León Viejo

León was founded in 1524 on the shore of Lake Managua below Momotombo, one of the earliest Spanish settlements in the Americas, and it was abandoned in 1610 after earthquakes and volcanic activity, the population moving to the present León some thirty kilometres west. The site was covered by ash and forgotten until rediscovery in 1967, and because nothing was built over it the plan survives complete: streets, the cathedral, the governor's house, the monastery of La Merced, and the foundations of ordinary houses, all at knee height. The remains of Pedrarias Dávila, the first governor, were found beneath the cathedral. UNESCO inscribed it in 2000 as an unaltered example of early Spanish colonial town planning. Momotombo stands directly behind.

History

The conquistador Francisco Hernández de Córdoba founded León on 15 June 1524 on the southwestern shore of Lake Xolotlán, south of the Momotombo volcano, and in 1526 he was beheaded on its main square on the orders of the governor Pedrarias Dávila. The town, which originally had a native population of about 15,000, suffered frequent volcanic activity culminating in the earthquakes of 1594 and 1610; the quake of 1610 did not level it, but the damage and continuing tremors led the settlers to leave for a new site. The ruins were discovered in 1967 and excavated from the following year, showing a grid plan with a central square like other towns of the time; a burial was later found beneath the altar of the cathedral, below the remains of a bishop who arrived in 1540, and in 2000 the site became a World Heritage Site (Wikipedia, León Viejo).

What to look for

• The complete street plan - a colonial town preserved at foundation level.
• The cathedral site - where the first governor's remains were found.
• La Merced monastery - the excavated religious foundation.
• Momotombo behind - the volcano that helped end the settlement.

When to go

December to April for dry ground; the site is open and exposed with almost no shade, so mornings are far better. Visits are guided and take about an hour and a half.

Good to know

Everything is at knee height; there is no standing architecture, which disappoints visitors expecting ruins in the usual sense. The site is exposed and very hot by midday. Guides are compulsory and mostly Spanish-speaking. Facilities are basic.

Nearby

Momotombo rises directly above; La Paz Centro lies south.