The ruins of León Viejo are a World Heritage Site located in Nicaragua. It was the original home of the city of León. Today, it is where the town of Puerto Momotombo is found, in the La Paz Centro area of the León Department. The site is managed by the Nicaraguan Institute of Culture.
León Viejo was established on June 15, 1524, by the Spanish conquistador Francisco Hernández de Córdoba. In 1526, he was beheaded in the town's Plaza Mayor (Main Square) by Governor Pedrarias Dávila, his lieutenant.
The city was settled by Spanish colonists and originally had about 15,000 native residents. It is located on the southwestern side of Lago de Xolotlán or Lago de Managua (Lake Xolotlán or Managua), south of the Momotombo volcano. The area experienced frequent volcanic activity, including major earthquakes in 1594 and 1610.
The city was not destroyed by the 1610 earthquake. However, because of damage to buildings and ongoing seismic activity, settlers voted to move the city to its current location, about 30 kilometers (20 miles) to the west. Over time, the old city was covered by volcanic ash and rocks from Momotombo.
The ruins of León Viejo were discovered in 1967. Excavations began the next year and showed that the city had a similar layout to other American cities from that time, with a grid system and a central plaza. León Viejo covers an area of about 800 meters by 500 meters. Around the Plaza Mayor and nearby streets, 16 ruins have been partially restored.
The city had three monasteries: "La Merced," "San Pedro," and "San Francisco." These were active until October 1559. The ruins of La Merced and San Pedro have been identified, but they have suffered damage from natural disasters over the years. In May 1982, Tropical Storm Alleta damaged the walls of the city. In October 1988, Hurricane Joan caused further damage, and in October 1998, Hurricane Mitch affected about 40% of the site, damaging several buildings, the La Merced convent, and La Fortaleza.
León Viejo is the only 16th-century colonial city in the Americas that never had its city layout changed. This fact was the main reason it was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2000.
History of local archaeology
The conquistadors discovered the region occupied by many active towns that practiced arts and peaceful trades. Dr. Berendt, a respected explorer and scholar who studied the indigenous people of Central America, used language research done by himself and American diplomat Ephraim George Squier (1849), as well as traditions recorded mainly by Oviedo, Torquemada, and Herrera, to believe that the Cholutecas, Chorotega, Dirianes, and Orotinas were descendants of people who moved from Cholula, Mexico. These groups lived in most parts of the country from the Gulf of Fonseca to Nicoya. Their territory was broken near the modern city of León by the Marabios and again by an Aztec colony that occupied the narrow strip of land between the Pacific Ocean and Lake Nicaragua, as well as the lake's islands. The king and his most recent national capital were named Nicarao (as stated in a speech given to the American Geographical Society on July 10, 1876, by Dr. C. H. Berendt). The people who lived there left many remains of their civilization, such as burial mounds and cemeteries.
In 1987, Elphidio Ortega, an advisor to the Organization of American States (OAS), dug 14 holes in layers of soil at the site. Unlike earlier researchers, he believed the colonial settlement was not built on the original native site but next to a prehispanic town. Lourdes Dominguez, a Cuban researcher, also studied 12 wells outside the boundaries of some structures, finding more than 1,100 pieces of pottery. Based on this, she suggested that León Viejo was built on a prehispanic settlement because of the many ceramic items found. This idea contradicted Elphidio Ortega’s conclusion that the colonial city was built next to an indigenous settlement, not on top of it.
In 1996, Devora Ederman Cornavaca, a graduate student at the University of California, Los Angeles, received permission from the Nicaraguan Culture Institute’s Department of Cultural Heritage to dig at León Viejo. Her goal was to study how Spanish society affected the native people of the region. The first dig near the city’s current borders found evidence of a possible blacksmith workshop. The second dig was on farmland south of León Viejo, now part of the site’s protected area. Unfortunately, the final report from this research was not published. However, Cornavaca stated that the Spanish settlement was located outside the native town of the area. (Archaeology of Ancient Mexico and Central America: An Encyclopedia – Susan Toby Evans and David L. Webster. Pages: 401–402).
Investigation
The Department of Anthropological Research at the National Museum of Nicaragua (MNN) conducted excavations and archaeological explorations in León Viejo, digging trenches that were 8 meters long and 2 meters wide, aligned from north to south.
The materials found during the excavations included ceramics, porcelain, metal, remains of animals, and human remains. A piece of a musical instrument, possibly a flute made from a human humerus bone, was discovered alongside other prehispanic items. E. Espinoza, in his article on "Shamanism" in prehispanic Nicaragua, notes that German archaeologist G. Haberland found a musical object linked to human remains in a burial area, likely belonging to a shaman. This suggests the item may have been used in a ritual or ceremony.
In the cathedral, a prehispanic female skull with evidence of trepanation—a type of surgery involving drilling a hole in the skull—was found. This is one of the few recorded examples of trepanation in Nicaraguan archaeology.
The site contained many pottery fragments, stone tools made from chalcedony and basalt, and pieces of prismatic knives made from obsidian, a type of volcanic glass. These items suggest trade occurred between different regions in Central America. Obsidian was highly valued for making tools used in daily life and ceremonies.
In the east part of grid 3D, the top 20 cm of soil had already been removed, and the same condition was observed in the next 40 cm, at the end of the second level. The soil is a mix of volcanic sand, clay, and broken rock called pumice, giving it a white or yellowish color and a soft texture.
Because of the soil’s texture, it was difficult to determine the shape of the burial. No special arrangements were found, but the head rested on small volcanic stones. The burial was unusual, with the skull positioned on the south side, possibly facing Momotombo mountain or Lake Nicaragua. The body’s position was unclear, but the right hand’s bones were placed near the chest and facial bones, as if covering the face. The skull had a hole on the left side caused by trepanation, likely performed to treat an illness. Additional holes caused by osteoporosis were observed using an electronic magnifying glass. (Personal communication with Dr. Henry Guerzten, Pathology Professor at the University of Virginia, USA)
The skeleton was mostly complete and well-preserved. Measurements of the skull and other bones suggest the individual was a young woman aged 25 to 30 years. The shape of the incisors, which are spade-shaped, indicates the person belonged to the Imabite or Chorotega indigenous group. Bones from the lower body and another individual’s upper limbs were also found nearby, suggesting the remains may have been disturbed.
The burial location was not on a main altar but in another area of the church. It is unclear if the remains were moved during the cathedral’s construction. Other human remains were also disturbed, but this individual was buried facing the volcano. This orientation may have been linked to a ritual, ceremony, or offering to a god associated with the mountain or volcano.
Archaeologists compared burial practices in Europe and the Americas. Goodwin (1945) noted that burial customs are closely tied to cultural traditions, and the body’s position and orientation can reveal information about a group’s beliefs. Ucko (1969) warned that interpreting burials ethnographically can be challenging. Marija (1956) observed that burial types varied widely even in prehistoric times, though interpretations are not always clear.
Stone artifacts, including obsidian knives, chalcedony, and remains of small mammals, reptiles, birds, and fish, were found. Some of these items were near human bones. The area may have been a large settlement with about 15,000 people, as recorded by Oviedo.
A second burial was located between the southern and northern profiles of grid C-1A and C-1B. The body was tilted slightly toward the northwest, with the feet near the first step of the altar. This burial was found below the remains of Fray Francisco Mendavia, the second Archbishop of Nicaragua, who arrived in 1540 and was buried 80 to 100 cm deep near the cathedral’s altar. Bones beneath Mendavia’s remains were found 160 to 180 cm deep, with the head facing west and the face toward the rising sun or the altar. The skeleton was stretched with arms parallel to the legs, a style more common in prehispanic burials than Christian ones.
The remains included a skull, clavicles, shoulder bones, arm bones, leg bones, and vertebrae. Measurements suggest the individual was a woman aged 30 to 35 years, with a height of about 1.55 to 1.60 meters. The molars showed heavy wear typical of prehispanic populations, and two molars had lesions.