archaeological research. The city had a layout typical of Latin American cities of the time: a square with a large area in the center. During the excavation, the central part of the city was cleaned with dimensions of 800 by 500 meters with 16 houses in this area. The city also had three monasteries: La Merced, San Pedro and San Francisco, located on the main streets of the city and opened by 1560. However, the ruins did not escape the new natural disasters that continue to threaten them. For example, in May 1982, the tropical storm Aleta destroyed the walls of the city, Hurricane Joan damaged several buildings in October 1988, and in October 1998, Hurricane Mitch significantly damaged almost half of the buildings.

However, Old Leon remains the only city of the colonial era that has not undergone redevelopment, which became the main argument for granting it the status of a World Heritage Site in 2000. Now the city is supported by the Nicaraguan Institute of Culture , there is a tourist bureau here.