Masaya Department

Masaya
Masāyān[1]
Departamento de Masaya
Department
Flag
Coat of arms
Location within Nicaragua
CountryNicaragua
CapitalMasaya
Area
 • Department
611 km2 (236 sq mi)
Population
 (2021 estimate)[2]
 • Department
397,632
 • Density651/km2 (1,690/sq mi)
 • Urban
238,345
ISO 3166-2NI-MS

Masaya (Formerly Masayan), (Spanish pronunciation: [maˈsaʝa]), (Nahuatl languages: Masāyān) is a department in Nicaragua. It is the country's smallest department by area (611 km2) and has a population of 397,632 (2021 estimate). The capital is the city of Masaya. It is famous among Nicaraguan people for its nickname, "La Cuna Del Folklore" which translates to (The Cradle of Folklore). It is also the site of the Masaya Volcano, an active 635m volcano which last erupted in 2016. The Indigenous inhabitants of Masaya are the Nahuas and the Chorotegas, and was the location of the pre-Columbian Nahua chiefdom of Masatepek.[3][4][5] The Nahuas dominate the cultivation and production of cocoa beans in the municipality of Masatepe.[6][7][8]

Etymology

The name Masaya is a combination of the Nahuat words Masat (deer),[9][10] and -yan (a locative meaning habitation).[11][12] Therefore the meaning of Masaya is "place where deer inhabit", which was named by the Nahuas in reference to the White-tailed deer that inhabit the region.[13][14][15][16] In addition, a Nahua chiefdom called Masatepek (meaning "deer hill" in Nahuat) was located in the Masaya department. Furthermore, the Nahuas of Masatepek inhabited Nindiri, Niquinohomo, Monimbó, and Masatepe.[17]

Municipalities

  1. Catarina
  2. La Concepción
  3. Masatepe
  4. Masaya
  5. Nandasmo
  6. Nindirí
  7. Niquinohomo
  8. San Juan de Oriente
  9. Tisma

References

  1. ^ "Indigenous place names of Nicaragua" (PDF).
  2. ^ Citypopulation.de Population of departments in Nicaragua
  3. ^ Vida de González Dávila, Gil. Ávila, c. 1480 – 21.IV.1526. Descubridor y conquistador. et al., 2012
  4. ^ Historia general y natural de las Indias, islas y tierra-firme del mar océano; por el Capitán Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo y Valdés; Primer Cronista del Nuevo Mundo; publícala la Real Academia de la Historia.- Tomo IV.- Libro XLII.- Capitulo XIII.
  5. ^ Colonización de américa, cuando la historia marcha, de Oviedo y Valdés, Gonzalo c. 1480 - 1557, 2006
  6. ^ "Preparation of a hygiene plan for the Nicaraos microenterprise cocoa industry in the department of Masaya".
  7. ^ "Nicaragua National Report" (PDF).
  8. ^ Carmack, Robert (2017). The Indigenous People of Mesoamerica and Central America. Lexington Books. pp. 81–83. ISBN 9781498558976.
  9. ^ "¡Hablemos náhuat! (page 64 of 95)" (PDF).
  10. ^ "PIPIL DIALECTOLOGY".
  11. ^ "Nahuatl Dictionary: -yan".
  12. ^ "Great Nahuatl Dictionary: yan".
  13. ^ "Masaya, Nicaragua: town, volcano & crafts market".
  14. ^ "Visit Masaya volcano in Nicaragua: Practical guide".
  15. ^ "Masaya Volcano National Park".
  16. ^ "Photos of Nicaraguan White-tailed deer".
  17. ^ Carmack, Robert (2017). The Indigenous People of Mesoamerica and Central America. Lexington Books. pp. 81–83. ISBN 9781498558976.

11°58′N 86°06′W / 11.967°N 86.100°W / 11.967; -86.100


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