An important chapter in Latin American history is unfolding before our very eyes. Archeologists have unearthed some very notable human remains, those of conquistadors Francisco Hernandez de Cordoba and Pedrarias Davila. Education, Culture and Sports Minister Fernando Robleto considers the double find to be of enormous significance.
Francisco Hernandez de Cordoba was murdered in 1526. It happened during a power struggle among the Spanish invaders, in the ruins of Leon Viejo, a city he founded in 1524. Cordoba was beheaded on the orders of another conquistador, Pedrarias Davila. Davila accused Cordoba of plotting with Hernan Cortes, the conqueror of the Aztec Empire. Davila was in competition with Cortes for the loot and land in Central America, with Cortes coming down from Mexico and Davila pushing up from Nicaragua.
Cordoba, after whom the Nicaraguan currency is named, was buried in a church tomb in Leon Viejo. The city, 40 miles north of Managua, was destroyed by an eruption of the Momotombo volcano in 1610. His remains were identified by historical and physical evidence. Archaeologist Edgar Espinoza believes bones found in a coffin alongside Cordoba's could be those of Gov. Pedrarias Davila, who died of illness in 1531. More tests and analysis must be done to determine a positive identity of the bones.
Nicaraguan authorities hope to have the discovery site declared a World Heritage Site as ``the only 16th-century colonial city that never underwent urban alterations.'' For more about Nicaragua's history visit the World History Archives: History of Nicaragua at URL: http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/47/...
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