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Rivas Department

Coordinates: 11°26′52″N 85°34′17″W / 11.44778°N 85.57139°W / 11.44778; -85.57139
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rivas
Departamento de Rivas
Department
Flag of Rivas
Flag
Coat of arms of Rivas
Coat of arms
CountryNicaragua
CapitalRivas
Area
 • Department
2,162 km2 (835 sq mi)
Population
 (2021 estimate)[1]
 • Department
183,611
 • Density85/km2 (220/sq mi)
 • Urban
91,899
ISO 3166-2NI-RI

Rivas (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈriβas]) is a department of the Republic of Nicaragua. It covers an area of 2,162 km2 (835 sq mi) and has a population of 183,611 (2021 estimate). The department's capital is the city of Rivas. The indigenous inhabitants of Rivas are the Nicarao, and was the location of the pre-Columbian Nahua chiefdoms of Kwawkapolkan and Kakawatan.[2][3][4][5]

History

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In the pre-Columbian era, Rivas was home to the Nahua nations of Kwawkapolkan, and Kakawatan, as well as neighbouring Chibcha tribes.[6][7][8][9][10] Kwawkapolkan was the most powerful chiefdom in pre-Columbian Nicaragua, ruled by chief Macuilmiquiztli, and translates to "place of capulín trees" in Nawat.[11] It's a combination of the Nawat words Kwawit (tree),[12][13] kapolin (capulín),[14][15] and -kan (a locative meaning "place of"). Kwawkapolkan extended from Rivas down to Bagaces in central Guanacaste in Costa Rica.[16][17][18][19]

Kakawatan was another Nahua chiefdom in Rivas, ruled by chief Wemak who was Macuilmiquiztli's cousin.[20][21][22] Wemak also had a warrior son named Eskuat, though he wasn't mentioned by Spanish sources again.[23] The name Kakawatan is a combination of the Nawat words kakaw (Cacao), at (water), and -tan (locative suffix meaning land/place of).[24] Therefore Kakawatan translates to "land of cacao water", referring to chocolate drinks, one the most important aspects of Nicarao culture.[25][26] This tradition is still practiced in the communities of Rivas among the descendants of the Nahuas both indigenous and mestizos alike.[27]

Chibcha minorities lived and thrived within Kwawkapolkan and Kakawatan alongside the Nahua majority. Chibchas also served in the Nahua chiefdoms armed forces to further integrate into Nahua society, as military service provided social advancement and assimilation.[28][29][30] The cultivation of potatoes in Kwawkapolkan and Kakawatan also suggests cultural diffusion between the Nahuas and Chibchas, as the Chibchas introduced potatoes to Nicaragua from South America which did not reach northern Mesoamerica.[31][32] Before and during spanish contact, Kakawatan and Kwawkapolkan had a military alliance and were in a constant state of war with the Chorotegas, the Kingdom of Nicoya, and later fought together against the Spanish.[33] Kwawkapolkan and Kakawatan sent their armies as far north as Carazo during their wars against the Chorotegas, and as far south as the Nicoya Peninsula and southern Guanacaste during their military campaigns against the Kingdom of Nicoya and the Huetares.[34][35][36][37][38]

Overview

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Rivas is known for its fertile soil and beaches. Throughout the department, there are many sugar cane, plantain, tobacco, and other crop plantations. The department borders Lake Nicaragua to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. The southern part of the department borders with Costa Rica.[citation needed] A small fishermen village, called San Juan del Sur, has turned into a popular tourist attraction because of its access to beaches in the area.[39] Another major tourist attraction is Ometepe, a large volcanic island inhabited by about 32,000 people (2005 census). Nawat Nicarao people still inhabit the department.[40]

Municipalities

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References

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  1. ^ "Nicaragua: Departments, Major Cities & Towns - Population Statistics, Maps, Charts, Weather and Web Information". City Population.
  2. ^ "Nahoas. Territorio indígena y gobernanza".
  3. ^ Vida de González Dávila, Gil. Ávila, c. 1480 – 21.IV.1526. Descubridor y conquistador. et al., 2012
  4. ^ Historia general y natural de las Indias, islas y tierra-firme del mar océano; por el Capitán Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo y Valdés; Primer Cronista del Nuevo Mundo; publícala la Real Academia de la Historia.- Tomo IV.- Libro XLII.- Capitulo XIII.
  5. ^ Colonización de américa, cuando la historia marcha, de Oviedo y Valdés, Gonzalo c. 1480 - 1557, 2006
  6. ^ "Cocibolca y Xolotlán: Relectura de sus toponimias indígenas" (PDF).
  7. ^ Nicaraocalli (2015-01-26). "Nicarao o Nicaragua / Nicaraocalli o Quauhcapolca". Nicaraocalli digital (in Spanish). Retrieved 2022-10-12.
  8. ^ Vida de González Dávila, Gil. Ávila, c. 1480 – 21.IV.1526. Descubridor y conquistador. et al., 2012
  9. ^ Historia general y natural de las Indias, islas y tierra-firme del mar océano; por el Capitán Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo y Valdés; Primer Cronista del Nuevo Mundo; publícala la Real Academia de la Historia.- Tomo IV.- Libro XLII.- Capitulo XIII.
  10. ^ Colonización de américa, cuando la historia marcha, de Oviedo y Valdés, Gonzalo c. 1480 - 1557, 2006
  11. ^ "Cocibolca y Xolotlán: Relectura de sus toponimias indígenas" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2023-04-05. Retrieved 2024-10-25.
  12. ^ "Pipil (Nahuat) Talking Dictionary". talkingdictionary.swarthmore.edu.
  13. ^ "Entries | Pipil (nahuat) Living Dictionary". Living Dictionaries.
  14. ^ Campbell, Lyle (1985). The Pipil Language of El Salvador. Walter de Gruyter. pp. 10–12. ISBN 978-3-11-088199-8.
  15. ^ "The history of the word for Cacao in ancient Mesoamerica".
  16. ^ Newson, Linda A.; Bonilla, Adolfo (2021). Las culturas indígenas y su medioambiente. Uol Insti for the Study of the Americas. pp. 21–54. ISBN 978-1-908857-87-3. JSTOR j.ctv1qr6sk7.7.
  17. ^ "Central American Nahua distribution (based on Fowler 1981: 469-523).... | Download Scientific Diagram".
  18. ^ "El reino de este mundo - Trabajos de investigación - 5407 Palabras". Buenas Tareas.
  19. ^ Peralta, De; M, Manuel (1901). "The Aboriginals of Costa Rica". Journal de la Société des Américanistes. 3 (2): 125–139. doi:10.3406/jsa.1901.3365. Archived from the original on 2024-01-05. Retrieved 2024-01-05.
  20. ^ Vida de González Dávila, Gil. Ávila, c. 1480 – 21.IV.1526. Descubridor y conquistador. et al., 2012
  21. ^ Los Indios precolombinos de Nicaragua y Costa Rica en los siglos XV y XVI, 2009 - Bolaños, Enrique
  22. ^ Historia de la Gran Nicoya en el sur de Mesoamérica, Jiménez-Santana 1997
  23. ^ Vida de González Dávila, Gil. Ávila, c. 1480 – 21.IV.1526. Descubridor y conquistador. et al., 2012
  24. ^ Rendón, Juan J. (1971). "El Nawat de Cuzcatlan". Anales de Antropología. 8. Archived from the original on 2024-09-06. Retrieved 2024-10-26.
  25. ^ "Chocolate in Mesoamerica A Cultural History of Cacao" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2024-06-06. Retrieved 2024-03-01.
  26. ^ Bergmann, John F. (1969). "The Distribution of Cacao Cultivation in Pre-Columbian America". Annals of the Association of American Geographers. 59 (1): 85–96. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8306.1969.tb00659.x. JSTOR 2569524. Archived from the original on 2024-02-20. Retrieved 2024-03-01.
  27. ^ "Festival "Tomá Chocolate" en Rivas celebrando nuestro ancestral grano precioso". El 19 Digital.
  28. ^ Carmack, Robert (2017). Los Pueblos Indígenas de Mesoamérica y Centroamérica. Lexington Books. ISBN 9781498558976.
  29. ^ Los Indios precolombinos de Nicaragua y Costa Rica en los siglos XV y XVI, 2009 - Bolaños, Enrique
  30. ^ Historia de la Gran Nicoya en el sur de Mesoamérica, Jiménez-Santana 1997
  31. ^ Los Indios precolombinos de Nicaragua y Costa Rica en los siglos XV y XVI, 2009 - Bolaños, Enrique
  32. ^ "Bringing Home the Flavors of Nicaragua: A Provisional Guide to Great Nicaraguan Cuisine".
  33. ^ Ibarra Rojas, 1994
  34. ^ Ibarra Rojas, 1994
  35. ^ Los Indios precolombinos de Nicaragua y Costa Rica en los siglos XV y XVI, 2009 - Bolaños, Enrique
  36. ^ Historia de la Gran Nicoya en el sur de Mesoamérica, Jiménez-Santana 1997
  37. ^ Brinton, Daniel G. (1897). "The Ethnic Affinities of the Guetares of Costa Rica". Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society. 36 (156): 496–498. JSTOR 983406.
  38. ^ Rojas, Eugenia Ibarra (2011). "The Nicarao, The Voto Indians and the Huetares In Conflict". Cuadernos de Antropología. 21.
  39. ^ "Rivas, Nicaragua - ViaNica.com". Vianica.com. Retrieved 2023-10-23.
  40. ^ "Nahoas. Territorio indígena y gobernanza".
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11°26′52″N 85°34′17″W / 11.44778°N 85.57139°W / 11.44778; -85.57139


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