Under the volcano
On my morning walk there is a point from which I can see the sulphurous fumes pouring from the Masaya volcano. On the lip of the crater, although not visible from my viewpoint seven kilometres away, is a large wooden cross. It occupies the pinnacle on which a similar cross was first placed in 1529 […]
Meet me under the Ceiba
La Curva is an unremarkable small Nicaraguan town, a few kilometres south of Masaya. I’ve known it for twenty years, and to me its only outstanding feature is a pair of huge ‘guanacaste’ trees, bedecked with epiphytic plants, that stand on the south side of the main road (or stood, I’ve been told that one […]
Solar-powered irrigation system starts to pump water
The ‘Agrosolar’ project, funded by the British embassy, has begun to pump water to irrigate crops right at the start of Nicaragua’s dry season. El Timal is in the almost forgotten area between Nicaragua’s two large lakes, only about 20km from the international airport but with practically no transport connections to the nearest town. Into […]
He was no ‘Sandalista’
What happened to the thousands who came to Nicaragua from North America and Europe in the 1980s, inspired by the Sandinista revolution? A very few stayed, of course, and a number went back to their home countries and began serious solidarity work. Others, soon branded Sandalistas, enjoyed their exotic experience but swiftly moved on to […]
Freed member of the ‘Cuban Five’ visits Masaya
Fernando González, the second of the Cuban Five to be released from prison, has been in Masaya as part of the campaign on behalf of the other three, who have been incarcerated since 1998. On Saturday afternoon a small room packed with about 300 people saw him receive the freedom of the city from the […]
Drought hits Central America
The government is blaming it on the warming of the Pacific Ocean known as El Niño, while scientists are disputing how much warming has actually occurred. But whatever the cause the drought that has hit Central America and extends south into Colombia is very real. The rainy season should have begun in May, but three […]
A community with origins in the ‘contra’ war
A short time after the revolution brought the Sandinistas to power in 1979, Reagan’s US government illegally began to fund the armed resistance in the north of the country, who soon became known as the ‘contras’. The struggle against the well-armed contra and the simultaneous economic blockade severely tested the new government. Although it won […]
Happy views in Vista Alegre
Vista Alegre is a small community to the south-west of Masaya, a few kilometres out of town and built around the edge of the Masaya Lagoon. The views of the lake and the Masaya volcano give the place its name (‘Happy View’ in Spanish). But the community is poor and struggles to make a living […]
Link Group publishes review of its project work
The Leicester-Masaya Link Group has published a two-page review of its project work – with active projects both in Masaya and in Leicester itself. You can download the review as a pdf here. The link group’s AGM last week, attended by Leicester Mayor Peter Soulsby, had a report from Masaya by Skype which updated members both […]
Solar power arrives at Los Laureles and Palo Blanco
The latest small stage of our solar project (‘Proyecto Sol’) brings to just 202 the total of households where electricity has been installed in the rural parts of Masaya since 2005, for a total investment of just over $200,000. We’re still working in the isolated area between Nicaragua’s two big lakes, which ironically is less […]
John Perry lives in Masaya, Nicaragua where he works on