Ciudad Antigua

Ciudad Antigua was founded in the early seventeenth century when the settlers of Nueva Segovia moved inland after repeated raids up the Coco river, and it was for a time an important town of the northern mountains before decline left it a village of a few hundred people. What survives is the church of San Juan Bautista, among the oldest standing in the country, with a carved wooden altarpiece and colonial images inside, and a small museum of religious art in the adjoining building. The streets are unpaved and the setting is pine-covered hills. Very few visitors come, and access to the church and museum usually depends on finding the keyholder, which the village will help with.

What you actually see

• The old church - one of Nicaragua's earliest surviving colonial churches.
• The carved altarpiece - colonial woodwork and religious images inside.
• The small museum - religious art kept beside the church.
• The hill village - unpaved streets among pine-covered slopes.

When to go

December to April for the roads. The church is opened on request and for services; arriving on a Sunday morning is the surest way to find it open. Patron saint days bring the village to life.

Honest expectations

The church and museum are often locked and access depends on finding whoever holds the key. There are no facilities, no restaurant and no accommodation. The road in is rough. This is a half-day detour for people interested in colonial fabric, not a general sight.

Nearby

Ocotal lies west; Cerro Mogotón is north.