PDXDIASan Jose, Costa RicaReflections on San JoseSanta Elena, Costa RicaLiberia and BeyondBorder Crossing: Penas BlancasGranada, NicaraguaMia NicaraguaNica CultureLeonSan Miguel, El SalvadorJutiapa, GuatemalaXela (Quetzaltenango), GuatemalaCasa VSuenos AmericanosUna semana mas en XelaZugunruheLago de AtitlanAntiguaSemuc ChampeyTikal, GuatemalaSan Salvador, El SalvadorSuchitoto, El SalvadorSanta Rosa de Lima, El SalvadorMore on BusesGranada, againPanama City, PanamaBocas del Toro, PanamaSan Jose, la ultima vez
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León, Nicaragua
We came to Leon because, well, it was on our way north, but also because it seemed appropriate after our stay in Granada. Leon is the complement to Granada in many ways. Both cities were colonized by the Spanish, both were capitals of Nicaragua at one time, and both were flattened by earthquakes. More strikingly, both were political epicenters for the ideas that shook Nicaragua throughout its civil wars. Leon preserves this memory more potently than Granada. I suppose this is because Granada represented the conservative base that was eventually overthrown and Leon sparked the revolution that overthrew it. Monuments are not erected in honor of history's failures. In Leon, Sandino is an idol. His withering Indiana-Jones silhouette casts a shadow over the city. Murals and statues depicting Sandino, martyrs, and revolutionaries adorn every city block. Graffiti supporting Daniel Ortega, Hugo Chavez, and Fidel Castro is more common than street signs. And you don't have to wander far to find commemoration of the site where protesting students were killed by the National Guard or where Dictator General Samoza was assassinated. The city is palpably drenched in revolution.
To emphasize this point, impromptu museums have been opened throughout the city center. What our guidebook described as “enthusiastic and knowledgeable explanations on the extensive collection of photos, articles and news clippings documenting the Revolution, its antecedents and its aftermath” was a self-guided tour of, effectively, poorly made 6th grade history posters. The displays were photocopies of old pictures, hand-written captions, and tea-stained newspaper articles dated from July of 2007 fastened to the wall with whatever kind of tape was on hand at the moment. On the upshot, some of these were scotch-taped to neon poster-board before they were masking-taped to the wall. Admittedly, even such dismal presentations as these betray the fascinating history of Nicaragua in the past century.
The Leon-ese appetite for strife and bloodshed lives on in the age-old tradition of cock-fighting. If you're going to integrate with the community by witnessing animal cruelty (my sincere apologies to roosters and activists alike) I highly recommend having as your guide a Dutchman. A detailed explanation of the practice of cock-fighting will be delivered in English fraught with such gems as, “if you have a fighting woosta an' you don' fight, you're a sissy” (on the topic of local machismo), “...when a woosta chickens out...” (on the forfeit practices of fighters), and “...breeding champion chicken things...” (on the retirement activity of champion roosters).
A great deal rides on these competitions. Nican roosters are more beloved pets than cats or dogs. Owners who train their roosters to compete are passionate about their sport and devoted to their roosters. Much of their time after work is devoted to the “training” of their roosters. But, as it turns out, roosters aren't very smart, so most of their training is simply conditioning. Serious rooster trainers walk their roosters for at least an hour a day. Rooster leashes exist for this very purpose. And so do miniature, rooster boxing gloves. You see, roosters are endowed with long, frightening claws. The claws of fighting roosters are trimmed so that tiny boxing gloves fit perfectly over them. These gloves are to protect the roosters from any harm that might ensue from ordinary, neighborhood rooster rumbles or legitimate, practice rounds. The actual fight, of course, is not so gentle. Instead, the rooster's claw is enhanced by a sharp, metal blade. The size of the blade is agreed upon by the owners and attached with a shoe and thread before the match. This is also when the betting takes place. Bets are placed with the owners before the match. Anything else is considered illegal. A round lasts until fifteen minutes have passed (a draw), until one rooster concedes the win (by putting his beak in the ground), or, in the worst scenarios, until death.
The cock-fight (or Gallera, as it is called) was interesting—perhaps more for the people than the sport—but after a couple rounds of the fight I found that I preferred rounds of beer while conversing with the Canadians who accompanied us to the Gallera. As an American, encountering a Canadian in a foreign country can cause a slight identity crisis. It's like encountering someone who looks, acts, talks, and remembers exactly like you, but isn't you. Inevitably, one is reminded of the proverbial Canadian flag that adorns the backpacks of American travelers the world over. The myth goes like this: not wanting to be identified for what they are, Americans pretend to be Canadian by sewing a maple leaf to their packs. I say it is a myth because I (and everyone, I believe) has been told this is so, or has been advised to do so, but I have never actually encountered an American who travels in this manner. I would like to know if it is true, if only to accurately measure my shame whenever I meet a Canadian abroad.
I have always felt apologetically American while traveling. It is as if I personally am culpable for the advantages of wealth and opportunity, or, worse yet, for the abuses of wealth and power.
(R)
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Boxing
Written by mbucy 41 months ago
Please tell me you have purchased a set of miniature rooster boxing gloves. I'm in need of seeing them.
Smart roosters?
Written by mbucy 41 months ago
I thought you said roosters were dumb. They know that putting their beaks in the ground means they concede?
sin pantalones
Written by lgould 41 months ago
Porque no lleva pantlones el gallo?
Re: sin pantalones
Written by brendandroz 41 months ago
Porque los pantalones son peligrosos.