Chinandega

Chinandega, an important agricultural center in western Nicaragua. In 1842 Chinandega served as the site of unsuccessful Central American unification talks among Honduras, El Salvador, and Nicaragua, and it subsequently was often mentioned as a possible capital of a new Central American Union. In 1855 it served as one of the bases for William Walker's invasion of Nicaragua. In February 1927 an aerial bombardment of Chinandega was carried out by two U.S. pilots as part of the effort to control Liberal insurrectionists who were located there. Several hundred women and children were killed, and widespread destruction resulted from what was considered to be the first tactical use of air power in warfare. In 1978–1979 heavy fighting took place around Chinandega between the Sandinistas and government troops. Today it is a prosperous commercial and agricultural processing center. Traditionally, the region was famous for corn, coffee, and oranges. Cotton production was expanded in the 1950s, but there have been difficulties in controlling pests. Sugarcane continues to be grown. The largest sugar refinery in the country is near Chinandega. The city is estimated to have a population of 100,000 people (2005).

See alsoNicaragua .

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Jeffrey L. Gould, To Lead as Equals: Rural Protest and Political Consciousness in Chinandega, Nicaragua, 1912–1979 (1990).

Additional Bibliography

Gobat, Michel. Confronting the American Dream: Nicaragua under U.S. Imperial Rule. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2005.

Ortega Hegg, Manuel, and Marcelina Castillo Venerio. La gestión de los gobiernos locales desde la perspectiva de los ciudadanos: Así piensan los residentes de Chinandega. Managua: Centro de Análisis Socio-Cultural, 2001.

Romero, Jilma, and Teresa Cabrera. Tierra ardiente: El occidente de Nicaragua a través de su historia. Managua: Departamento de Historia de la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Nicaragua (UNAN-Nicaragua), 2005.

                                 David L. Jickling