Nicaragua - a brief historical background
Nicaragua was inhabited by Paleo-Indians as far back as 6000 years ago. This has been confirmed based on ancient footprints found at Acahualinca, along with other archaeological evidence, mainly in the form of ceramics and statues made of volcanic stone like the ones found on the island of Zapatera and petroglyphs found in Ometepe island.
At the end of the 15th century, the westerly coast was inhabited by several indigenous tribes related by culture and language to the Mayans. The western (Pacific) coast was mainly inhabited by farmers and the eastern (Caribbean) coast was inhabited primarily by hunters and gatherers. The inhabitants of the western and central areas had much contact with the Spanish conquerors when they arrived in the 15th century, and within three decades of their arrival, an estimated indigenous population of one million plummeted to fewer than one hundred thousand; caused by the rapid spread of new diseases brought by the Spaniards. The natives of the Caribbean coast managed to escape the spread of disease due to the remoteness of the area. The first Spanish permanent settlements were founded in 1524, during which time Conquistador Francisco Hernandez de Cordoba founded two of the country's principal towns, Granada on Lake Nicaragua, and Leon, east of Lake Managua. By 1529, the conquest was complete and the Indian civilization had been destroyed either by disease or captivity. Many of the indigenous people were enslaved to develop and maintain plantations within the country, and the rest were sent as slaves to other New World Spanish colonies. Various empires such as Spain, the United Kingdom, and Mexico laid claim to portions of present-day Nicaragua over the next 3 centuries. In 1821, the colony gained its independence as a part of the United Provinces of Central America, and finally as an independent republic in its own right in 1838. In the 1800s, Nicaragua experienced a wave of immigration, primarily from Europe. Families from Germany, Italy, Spain, France, and Belgium arrived to set-up businesses with money they brought from Europe. They established many agricultural businesses such as coffee and sugar cane plantations, newspapers, hotels, and banks. During the 1900s, there was much intervention from the United States. Their motives included political differences over the proposed Nicaragua Canal, potential regulation of foreign access to natural resources, and the country's potential as a destabilizing influence in the region. The Somoza family ruled by dictatorship for much of the 20th century. Upon assuming office in 1981, US President Ronald Reagan condemned the Sandandista National Liberation Front (FSLN) for joining with Cuba in supporting Marxist revolutionary movements in other Latin American countries. His administration authorized the CIA to begin financing, arming, and training rebels. US support for Nicaraguan insurgency continued in spite of the fact that impartial observers from international groups such as the European Union concluded that the general elections of 1984 were completely free and fair. Thus began the infamous American debacle called the Iran-Contra Affair. The latest elections took place on November 5, 2006. Daniel Ortega returned to the presidency with 37.99% of the vote.
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