by: Paul Parisi, originally published in Nica News 20 (February 1999)

	The Masaya Market

The latest incarnation of the Masaya Market celebrated its first anniversary last October. Remodeling continues and there is now another section of modules offering local and national handicrafts direct from the producer and a large multi-purpose room, capable of seating up to 500 persons. The market continues its role as the centerpiece for this thriving artistic and cultural community 30 kilometers south of the capital.

Begun sometime in the middle of the last century on land donated by Don Ignacio Navarro, the initial structure was used as a university of philosophy and law. In 1888, then-Mayor Rafael Zurita signed the edict that would create the present edifice and turn it into a marketplace. That was completed in 1891.

The original 50-year contract for occupation was granted to two local engineers who shortly afterward signed it over to the Nicaragua Sugar Estates company, which then sold the rights to Adolfo Benard from Granada.

In 1926, the Municipality of Masaya negotiated with Benard to acquire the rights to the building for the specific purpose of using it as a marketplace. Benard, who had 12 years more on his contract, was persuaded by then Mayor Dr. Aaron Tuckler and the Masaya Market became a reality.

In 1966, a fire caused extensive damage to stalls and a wooden superstructure that had been built above the stone outer wall. This wooden palisade had given the market a decidedly fortress-like appearance and was not reconstructed when repairs were made

The market continued to function as such for another 12 years until the insurrection when, in 1978, the National Guard torched it in an attempt to destroy a place where revolutionaries supposedly gathered. This fire, and the subsequent years of fighting, effectively ended the role of the building as a viable and productive part of the city for many years. It lay partially in ruins, slowly filling with garbage. In the late 1980s, when Gerardo Sánchez was the mayor, it was cleaned up and used for weekend dances and presentations of live bands.

	Locals from Masaya walk past the front of the Mercado de Artesanias de Masaya. Photo: Tomas Stargardter.

Re-emerging from the turbulent war years, in 1990 the city decided that something had to be done with the structure and reconstruction began in October 1994. On May 26, 1997, the first section of renovated modules was opened, with a second section quickly following on October 26.

Today, we see a clean, airy marketplace with 80 modules, and two cafés, both owned by the market and leased to local operators. The idea is to present the country's finest handicraft work in a single, convenient complex. The design is intended to offer Nicaraguans and tourists alike the opportunity to walk around an ample garden-like area with shaded and well-tended spaces where one can browse through the wide variety of nationally produced goods.

The list of handicrafts is extensive, running the entire spectrum of regions and materials: leather and coral objects from the Atlantic Coast and leathers and skins processed in Masaya, as well as the famous hammocks, clothing, fiber wall hangings, paintings, and wooden furniture. There are fine ceramics from San Juan de Oriente and marmolina stone carvings from San Juan del Limay. You can buy a hat made in Chontales that rivals the quality of the traditional Panama Hat, fill out your wardrobe, and purchase a pair of shoes from the producers themselves.

This is the best part of the wares offered here: the market is run by a cooperative of artisans who make the goods you buy, quite different from other markets in which the buyer deals with an intermediary whose only concern is making money. Generally, they can't give you more than the basic information about your purchase. The contract the vendors have with the administration states that 75% of what you see in each stall will be products made by the very people selling it to you.

Stroll around and see what's available. In Module G-4, Iván Moncada sells beautiful wood furniture that ranges from antique style pedestals to massive mahogany desks to small, delicate boxes in either natural color or painted in wonderful natural scenes by his sister Rosibel. Look here for metal spoons, bent so they can stand upright, painted by her: fresh different work and priced appealingly.

Exclusive ceramic designs are the order of the day in Module M-4 where San Juan de Oriente artisan Felipe Gutiérrez and his group of pot tossers are redefining pre-Colombian motifs and shapes. His wife Dina and her sister Francie are well versed in the bas relief designs, the painted slip work and charming bowl-like candle holders which create a small village scene with holes where the light can shine through like stars.

More than 30 years of sewing experience go into every item you see in Module C-1 where Esperanza Gaitán and her two daughters sell traditional clothing. The market offered her an opportunity to move her sales out of her home where she embroiders and sews shirts and huiples in a rainbow of colors. When she told me the price of one shirt, I erroneously assumed she was talking dollars. Doña Esperanza's voice is tinged with pride when speaking of her struggle to survive and provide for two daughters.

Don Faustino Enrique Marenco, next door in Module C-2, may take as long as two weeks to complete a "cabuya" rope wall hanging. Painting in fiber is a style that comes from Boaco and it is totally absorbing to watch. First, he dyes the natural fiber. Using small nails he lays down his design, be it women with long flowing hair, birds in fantastic trees or other natural scenes. Then he uses a finer thread of the same material to sew it all together. If you can't wait two weeks, he has a large selection at hand and a smaller 50-cm x 33-cm piece will only take a week on special order.

Husband and wife Fernando Pena and Zenia María Duarte in Module I-6 make shoes, belts, and bags from leather. They export specially treated "obando" leather and the couple also uses the skins of iguanas and crocodiles from the farms along the Río San Juan and the Atlantic Coast where these animals are bred for this purpose. They noted that another good aspect of the market is that as producers, they and the others can repair any product bought there.

The market is open from 9 till 6 daily. María Delia Ortega de Estrada, its Assistant Administrative Director, noted the ever-increasing popularity and convenience offered by this fascinating place. Tour buses arrive regularly and nearly 200 people pass through every day.

Starting February 4, the market will receive visitors every Thursday. There will be presentations of folk dancing and marimba/guitar combos. The hungry ones can find delicious fast food at a fritanga. These will be family affairs where tourists can experience the wealth of Masaya folklore and a part of the national culture.