Flor de Pochote

Ruins of Venecia

General and President Jose Maria Moncada

In the southwestern bay of the Masaya Lagoon, just about one kilometer from Flor de Pochote, we find a strange big building in the middle of trees and scrubs. Its is difficult to see if it is a ruin or a never completed construction. The truth is found in both.

The present day owners of are planning a little show room in the historical building. Flor de Pochote has the permission to bring visitors to the area. Click for info.

Ruins of Venecia

Venecia in the 1930th. Moncada receives an important delegation.	Jose Maria Moncada, 1870-1945	Venecia today. An intent to reconstruct and enlarge was not completed.

The house was build by General José Maria Moncada during his period as president of Nicaragua, 1928-32. Making his house in this idyllic place permitted him to attend government in Managua, and stay close to his home city Managua.

After the Managua earthquake in 1931 Moncada brought his government affairs to his home, and Venecia became for a short period the functional capital of Nicaragua.

Moncada's role in Nicaragua's history.

Moncada was a quiet personality, and this may be the reason why his role in history is normally just said to be the man who prepared the scene for the heroic acting of Sandino. But he was much more than that.

Moncada took over a country in political and economical chaos after 16 years with unconstitutional and inefficient conservative governments and constant civil wars. When he left, the country was afloat while the world around suffered one of its worst economic depressions.
He was elected by a clear majority and handed over the government to the winner of an orderly held election.

Under other circumstances future generations would have seen him as the founder of modern Nicaragua. But he made one serious mistake, that ended up destroying the essence of his work: He used his political credits to impose his friend Anastasio Somoza as leader of the US-armed National Guard, and helped him to keep this position, when he later got into troubles.

Somoza used his powerful position to abolish democracy and convert Nicaragua into a family property for a  period of 43 years.

Last updated 11.11.2006