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    Is This the Isthmus? Tour – Nicaragua Part 10

    Wednesday, August 23, 2017
    Granada, Nicaragua

    The facade of the Iglesia San Francisco in Granada, Nicaragua.
    The facade of the Iglesia San Francisco in Granada, Nicaragua.

    The interior of the Iglesia San Francisco in Granada, Nicaragua.
    The interior of the Iglesia San Francisco in Granada, Nicaragua.

    The interior of the Iglesia San Francisco in Granada, Nicaragua.
    The interior of the Iglesia San Francisco in Granada, Nicaragua.

    When I headed out the door of the Hostal El Momento today, it was sunny, so I walked a couple of blocks over to town square, where I bought a small bag of plantain chips from a street vendor, then sat down on a bench to eat them and do a little people watchin’. All of a sudden, a really dirty, unkempt, middle-aged, crazy homeless guy walked up, stood 10 feet away and angrily screamed at me for 10 or 15 seconds, then walked away. The fact that he was speaking Spanish left little question marks floating all around my head, as I only know a few words in that language. The snack vendors nearby seemed amused. A few minutes later, as I walked across the square and past a spot where he was standing, he started yelling at me again. I didn’t know whether to feel sorry for him, or invite him to eat a suicide pill.

    Unintentional installation art the Iglesia San Francisco in Granada, Nicaragua.
    Unintentional installation art the Iglesia San Francisco in Granada, Nicaragua.

    Tony the Tiger explores his dark side at the Iglesia San Francisco in Granada, Nicaragua.
    Tony the Tiger explores his dark side at the Iglesia San Francisco in Granada, Nicaragua.

    Bleeding eyes at the Iglesia San Francisco in Granada, Nicaragua.
    Bleeding eyes at the Iglesia San Francisco in Granada, Nicaragua.

    A block or two away, I visited another Catholic church called the Iglesia San Francisco, which, I found out after I ponied up the $1.00 entry fee, boasts a statue of Jesus H. Christ and a few other important Christian figures scattered amongst its fine yet spartan woodwork interior. Also present were a few sections of sheet rock that were cut away to reveal the stone wall underneath. I couldn’t figure out if that was done as part of an ongoing renovation project, or if it was an example of late period Nicaraguan installation art, fellas.

    Fine wicker furniture at the Iglesia San Francisco in Granada, Nicaragua.
    Fine wicker furniture at the Iglesia San Francisco in Granada, Nicaragua.

    A so-called 'naive' painting at the Iglesia San Francisco in Granada, Nicaragua.
    A so-called ‘naive’ painting at the Iglesia San Francisco in Granada, Nicaragua.

    Black-basalt pre-Columbian statues at the Iglesia San Francisco in Granada, Nicaragua.
    Black-basalt pre-Columbian statues at the Iglesia San Francisco in Granada, Nicaragua.

    “One of the oldest churches in Central America and the most striking building in Granada, Iglesia San Francisco boasts a robin’s egg-blue birthday-cake facade and houses both an important convent and one of the best museums in the region. Originally constructed in 1585, it was subsequently burned to the ground by pirates and later William Walker, rebuilt in 1868 and restored in 1989.”–Lonely Planet

    A black-basalt pre-Columbian statue at the Iglesia San Francisco in Granada, Nicaragua.
    A black-basalt pre-Columbian statue at the Iglesia San Francisco in Granada, Nicaragua.

    A veggie burrito at Pure Vegetarian Cafe in Granada, Nicaragua.
    A veggie burrito at Pure Vegetarian Cafe in Granada, Nicaragua.

    After poking around in the church for a few minutes, I worked up the courage to mosey all the way next door to visit the attached museum. For a measly $5.00; I was invited inside to gawk at a myriad of semi-cheesy dioramas and displays showcasing the history of Granada and the Catholic religion locally, a neat scale model of the city, super detailed and awesome so-called “naive” paintings of nature and small town life made by rural folks, pre-Columbian pottery and carvings, large and extremely erroded black-basalt statues carved between 800 and 1200 AD, and a whole ship load more. While I was there, a huge black sky rainstorm moved in, dashing my plans to go get my goth on in the local cemetery.

    Words and photos ©2017 Arcane Candy.

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