Jinotega

Infobox Settlement
name = Jinotega
settlement_type =Municipality
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image_caption = Downtown Jinotega as seen from one of its surrounding mountains


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subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = flag|Nicaragua
subdivision_type1 = Department
subdivision_name1 = Matagalpa Department
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population_total = 480,000
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longd=85|longm=55|longs=|longEW=W
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Jinotega is the capital of Jinotega Department in the north central region of Nicaragua.

About

The capital city of the Department of Jinotega is the City of Jinotega. The Department of Jinotega produces 80% of the nation's coffee. It has a population of about 51,000 as of 2005 living inside a vast valley surrounded by mountains. Located near Apanas Lake, Jinotega is known as "La Ciudad de las Brumas" ("City of Mists") for the magnificent whisks of clouds continuously feathering through the top of the valley.

History

According to locals, Jinotega was founded when five Spanish families moved north from Matagalpa to settle the "dry zone" or "zona seca" community of Naranjo, which lies within the department of Jinotega, about 15 kilometers south of the city. The city of Jinotega was formed in the middle of a bowl-like mountainous area as a natural place for farmers in the surrounding countryside to come and trade. A large cross was placed at the highest point on the western edge of the city. It can be seen illuminated at night.

The name Jinotega derives from the Nahuatl word "Xinotencatl". Linguists disagree on the meaning of this word. Some interpret it as "City of the Old Men", whereas others translate it as "Neighbors of the Jiñocuabos". The word "Neighbors" here should be understood as being like the ending "ville" or "land" in English, like e.g. in "Janesville" or "Maryland". The interpretation as "Neighbors of the Jiñocuabos" is more likely to be the right one, since Jiñocuabo is a tree (bursera simaruba (L.) Sarg.) praised by the natives for curative properties. In the Nahuatl-Language Jiñocuabo seems to mean "mangy tree". According to the principles of homeopathy (similia similibus curentur), this would confirm its healing properties on the skin, among many others. Jiñocuabo trees still grow in the areas surrounding Jinotega.

The Jinotega region is perhaps the most war-torn region in Nicaragua's history. Its remote location made it a haven for rebel forces throughout the last seven decades. The most intense battles took place in the Department of Jinotega between 1927 and 1934 under Augusto C. Sandino and his troops (popularly known as "los hombres libres") against the American occupation troops (popularly known as "los marinos yankis"). Later, at the end of the 1970s, Jinotega was a place of bitter war between the troops of Anastasio Somoza Debayle and the civil population. Somoza was defeated on July 19, 1979. After a short period of enthusiasm, civil war began again between government troops of the new Sandinista regime and civilians who felt betrayed by the Sandinistas.

Further reading

* "Monografía de Jinotega", by Dr. Julián N. Guerrero and Lolita Soriano (1966), translated into German by Edgard Arturo Castro-Frenzel (2006), also available at the Iberoamerican Institut Berlin (www.iai.spk-berlin.de). German version (pdf-file) might be downloaded (http://www.bio-nica.info/topic/index.html) or ordered from [e-mail].
* "Jinotega-Recopilación histórica", by Simeón Jarquín Blandón (1991), N 972.85 I37, translated into German by Edgard Arturo Castro-Frenzel (2006), also available at the Iberoamerican Institut Berlin (www.iai.spk-berlin.de). German version (pdf-file) might be downloaded (http://www.bio-nica.info/topic/index.html) or ordered from [e-mail].

Other books related to Jinotega

* "Nicaragua en mis recuerdos", by Dr. Simeón Rizo Gadea, in Spanish
* "The Naturalist in Nicaragua", by Thomas Belt, in English (1888)
* "El Naturalista en Nicaragua", by Thomas Belt, in Spanish, translated by Dr. Jaime Incer Barquero (1975)
* "Nicaragua", by René Moser, in French, English, German and Spanish, in one volume (1974), ISBN 2-85518-008-2
* "Deutsches Leben in Nicaragua-Auswanderer-Schicksale", by Dr. Götz Freiherr von Houwald, former German ambassador to Nicaragua, in German (1986), ISBN 3-925290-60-5, also available at the Iberoamerican Institut Berlin (www.iai.spk-berlin.de)
* "Los alemanes en Nicaragua", by Dr. Götz Freiherr von Houwald, former German ambassador to Nicaragua, in Spanish, translated from German by Mrs. Resie Pereira (1975)
* "Mayangna-Wir - Zur Geschichte der Sumu-Indianer in Mittelamerika", by Dr. Götz Freiherr von Houwald, former German ambassador to Nicaragua, in German (1990), also available at the Iberoamerican Institut Berlin (www.iai.spk-berlin.de), ISBN 3-87673-134-8
* "Mayangna- Apuntes sobre la historia de los indígenas Sumu en Centroamérica", by Dr. Götz Freiherr von Houwald, former German ambassador to Nicaragua, in Spanish, translated from German by Edgard Arturo Castro-Frenzel (2003), also available at the Iberoamerican Institut Berlin (www.iai.spk-berlin.de), ISBN 99924-53-15-X

External links

* [http://www.zoetermeerinbeeld.nl/inzoetermeer/inzoetermeer_bestanden/jinotega.jpgPhotograph of Jinotega]
* [http://jinotegalife.com 'Jinotega Life'] , a Web site dedicated to entertainment, culture and tourism in Jinotega (in Spanish)
* [http://www.soppexcca.org/en/index.html Soppexcca] , cooperative alliance of small coffee producers located in the city of Jinotega
* [http://www.nortenica.com/ Portal del Norte de Nicaragua]