Tipitapa - History

History

Tipitapa began as a settlement of local tribes. The first settlers were the Chorotegas, who populated central Nicaragua and especially the location between two lakes. Over time, the Chorotegas were divided into two rival gangs, the Dirianes and Nagrandanos. The kingdom of Dirianes was the jurisdiction to which it belonged. Pre-Tipitapa had its own social, economic and administrative policy. The largest populations were Managua, Xalteva, Diriomo, Niquinohomo, and Mateare Nindirí. There are two versions of the origin of the name of Tipitapa. The first is said to be of Mexican origin and is formed from the prefix "telpë" meaning "stone" with "petlat" meaning "mat or bedroll" and "pan" which means "place" to form "place of stone backpacks". The second version is that "Tipitapa" is derived from the voices "tpitzin" as "alt" meaning "short or small" with the adverb of place "apan" to mean "in the vicinity of a small river or small stream".

The original settlement was established in an area located to the southwest of the present town, near the river's shad, and like all Indian villages, the sector had a small population whose economic activity was fishing (in Lake Managua).

The current city, Tipitapa, was founded after the town was transfered from the old seat, by the wealthy Spanish landowner Don Juan Bautista Almendarez in 1775. It took him two years of petitioning to the government of the Kingdom of Guatemala, to be granted authority to move the city.

Almendarez built the chapel and the first bridge in Tipitapa. During the colonial period, Tipitapa's indigenous population dwindled to approximately 1,211 people. Its residents migrated to other cities due to the high rate of mortality because of epidemic diseases and the national war.

The most important historical event for Tipitapa was the Black Thorn Treaty. The treaty was signed on May 4, 1927, between liberal and conservative factions that were in open war for political power in the country.

In 1929, the city's name was changed to "Villa Stimson" after the U.S. government sent Henry L. Stimson. It is not clear why the old Indian name "Tipitapa" was abolished. It was not until 1961 that the name was changed back to "Tipitapa" by legislative decree.

Another important historical event for the town of Tipitapa and for all of Nicaragua, is the Battle of San Jacinto, fought on September 14, 1856. 120 Nicaraguan soldiers, commanded by (then) Colonel Jose Dolores Estrada, fought against more than 300 well-armed pirates who, despite their advantage, were overthrown by the courageous national patriots.