This October is the 171st birthday of San Juan del Sur and the people will take to the streets to celebrate this special time filled with pride and joy for its population, but do you know the history of this popular city?
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San Juan del Sur was discovered in 1522 by the Spaniard; Andres Niño. The village had several names before being baptized as it is today. Initially, Puerto de la Independencia, then San Juan de la Concorde, also Cuidad Pineda until finally it was named San Juan del Sur.
In 1852, the title of “City” was bestowed upon San Juan del Sur and that is the birthday or anniversary we celebrate this and every October.
Historically, San Juan del Sur has been recognized as having a tranquilo or calm port. The village was located in front of the horseshoe-shaped bay. In the nineteenth century it was one of the main global shipping terminals as well as an important transit point for Americans (intoxicated by the “gold rush”) as they traveled from the eastern USA to California via the isthmus.
As well as being a small fishing village, San Juan del Sur was central to the network of operations for national and global communications. There was also a station of the network of Ferrocarril del Pacífico de Nicaragua (F de PN), the Pacific Railway of Nicaragua connecting San Juan del Sur to the port of San Jorge on the lake. Some relics of this golden age are still preserved; one of them being the railroad water tank located on La Chocolata road north which follows the old railway route.
Between 1940 and 1990, San Juan del Sur enjoyed a boom in “cabotage” (coastal trade) which was considered the second most important economic activity of the city after fishing.
It was not until October 2002, after the growth in tourism, that San Juan del Sur was declared a “Nicaraguan Tourist City”, a title that continues today. Over the last 20 years or so, San Juan del Sur (discovered in 1522) has grown to become the main tourist destination on the Pacific coast of Nicaragua. Its beautiful beaches and other natural attractions make it an inescapable destination for international visitors. Happy Birthday San Juan del Sur!
Originally published in Del Sur News
