Masatepe

Masatepe is the furniture town of the Pueblos Blancos, the string of villages on the plateau between Masaya and Carazo, and its main street is lined with workshops and showrooms making rocking chairs, dining sets, beds and cabinets in hardwood and woven cane. The rocking chair in particular is a Nicaraguan household fixture and Masatepe is where a great many of them come from; workshops behind the shops can usually be seen working. The town is also known for its food, especially sopa de mondongo, and for a patron festival in June with hípicos and processions. It sits within a short drive of Catarina, San Juan de Oriente and the Apoyo rim, so the whole circuit is normally done in one day.

History

The name comes from Nawat Masātepēk, "deer hill", after the white-tailed deer of the region, and Masatepek was a Nahua chiefdom in what is now Masaya department. Its people lived in Nindirí, Niquinohomo, Monimbó and Masatepe alongside the Chorotegas (Wikipedia, Masatepe).

What you'll find

• Furniture workshops - hardwood and woven cane worked behind the shops.
• Rocking chairs - the town's signature product in every showroom.
• The Pueblos Blancos circuit - the plateau villages within a short drive.
• Local cooking - mondongo soup and the town's food reputation.

When to go

December to April for dry travel. Workshops run on weekdays. The June patron festival brings processions and horse parades. The whole circuit fits into a day from Granada or Managua.

Things to know

The town is a working commercial strip rather than a picturesque village, and the shopping is the substance of the visit. Shipping furniture home is possible but complicated and expensive. There are few other sights.

Nearby

San Juan de Oriente and Catarina lie northeast; Masaya is north.

Key facts