Solentiname Islands
Father Cardenal arrived in the islands in 1966 and is known for establishing a communal society for artists in the early 1970s which persists to this day.The community developed its own naïve art movement based on existing folk forms, and with some help from painter Róger Pérez de la Rocha.There is a small art gallery where the craftsmen and painters display their works: birds, mobiles featuring the local fauna carved out of balsawood, as well as much sought-after colourful primitivist Solentiname paintings, largely inspired by the islands’ rich wildlife and plant species.There are also important archaeological sites (including petroglyphs on San Fernando featuring images of parrots, monkeys, and people), the Los Guatuzos Wildlife Refuge, a 400 km2 (150 sq mi) marsh parallel to the lakeshore, home to both monkeys and alligators, and the Solentiname National Monument, which consists of the islands themselves and the lakeshores around them.Solentiname's agricultural products include avocado, cotton, sesame, corn, coffee and cacao.
NicaraguaDepartmentRío San JuanarchipelagoLake NicaraguaNicaraguanvolcanicsea levelprotected areas of NicaraguaNahuatlparrottoucansspeciestarponfreshwater sharkssawfishswordfishSpanishartistspriestErnesto Cardenalcommunal societynaïveart movementpainterRóger Pérez de la RochamobilesbalsawoodprimitivistAsilia GuillénecotourismarchaeologicalpetroglyphsLos Guatuzos Wildlife RefugemonkeysalligatorsavocadocottonsesamecoffeeJulio CortázarAlamikamabaApoyo LagoonAsososca LagoonBismuna Raya LagoonCabo Viejo-Tala-SulamasCerro ApanteCerro ArenalCerro BanacruzCerro Cola BlancaCerro Cumaica–Cerro AlegreCerro GuabuleCerro KilambéCerro Mombachito-La ViejaCerro MusúnCerro PancasanCerro Quiabuc-Las BrisasCerro SilvaCerro Tisey–EstanzuelaCerro WawashangChiltepe PeninsulaChocoyero-El BrujoCordillera de YolainaCordillera Dipilto and JalapaCosigüina VolcanoEl ArenalEstero Padre RamosEstero RealFila MasigüeJuan Venado IslandKlignaKukalaya LagoonLa MáquinaLayasika LagoonLimbaikaLlanos de KarawalaLlanos de MakantakaMacizos de Peñas BlancasMaderas VolcanoMakantakaMesas de MoropotenteMecatepe LagoonMiraflorMombacho VolcanoNejapa LagoonPahara LagoonPunta GordaRío ManaresSalto Río YasikaSierra AmerrisqueSierra QuirraguaTepesomoto-PatasteTiscapa LagoonTisma LagoonVolcán MaderasVolcán Telica RotaVolcán Pilas El HoyoVolcán San CristóbalVolcán San Cristóbal-CasitaVolcán YaliYolainaYulu KarataApacunca Genetic ReserveBosawás Biosphere ReserveCayos Miskitos Biological ReserveIndio Maíz Biological ReserveLlanos de Apacunca Genetic ReserveSelva Negra Cloud Forest ReserveYucul Genetic ReserveChacocenteLos GuatuzosHurricane Mitch Victims National MonumentLa Inmaculada Fort Historical SiteMasaya Volcano National ParkSolentiname National MonumentSomoto Canyon National MonumentZapatera Archipelago National Park