The Land of Sandino and Darío

There are two figures so important to Nicaragua's history that their birthplaces are now their namesakes. The first is Augusto Sandino, the nationalist and anti-imperialist who succeeded in toppling a U.S. backed government in the 1930s and whose name the Sandinistas took on to inspire a nation. Sandino represents one aspect of Nicaragua's history, it's tumultuous cycle of foreign influence and revolution. Rubén Darío represents the other, a vibrant and inspiring culture.

Rubén Darío

Darío, a poet and statesman, began the Spanish-American poetic movement known as modernismo, or "modernism," and is still considered one of the greatest writers of the Spanish language. Reflecting on the nature of his country he once wrote,

A través de las páginas fatales de la historia,

Nuestra tierra está hecha de vigor y de gloria,

Nuestra tierra está hecha para la humanidad.

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"Through the fatal pages of history,

Our land is made of vigor and glory,

Our land is made for humanity."