Idea #404 – Exploring Ometepe Island and observing the Chorotegas pretroglyphs
Ometepe is an island situated in the lake Nicaragua, in Nicaragua. It has been composed by two stratovolcans, the Concepción, active and always smoking, and the Maderas, without historic activity, which is 400 meters high. The biggest city of the island is called Moyogalpa and is connected by ferry with the city of San Jorge on the West bank of the lake Nicaragua. The second city is Altagracia, connected with Granada by a weekly ferry. The name of the island comes from the nahuatl language : ome (two) and tepetl (mountain).
The legend wants that ” the first inhabitants of Nicaragua were native peoples come from Mexico. On the advice of their prophets, they were ordered to migrate southward, until they find a wide area of water in the center of which would emerge two mountain. Having reached the bank of Lago of Nicaragua facing the island of Omotepe, they settled down there and prospered “. Tracks of it legendary past, the island is known for its pre-Colombian petroglyphs, in particular at the foot of Maderas, to El Porvenir, and to Altagracia, in the middle of the plantations of bananas. Engraved around 300 before J.C., they were attributed to Chorotega and to Niquiranos. In a very rich ecosystem, we can also observe numerous species of birds, as the urraca, and howler monkeys.
Some Pictures
Where is it ?
Ometepe, Rivas, Nicaragua
