Everybody Dance!

When I next return to the Palacio de Cultura, I must reacquaint myself with this realization of an ancient game or dance, also found in Mexican culture, that was added to the Palacio's central court in the 1990s. Presumably, it celebrates hunting or hunting skills, as these fellows seem to have the necessary accoutremént for stalking and killing. Also tattoos!

This early ceramic platter features a being -- a deity, perhaps? -- wearing an enormous headpiece. The large stone figures below feature big hats as well, and date to early centuries, Common Era. 

The figures without hats are Ivan and Noel, the aforementioned crack legal team.

There are several galleries displaying a well-curated assemblage of mainly 20th-century art, and a selection of contemporary Nicaraguan artists.  I loved the section devoted to Armando Morales (1927-2011), one of the country's most important painters, with great success in Paris and New York City and elsewhere around the globe, who was also a Guggenheim Fellow, among many honors. His small painting, "The Last Supper of Sandino," is a haunting tribute to the revered leader who led the 1927-1933 rebellion against U.S military occupation of Nicaragua, and who was assassinated in 1934 by the forces of Anastasio Somosa, who imposed four decades of tyranny and dictatorship until the Sandinista Revolution of 1979. In spirit, as well as setting, I think this painting accords Sandino the martyr/saviour's place in Nicaraguan history that Christ, as depicted by da Vinci, holds for the Christian world. Sandino was only 38 when he was killed. Unlike da Vinci's painting, the table is viewed at an angle, placing Sandino into a less symmetrical point of dominance, to the viewer's left. Political symbolism?  (Forgive the reflections of gallery ghosts in the glass.)

Another painting I especially liked was by Alfonso Ximenes, a contemporary Nicaraguan artist. I regret I did not note the title of this rather homely village scene, but I love the unsaturated faded colors he used to depict a sweet grouping of typical rural houses. You can sense the affection he has for his subject; the line of laundry breaks my heart. Noel told me that the structure in front to the right is a latrine!

One of the last galleries is devoted to a theatrical tradition that reminds me of the Commedia dell' Arte of 16th-century Italy. It is a satire/drama and dance spectacular known as El Güegüense which is performed annually during the feast of San Sebastian in Diriamba, right here in Carazo! This I intend to see, but it won't be until January. Here are a couple of  images from the Palacio:

     "Güegüense speaks for the people"  (Ruben Darío)

Afterwards, we were hungry and thirsty, and bounced through the streets of Managua to a famed Ceviche hangout called Goussen (pronounced "Hussein"), where some cold cervesa and fresh ceviche worked wonders to help me forget my visa complications.