LEON, the largest city of Nicaragua, Central America, capital of the province or department of the same name, one of the oldest and most picturesque Spanish cities of Central America. Pop. (1928) about 47,000. It is 52 m. from Managua, the na tional capital, and 35 m. from Corinto, the chief port of Nicaragua on the Pacific ocean ; the Pacific railway connects Leon with Corinto, Managua and Granada, beyond. Leon spreads over a large area; its houses, mostly one-storeyed, are of adobe with red tile roofs, and many have fine gardens. The cathedral, the Dominican church in the old Indian suburb of Subtiaba, the palaces of the bishop, the fortified barracks built originally as a Franciscan monastery, the hospital and the university, are fine old historic buildings. The streets and private houses of the old town are picturesquely Spanish, full of charm to the visitor. Leon is a prosperous, busy centre of an important agricultural region. The local products are sugar, cotton and cacao ; there are a cotton factory and small woollen mills, cigar, shoe and saddlery factories, and cattle, chiefly draught animals, are raised and ex ported to all Central America. Much merchandise is handled by wholesalers in Leon for the interior points, particularly in the mining regions.
Leon has an extensive history, closely interwoven with that of the country. It is the recognized "capital" of the Liberal
Party, as Granada (q.v.) is the "capital" of the Conservatives, and the struggle between these two cities has led many times to revolution and bloodshed. The town antedates the Spanish con quest, for it is on the site (and the Indian section of the town still bears the old name) of Subtiaba, the residence of the cacique Nagrando, and an important Indian shrine. Le6n was first founded on the edge of Lake Managua by Francisco Hernández de COrdova in 1523, but was moved to the site of the old Indian capital in 1610. It was the capital of the Spanish province and of the Republic of Nicaragua until 1855, although its great com mercial rival, Granada, on Lake Nicaragua, 88 m. to the south west, long disputed the honour, bringing on the bitter feud which resulted in the coming of William Walker (q.v.), the American filibuster, and the years of turmoil which followed his landing. Ultimately, Managua (q.v.) was established between the two as a compromise capital, and seat of the archbishop, Leon and Granada each having a bishop. Leon is the birthplace of Ruben Dario, one of the notable Spanish poets of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and his remains rest in the cathedral there.
(W. TH0.)