After the Nicarao split from their
sister tribe and migrated further south into what is now western Nicaragua and northwestern Costa Rica, they waged war and displaced many neighboring tribes including the
Cacaopera, the
Chorotega, and the
Huetares.[38][39][40] The Nicaraos also enslaved and captured Cacaoperas for human sacrifice and further displaced them from
Jinotega,
Esteli,
Boaco, and parts of
Matagalpa, particularly the
Sebaco valley, one of the most fertile areas in Nicaragua which the Nicarao still inhabit today.[41][42][43][44] Although the Nicarao displaced rival tribes through warfare, they also developed trade relations with smaller tribes, maintaining hegemony over the region through military superiority and
commerce.[45] At the time of Spanish contact the Nicarao were ruled by a cacique that the Spanish called
Nicarao, whose real name was Macuilmiquiztli, meaning "Five Deaths" in the
Nahuatl language.[46][47][48][49] Macuilmiquiztli governed the Nicarao from his capital
Quauhcapolca, not far from the modern town of
Rivas.[50] Seemingly not understanding the threat, Macuilmiquiztli initially welcomed the Spanish and their
Tlaxcalan translators, but later waged war against the invaders. Nicarao warriors forced the Spanish to withdraw back to Panama.[51][52] The Nicarao hegemony over the region came to an end during the
Spanish conquest of Nicaragua in 1524 CE, resulting in the Nicarao experiencing a devastating demographic and societal collapse from a combination of disease, war against the Spanish and their Tlaxcalan allies, and being sold into
slavery.[53][54]
Origin and distribution
The Nicarao people migrated south from
North America and central and southern
Mexico over the course of several centuries from approximately 700 CE onwards. Around 1200 CE, the Nicarao split from the
Pipil people and moved into what is now
Nicaragua. The beginning of this series of migrations was likely to have been linked to the collapse of the great central-Mexican city of
Teotihuacan, and later with the collapse of the
Toltec city of
Tula.[55] The dating of Nicarao arrival in what is now Nicaragua has also been linked to the
Classic Maya collapse, with the cessation of Maya influence in the region, and the rise of cultural traits originating in the
Valley of Mexico.[56] The Nicarao had a sizeable population concentrated in nucleated villages all over western Nicaragua and what is now northwestern
Costa Rica.[57][58] They displaced both the Chorotega and the Cacaopera that had previously settled the region.[59] The Nicarao appear to have seized control of the most productive land around the western portions of
Lake Nicaragua, and the
Gulf of Fonseca.[60] The area now covered by
Rivas Department appears to have been conquered by the Nicarao shortly before the Spanish conquest.[61][34]
A remnant
Nahuat-speaking population existed as late as the mid-19th century, but the Nicarao as a tribal Confederation are now extinct.[57] Today Nicaragua is estimated to have around 20,000 Nicarao people. In Costa Rica the Nicarao population ranges from several hundred to 1000 and are primarily located in the Bagaces Canton, with smaller pockets inhabiting other parts of
Guanacaste. Some of their practices and beliefs continue to survive among their descendants within the Nahua communities of Nicaragua and Costa Rica.
Major settlements
At the time of contact with the Spanish, the Nicarao were governed from their capital at
Quauhcapolca, near the modern town of
Rivas. Other principal settlements included
Ometepe, Asososca Lagoon (Managua), Mistega,
Ochomogo, Oxmorio, Papagayo, Tecoatega, Teoca, Totoaca, and Xoxoyota.[62]
Culture
Like most other Nahua groups, the Nicarao were agriculturalists, and cultivated
maize,
cacao,
tomatoes,
avocados,
squash,
beans, and
chili.[63][64][65][66][67]Chocolate was fundamental to Nicarao culture as it was drank during special ceremonies in addition to cocoa beans being used as their currency.[68] The Nicarao also dined on various meats such as
turkey,
deer,
iguana,
mute dogs, and
fish from the sea, rivers, lakes and lagoons.[69][70] The Nicarao had elaborate markets and permanent temples indicating some level of expertise in architecture, which have since been completely destroyed by the Spanish.[71][72] Although not much is known about Nicarao military structure, they did in fact have a warrior tradition. Nicarao warriors wore thick padded cotton armor, fought with spears,
atlatls,
bow and arrows, clubs edged with stone blades and
macanas, a wooden sword edged with
obsidian blades similar to the
Aztecmacahuitl.[73][74] Spanish chronicler
Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo y Valdés, writing soon after the conquest, recorded that the Nicarao practised
cranial modification, by binding the heads of young children between two pieces of wood. Archaeologists have unearthed
pre-Columbian burials in the former Nicarao region with evidence of both cranial and dental modification.[75] The Nicarao possessed a number of cultural traits in common with North American tribes as well as the
Toltecs of central Mexico, including an identical
calendar, the use of
screenfold books, worship of the
Great Spirit and a Toltec pantheon of
deities such as
sky spirits, animal spirits and
Tonal mythology,
Nagual mysticism, and treaties.[76][77][35] They also, in common with their Mexican cousins from
Aztec culture, practiced ritual confession, and the volador (flying men) ritual.[78][79]
Legacy
Despite their massive decrease in population and the loss of their native language, the Nicarao, and their culture, are still an integral part of Nicaraguan identity. Most Nicaraguans have Nahua ancestry, as proven through
DNA analysis.[80][81] Towns, lakes, islands, and volcanoes bear their place names.[82]Nicaraguan Spanish has been heavily influenced by their native language.[83][84][85][86][87][88]Nicaraguan cuisine such as the
nacatamal which originated from the Nicarao has also cemented itself in the legacy of Nicaraguan gastronomy.[89][90][91]
McCafferty, Geoffrey (2015). "
The Mexican Legacy in Nicaragua, or Problems when Data Behave Badly". Archeological Papers of the American Anthropological Association25 (1): 110–118. *Salamanca, Danilo (2012) "
Los dos rostros indígenas de Nicaragua y Centroamérica". Wani, Revista del Caribe Nicaragüense. 65: 6–23. Bluefields, Nicaragua: Bluefields Indian & Caribbean University/Centro de Investigaciones y Documentacion de la Costa Atlántica (BICU/CIDCA). ISSN 2308-7862. (in Spanish)