GIGANTE

(Pronounced: hee-gan-tay. Translation: giant)

The village of Gigante (named for the pie de Giante headland which means foot of the giant, or giant's foot), lies on the southern Pacific coast of Nicaragua where fishing is the community's main source of income supplemented by local tourism in the form of middle class Nicaraguan's who like to get out to the beach on weekends. The community of Gigante consists of a few dozen poor homes and about 500 locals.

The people of Gigante are our friends, neighbors, and community.  Without them we couldn't exist, and the good relations we enjoy with the community can make a stay at Giant's Foot all that more rewarding. At Giant's Foot Surf Tours you are our guest, and as a result you are also a temporary member of our small and unique family.

"Our town does not have much to offer in the way of infrastructure, but if it did the beach wouldn't be as empty, the fish wouldn't be as plentiful, and the water wouldn't be as clean. A stay in Gigante is all about gorgeous open beaches, good food, a slow pace, awesome sunsets, and great waves."

- Jack

 

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TOLA

(Pronounced: Toe-la. Translation: Land of the Toltecas)

Gigante lies in the municipo (county) of Tola. Tola has a long and storied history going all the way back to the indigenous Chorotegas & Nicaraguans who it is believed settled here from southern Mexico in the 4th century. the name Tola comes from Mexican ancestry and has a double meaning of incomparable land and land of the Toltecas.

These first settlers had a matriarchal society with three classes of people that included priests, merchants, and slaves, and a rich agricultural economy. The people came to be known as Tolenos and spoke a language called Nahoa.

In 1524 Francisco Hernandez displaced the Tolenos and eventually the town of Tola was founded under spanish rule in the mid 18th century. In the early 1800's there was great political instability in Nicaragua which allowed the Tolenos to rebel and win back their land in 1811. They held Tola until 1855. During this time it is said that a relic of the Virgin Mary was found and she became the patron saint of Tola.

On June 27th, 1855 William Walker (see below) anchored his ship in Gigante Bay and marched into Tola where he sacked the town. Three days latter he was defeated in Rivas while on his way to San Jorge.

In the late 1970's Tola became a Sandinista (see below) strong hold and when the party seized power much of the land in the municipality of Tola was redistributed during a period known as the pinyata.

In 1999 a paved road was built connecting Tola and Rivas drastically improving communication and employment in the region. As of 2001 there were 21,000 people living in Tola. Today Tola remains a center for Sandinista activity and Daniel Ortega often visits the area. It is a working class town with many residents who commute to rivas for work by bicycle or bus.

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RIVAS

(Pronounced: Ree-vas, Meaning: Unknown)

The nearest ''major'' city to Gigante is Rivas, the city of Mangos, and the capital of the departmento (state) that shares its name. It is less tourism-oriented than Granada and Leon, and because of this, many visitors to the area fall in love with this tranquil and at the same time chaotic cobble stoned city. Rivas has a traditional market, a beautiful church, and occasional cultural events such as parades, bullfights, and baseball games.

The city is laid out in a grid pattern with a central park and a large cathedral at its center. Most goods and services can be found in the various stores and shops. There is also a vegetable and fruit market located to the south of the central park, several gyms, a basketball and a baseball stadium, numerous churches, schools, universities, a public library, a hospital, many clinics, laboratories, and a disco. There are several places that have internet in Rivas. Within the city, transportation is available by taxis, horse-drawn carriages, and Pedi-cabs. Potable water, electricity, phone service and cable TV are available. However, the city is frequently without water or electricity at least two to three days a week. The population of Rivas is around 40,000.

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NICARAGUA

(Pronounced: Nee-ka-Ra-Gwa, Meaning: Water of Nicarao)

Nicaragua is divided by a broad central mountain range that splits the country into two geographically and culturally distinct areas. Western Nicaragua was originally populated by indigenous peoples related to the Mayan and Aztec societies; whereas eastern Nicaragua 's earliest inhabitants are believed to have migrated to the region from South America.

Colonization

The western world was introduced to Nicaragua through Christopher Columbus's fourth voyage to the Americas in late 1502. He claimed the entire area for Spain. Land expeditions were launched in the 1520s to subdue the indigenous population. The country probably takes its name from Nicarao, the leader of an indigenous community inhabiting the shores of Lake Nicaragua that was defeated in 1522 by the Spanish under Gil González de Ávila. In general however the Spanish were more interested in the precious metals of Mexico and Peru.

The population of the area plummeted in the sixteenth century with very few incoming Spanish settlers and an indigenous population that was dying out through exposure to new diseases. A large part of the surviving population was forcibly sent to the silver mines of Peru. Administratively during this period, the region became a province of Guatemala.

During the colonial period fertile volcanic soils and a more hospitable climate in the west attracted Spanish settlers to that region. As a result, most of Nicaragua's present-day population lives in the western part of the country.

The eastern Caribbean coastal area with its sultry climate and non fertile soils attracted only a handful of English settlers, pirates, and former slaves escaped from the West Indies.

In the seventeenth century the economy of Nicaragua suffered as the local government neglected agricultural production, massive destruction was caused by three powerful earthquakes, and numerous bloody incursions into the country were made by the English, French, and Dutch pirates.

In 1668 and 1670, pirates captured and destroyed the city of Granada , center of the province's agricultural wealth and the English declared eastern Nicaragua to be a protectorate of the English crown.

Independence

By the 1750s, a powerful elite was well established in the cities of León and Granada. The landowners in León concentrated on cattle raising and the export of animal products, and Granada became the center of regional agricultural trade. Although these local elites agreed on promoting Nicaragua as the site for a trans-isthmian canal linking the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean, they differed violently on the trade policies of the province (free-trade or protectionist). During the colonial period, these two cities fought for political control over the province.

Independence from Spain was declared on September 15th, 1821 and the country became an independent republic in 1838. After which the rivalry between the liberals, or free-traders, in León and the conservatives, or protectionists, in Granada intensified, often breaking into civil war.

 

Foreign Intervention

The mid-1800s were marked by unstable national governments and a rivalry between the United States and Britain to bring Nicaragua under their spheres of influence. The goal of both foreign powers was control of a trans-isthmian transit route, either overland or via a new canal. Continued domestic turmoil in the 1850s provided the opportunity for William Walker, a soldier of fortune from the United States, to take over Nicaragua . The struggle to expel Walker was long and costly, ultimately involving intervention from all of Nicaragua 's neighbors, the British Navy, and an invasion by the United States marines. The Walker affair left a bitter legacy in Nicaragua and was the first example of what was to become a common occurrence in the country: a penchant for Nicaraguan politicians to call on the United States to settle domestic disputes and an eagerness by the United States to respond by military intervention.

Revolution

A premature revolution led by Augusto Sandino in the early 1900s planted the seed for socialist uprising in the latter half of the twentieth century. Violent opposition to long standing governmental manipulation, American intervention, and local corruption spread to all classes and resulted in a short-lived civil war that brought the leftist leaning Sandinista party into power in 1979, led by Daniel Ortega. Nicaraguan aid to leftist rebels in El Salvador, anti-communist sentiments, and American economic interests, caused the United States to sponsor anti-Sandinista contra guerrillas through much of the 1980s. In 1990 after a decade of fighting the American funded Contras the Sandinistas held a democratic national election were they suffered a surprise defeat.

During the 90s Nicaragua underwent tremendous change.  The administration of Violeta Barrios Chamorro (the first female president in the Americas) led the country through the difficult transition from a one party state to majority rule in a new Democratic Republic. Relations with international financial institutions were forged, old loans were renegotiated, and major investments in the nation's infrastructure were obtained. All of this was not without cost. Unemployment remained at well over 60 percent and underemployment exceeded that. New individual investments were difficult to obtain.

The 21st Century

At the turn of the century Nicaragua was experiencing major growth in the economy without a concurrent expansion of the public sector. Many improvements to infra structure took place in a short period of time.

Today the economy is not static. Foreign investment has increased and shows signs of more rapid growth. Unemployment is falling steadily. The standard of living is improving. Construction is growing rapidly, particularly in Managua, Granada, and Rivas where much of the new investment is focused. New hotels are being built by international chains. For the first time in recent history, spec houses are being built in Rivas and selling before completion. Prices are rising at a fast rate. Builders are enjoying good profit margins. Jobs are being created. Nicaraguan society is wrestling with questions relating to economic growth and foreign investment. This is an exciting period in Nicaraguan history and expectations for this country reborn are running high on all sides.

The recent election of the former Sandinista leader, Daniel Ortega, to the presidency has peeked many eyebrows. However it seems that the former revolutionary is a determined diplomat these days and has maintained foreign relations without altering the status quo. Excitement is high in Nicaragua and the future looks bright even if it is still a little uncertain. the population of Nicaragua is 5,570,129 (July 2006 est.).

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GEOGRAPHY

Sitting at the intersection of three continental plates, the landscape of Nicaragua is a testament to the forces of nature.  Prehistoric Nicaragua was an active battlefield of volcanic activity for thousands of years and to this day volcanoes continue to dominate the landscape, six of which have erupted within the last century.  In addition Nicaragua boasts more than 10 large crater lakes, innumerable smaller bodies of water, two large rivers, and is home to Lake Nicaragua (Cocibolca) the second largest lake in latin america which contains the largest fresh water island in the world, Omotepe. The island is made up of the two volcanoes, Conception and Madera. 

The Pacific Coast

The Pacific lowlands extend about 75 kilometers (45 miles) inland from the Pacific coast. Most of the area is flat, except for a line of young volcanoes, many of which are still active, running between the Golfo de Fonseca and Lake Nicaragua. These peaks lie just west of a large crustal fracture or structural rift that forms a long, narrow depression passing southeast across the isthmus from the Golfo de Fonseca to the Río San Juan. The rift is occupied in part by the largest freshwater lakes in Central America: Lago de Managua (56 kilometers long and 24 kilometers wide) and Lago de Nicaragua, the 10th largest lake in the world (about 160 kilometers long and 75 kilometers wide). This low lying area allows the north east trade winds to pass over the isthmus close to sea level generating nearly year round offshore winds on the pacific coast of the lake region. These two lakes are joined by the Río Tipitapa, which flows south into Lake Nicaragua. Lake Nicaragua in turn drains into the Río San Juan which forms the boarder between Nicaragua and Costa Rica. The Rio San Juan flows through the southern part of the rift lowlands into the Caribbean. The valley of the Río San Juan forms a natural passageway close to sea level across the Nicaraguan isthmus from the Caribbean to Lake Nicaragua and the rift. The very reason Nicaragua has been considered as a possible alternative to the Panama Canal for over a century. The southwestern edge of the Lake Nicaragua is only 19 kilometers (12 miles) from the Pacific Ocean.

The Lake Region

Surrounding the lakes and extending northwest of them along the rift valley to the Golfo de Fonseca are fertile lowland plains highly enriched with volcanic ash from nearby volcanoes. These lowlands are densely populated and well cultivated. More directly west of the lake region is a narrow line of ash-covered hills and volcanoes that separate the lakes from the Pacific Ocean. This line is highest in the central portion near León and Managua.

Because western Nicaragua is located where two major tectonic plates collide, it is subject to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Although periodic volcanic eruptions have caused agricultural damage from fumes and ash, earthquakes have been by far more destructive to life and property. Hundreds of shocks occur each year, some of which cause severe damage. The capital city of Managua was virtually destroyed in 1931 and again in 1972.

The Caribbean Coast

The eastern Caribbean lowlands of Nicaragua form the extensive (occupying more than 50 percent of national territory) and still sparsely settled lowland area known as Costa de Mosquitoes (the Miskito Coast) after the indigenous Miskito peoples...and the insects. The Caribbean lowlands are divided into the North Atlantic Autonomous Region and the South Atlantic Autonomous Region constituting 45% of Nicaragua's territory. These lowlands are a hot, humid area that includes coastal plains, the eastern spurs of the central highlands, and the lower portion of the Río San Juan basin. The soil is generally leached and infertile. Pine and palm savannas predominate as far south as the Laguna de Perlas. Tropical rain forests are characteristic from the Laguna de Perlas to the Río San Juan, in the interior west of the savannas, and along rivers through the savannas. Fertile soils are found only along the natural levees and narrow flood plains of the numerous rivers, and along the many lesser streams that rise in the central highlands and cross the region en route to the complex of shallow bays, lagoons, and salt marshes of the Caribbean coast.

The Northern Mountains

The triangular area known as the central highlands lies northeast and east of the Pacific lowlands. This rugged mountain terrain is composed of ridges 900 to 1,800 meters (~3000-6000 feet) tall and a mixed forest of oak and pine alternating with deep valleys that drain primarily toward the Caribbean. Very few significant streams flow west to the Pacific Ocean; those that do are steep, short, and flow only intermittently. The relatively dry western slopes of the central highlands, protected by the ridges of the highlands from the moist winds of the Caribbean, have drawn farmers from the Pacific region since colonial times and are now well settled. The eastern slopes of the highlands are covered with rain forests and are lightly populated with pioneer agriculturalists and small communities of indigenous people.