Architecture of Nicaragua
Matagalpa
Nicaragua has almost no ancient architecture as many of the indigenous people built from wood and other perishable materials that have not lasted. However, these ancient styles are still used today in an altered form as many of the local people continue to use traditional building techniques and materials for construction. In varying parts of the country there are houses built from clay, mud, adobe, and wood.
Iglesia de la Recoleccion
The Spanish arrival in the 1500s forever altered the architecture and most cities today were built in the Spanish style and with the Spanish's ideal urban planning models. Nearly every colonial Spanish city in Nicaragua is centered around a main square, which is bordered by a church and government buildings, although cities in the mountains don't follow this rule and neither does the capital of Managua. The churches were generally built in the Spanish styles of the time, leading to a large number of Baroque churches.
Among the finest buildings from colonial Spanish rule, the cities of Managua, Leon, and Granada have some of the best. Leon has perhaps the most authentic Spanish feel as it was the former capital, but this title has since shifted, leaving the city much as it was under Spanish rule.