Battle Ground
29 octubre 2010
We started early today – 6:40am. We all piled into the Peace Corps’ van and off we went to Managua for a “cultural visit.” Well it wasn’t Managua really… they took us to San Jacinto, a name which sounded so familiar. I had heard about San Jacinto, I was right. It was the location of one of the most important battle sites in the Nicaraguan fight for independence. My host brother mentioned it to me on Independence Day when I asked him to explain a little of the history of Nicaragua. Mostly I was curious as to why they celebrate 2 days – September 14th + 15th. Ends up that the 14th marks the anniversary of the Battle of San Jacinto – a turning point in Nicaragua´s independence from US dominance in 1856. The 15th marks the anniversary of the Central American countries’ independence from the Spanish empire in 1821. Just coincidence that the dates fall side-by-side.
So we were standing on historic ground where the Nicaraguans fought against Americans for their independence. We were on the hacienda (farm) where William Walker and his US troops were defeated… all which was explained to us in detail during our guided tour of the museum.
Then, after the tour, we had some free time to explore the area. So, about 12 of us decided to hike up a nearby mountain. Good idea? Ummm… I don’t know. It was a fun climb + I got some great pictures, but it was horribly hot and in the end we were all covered in sweat. Perfect for our site placements later that day! Haha 
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