Nicarao
Nicarao is the name of an Indian chief in Central America who lived in what is now Nicaragua at the time of the Spanish conquistadors . He is said to have had a daughter named Xochiltnahual , reports the Nicaraguan writer Carlos Alberto Ampié Loría in his story "The Legend of the Fish Princess" in his book "Nicaraguan Legends and Folk Tales". However, according to some historians, Nicarao was just a legend.
One theory says that Nicarao is the namesake for Nicaragua, according to another theory the name is derived from the Nahuatl (nican = "here", aráhuac = "people").
Nicarao was the leader of the Nicarao , an ethnic group that was settled in what is now Rivas , on Lake Nicaragua . In 1522/23 this area was conquered by Spanish troops. The native population was decimated by war and imported diseases as well as enslavement and deportation to Panama and Peru .
There were many different ethnic groups in Nicaragua, coming from different indigenous peoples. Many of them spoke Nahuatl (depending on the dialect also Nahual, Nahuat, Nawat or Nahua). Nahuatl was also the language of the Aztecs .
See also
Web links
- Carlos Alberto Ampié Loría : The Legend of the Fish Princess
- Other Central American Peoples - Description of the Tribes: Nicarao
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Nicarao |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Indian chief in Central America |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 15th century |
| DATE OF DEATH | 16th Century |