Zapatera
| Zapatera | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
||
| Waters | Lake Nicaragua | |
| Geographical location | 11 ° 43 '48 " N , 85 ° 49' 12" W | |
|
||
| length | 10 km | |
| width | 7 km | |
| surface | 52 km² | |
| Highest elevation | 639 m | |
| Residents | 566 (2005) 11 inhabitants / km² |
|
| main place | Sonzapote | |
Zapatera is a by no longer making the same shield volcano 52 square kilometers formed island in the northwest of Lake Nicaragua , located in the south of Nicaragua is.
geography
It is the second largest island in the lake after Ometepe . The maximum 7 km wide and 10 km long island belongs to the department of Granada and therein to the municipality of the same name ( municipio ) and has been one of 78 national parks in the country since 1983, the Parque Nacional Archipiélago Zapatera . The only place is Sonzapote on the south bank of the island, the inhabitants are Chorotega . At the 2005 census, the island had 566 inhabitants.
The island is mostly hilly and covered by vegetation, the highest point is the Cerro Grande . The interior consists of dense forest, the extent of which, however, has decreased over the years due to deforestation and pasture. On the north side of the island there is a lagoon with a diameter of about 600 meters. Around the island there are a few small islands that form the Archipiélago Zapatera , the most important are El Muerto , Jesús Grandes , El Platano and El Armado .
It is not known when the 639 m high volcano last erupted. It was created in the Holocene . The caldera is about 2 km in diameter and is located near the center of the island.
The only place on the island is Sonzapote, whose inhabitants live from agriculture and some tourism. The small town was only founded in the 1980s when a group of farmers moved to Zapatera; land was made available to them after the Sandinista revolution . The community was later abandoned because of the contras abuses. In 1994 some families moved back to the area. Currently the community survives thanks to an agreement with the Ministry of the Environment.
fauna
The fauna is diverse. There are primates and parrots ; armadillos , deer and jaguars are rarer, but still present . There are numerous species of birds, including falcons, toucans and kingfishers . The waters are rich in fish, including the native cichlid Parachromis managuensis .
Archaeological remains
There are several archaeological sites on Zapatera that provide evidence that pre-Columbian peoples inhabited the area. There are rock carvings and stone carvings. Sculptures depict human and animal figures that refer to the customs and religion of the ancient Chorotega population. The sculptures are now in the San Francisco Monastery in Granada in the Casa de los Tres Mundos .
The first report of pre-Columbian artifacts from the island was published in an 1852 paper by US archaeologist and diplomat Ephraim George Squier . The researcher had explored the northeast of the island in 1849 and found several rock carvings. The first excavations were carried out by the Swedish naturalist Carl Bovallius in 1883, he discovered many artifacts, including 25 statues in the area of Sonzapote, and he published his studies in two works in 1886 and 1887. Some of the objects are now in the Ethnographic Museum in Stockholm shown. Later, the Mexican scholar Felipe Pardines took an interest in the archaeological zone. In the thirties of the twentieth century he published a series of articles showing new shots of the island and neighboring islands such as El Muerto.
mythology
According to legend, the islands of Ometepe and Zapatera as well as Lake Nicaragua emerged from a tragic love story: the respected Nagrando fell in love with the beautiful chief daughter of a neighboring tribe named Ometeptl . Both Indian tribes, however, were at odds over territorial claims and power issues. According to ancestral law, love between warring tribes was forbidden. The couple therefore soon had to flee their home villages and hid in a valley. However, since their love was not kept secret, they were persecuted by their tribesmen. Finally, out of desperation, both decided to commit suicide and opened their wrists. Ometeptl fell backwards, Nagrando stumbled a few more steps and fell down too. The blood of both filled the valley and covered their bodies - today's Lake Nicaragua. Of Ometeptl's body, only her breasts protrude above the water level, today's volcanoes Concepción and Maderas . From the body of Nagrando, one can only see, a little further away, the tips of the island of Zapatera.
See also
Individual evidence
- ↑ PDF at www.inide.gob.ni
- ↑ Archive link ( Memento of the original from April 18, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
Web links
- Information about the island ( Nicatour.net ) (Italian)
- Archaeological finds ( Manfut.org ) (Spanish)
- Historical and tourist information ( Vianica.com ) (English)
- Zapatera in the Global Volcanism Program of the Smithsonian Institution (English)