Teatro Municipal

León, Nicaragua

Built in the 1880’s, León’s Municipal Theater (officially known as the “Teatro Municipal José de la Cruz Mena”) is one of the best performance venues in this colonial city. Restored a couple of decades ago, it’s also air-conditioned--a big plus in the hot lowlands of northwestern Nicaragua! Every month offers something different: concerts, festivals, competitions...I caught an evening of poetry-reading and regional folk-dancing put on by the local university students. On the way to the Theater’s neoclassical façade, the street-fronts are simple but vibrant; you’ll know you’re on the right street when you see this ‘rainbow row.’ Note: in León, don’t expect directions to an address to involve a number and street name. For example, to get to this theater, you might hear: “from the corner in the park across from the Cathedral, go a block ‘abajo’ (‘down’) and then a block ‘hacia al sur’ (toward the south).” Just remember: “abajo” = west, “arriba” = east, and “cuadras” are city blocks. But you might also hear this: “Well, from where the gas-station used to be, (‘used to be?’) go down a bit, and then across from the mango tree (which one?!), well, there you are.” Have fun; hope you get there...

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colors on the way to the theater

Built in the 1880’s, León’s Municipal Theater (officially known as the “Teatro Municipal José de la Cruz Mena”) is one of the best performance venues in this colonial city. Restored a couple of decades ago, it’s also air-conditioned--a big plus in the hot lowlands of northwestern Nicaragua! Every month offers something different: concerts, festivals, competitions...I caught an evening of poetry-reading and regional folk-dancing put on by the local university students. On the way to the Theater’s neoclassical façade, the street-fronts are simple but vibrant; you’ll know you’re on the right street when you see this ‘rainbow row.’ Note: in León, don’t expect directions to an address to involve a number and street name. For example, to get to this theater, you might hear: “from the corner in the park across from the Cathedral, go a block ‘abajo’ (‘down’) and then a block ‘hacia al sur’ (toward the south).” Just remember: “abajo” = west, “arriba” = east, and “cuadras” are city blocks. But you might also hear this: “Well, from where the gas-station used to be, (‘used to be?’) go down a bit, and then across from the mango tree (which one?!), well, there you are.” Have fun; hope you get there...

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