Nicaragua NINETEENTH CENTURY
Colonial architecture in Granada
Courtesy Nicaraguan Tourism Institute
National Independence, 1821-57
Spain's control over its colonies in the New World was
threatened in the early 1800s by the struggle for national
independence throughout the entire region. Weakened by the
French
invasion in 1794 and internal upheaval, Spain tried to
hold onto
its richest colonies, which led to even further neglect of
its
poorer Central American territories. Resentment toward the
Spanish-born elite (peninsulares--those born in
Spain and
the only persons allowed to administer Spanish colonies)
grew
among Nicaraguan creoles. The first local movements
against
Spanish rule in Central America occurred in 1811, when the
Province of El Salvador staged a revolt. Peninsular
authorities were deposed and replaced by creoles, who
demanded
less repressive laws. Although the Province of Nicaragua
officially refused to join the rebellion, a popular
uprising soon
broke out. Violence and political rivalry prevailed in all
of the
Central American colonies during the ensuing decade.
Establishment of an independent Nicaragua came in
stages. The
first stage occurred in 1821 when the Captaincy General of
Guatemala formally declared its independence from Spain on
September 15, which is still celebrated as independence
day. At
first the captaincy general was part of the Mexican Empire
under
General Agustín de Iturbide, but efforts by Mexico to
control the
region were resisted all over Central America. Separatist
feelings throughout the isthmus grew, however, and five of
the
United Provinces of Central America--Costa Rica, El
Salvador,
Guatemala, Honduras, andd Nicaragua--declared their
independence
from Mexico in July 1823. The sixth province, Chiapas,
opted to
remain with Mexico. Under a weak federal government, each
province created its own independent internal
administration.
Inadequate communication and internal conflicts, however,
overshadowed efforts to institutionalize the federation
for the
next decade and a half. Efforts to centralize power led to
civil
war between 1826 and 1829. The federation finally
dissolved in
1837, and a
Constituent Assembly
(see Glossary) formally
declared
Nicaragua's independence from the United Provinces of
Central
America on April 30, 1838.
Data as of December 1993
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