Bluefields

Nicaragua's most important yet still rather laid-back Caribbean port town.

Population: approx. 49,000 people
Location: on the shore of a coastal bay in front of the Caribbean Sea
Attractions: Creole cultura, Palo de Mayo festival

The city of Bluefields dates back to the year 1602, which makes the city the oldest on the Caribbean coast in Nicaragua. The city was born as a refuge for pirates and English merchants who used the sylvan area to hide or refuel before continuing their oceanic expeditions.

The area around Bluefields never was occupied neither explored by the Spanish conquerors, due to the thick forests back then present on the whole Atlantic Coast. This forced the Spanish to use the Pacific area to settle.

The English did not even colonize the region officially either. They did, however, ally with existing tribes and promoted the creation of the La Mosuitia Empire, which was subject to the British crown. This empire included the Caribbean coasts of Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica. Bluefields only formed part of this huge empire.

During the independence movements, president José Santos Zelaya sent the national army to the region in 1894 and that was how Bluefields got to be part of Nicaraguan territory.

Nowadays the Atlantic region is still different from the rest of the country. In Bluefields the main language are English and Creole.

The city has a population estimated around 30 thousand inhabitants, mostly mestizos and people from African descent. The temperature is always high as well as the humidity. During the raining season the city is whipped with pouring rains.

The biggest cultural festival of Bluefields is the Palo de Mayo celebration, which takes a whole month. In line with ancient English practice, the festival starts the first of May to celebrate arrival of spring.

Children in Pearl Lagoon The Palo de Mayo festival originated in the nineteenth century. The black population (immigrants from the British Antilles, especially from Jamaica) took over a European custom and mixed this with their rhythm and dances, thus creating a unique cultural expression full of energy and colors. Fundamentally, the dancers dance around a pole, twisting colored ribbons while moving their bodies.

Besides visiting Bluefields you can also visit the Pearl Lagoon and the Miskito villages where most people still speak Miskito.

Getting to Bluefields over land (and partially over water) takes some time and effort, but is possible. You can take the boat from Mercado Mayoreo in Managua to El Rama (around $7). After a day traveling you can take a boat from El Rama the next day that brings you right to Bluefields in about two hours for less than $10.

Another option is taking the plane from Managua. This takes only a couple hours. There are several flights a day (check with the airlines for the schedule and prices).

Bluefields

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