Rivas (Spanish pronunciation:[ˈriβas]) is adepartment of the Republic ofNicaragua. It covers an area of 2,162 km2 (835 sq mi) and has a population of 183,611 (2021 estimate). The department's capital is the city ofRivas. The indigenous inhabitants of Rivas are theNicarao, and was the location of thepre-ColumbianNahua chiefdoms of Kwawkapolkan and Kakawatan.[2][3][4][5]
In thepre-Columbian era, Rivas was home to theNahua nations of Kwawkapolkan, and Kakawatan, as well as neighbouringChibchan peoples.[6][7][8][9][10] Kwawkapolkan was the most powerful chiefdom in pre-Columbian Nicaragua, ruled by chiefMacuilmiquiztli, and translates to "place of capulín trees" inNawat.[11] It's a combination of the Nawat wordsKwawit (tree),[12][13]kapolin (capulín),[14][15] and-kan (a locative meaning "place of"). Kwawkapolkan extended fromRivas down toBagaces in centralGuanacaste in Costa Rica.[16][17][18][19]
Kakawatan was another Nahua chiefdom in Rivas, ruled by chief Wemak who was Macuilmiquiztli's cousin.[20][21][22] Wemak also had a warrior son named Eskuat, though he wasn't mentioned by Spanish sources again.[23] The nameKakawatan is a combination of the Nawat wordskakaw (Cacao),at (water), and-tan (locative suffix meaning land/place of).[24] Therefore Kakawatan translates to "land of cacao water", referring to chocolate drinks, one the most important aspects of Nicarao culture.[25][26] This tradition is still practiced in the communities of Rivas among the descendants of the Nahuas both indigenous and mestizos alike.[27]
Chibchan minorities lived and thrived within Kwawkapolkan and Kakawatan alongside the Nahua majority. Chibchans also served in the Nahua chiefdoms armed forces to further integrate into Nahua society, as military service provided social advancement and assimilation.[28][29][30] The cultivation ofpotatoes in Kwawkapolkan and Kakawatan also suggestscultural diffusion between the Nahuas and Chibchans, as the Chibchans introduced potatoes to Nicaragua fromSouth America which did not reach northernMesoamerica.[31][32] Before and during spanish contact, Kakawatan and Kwawkapolkan had a military alliance and were in a constant state of war with the Chorotegas, theKingdom of Nicoya, and later fought together against the Spanish.[33] Kwawkapolkan and Kakawatan sent their armies as far north asCarazo during their wars against theChorotegas, and as far south as theNicoya Peninsula and southernGuanacaste during their military campaigns against theKingdom of Nicoya and the Huetares.[34][35][36][37][38]
Rivas is known for its fertile soil and beaches. Throughout the department, there are many sugar cane, plantain, tobacco, and other crop plantations. The department bordersLake Nicaragua to the east and thePacific Ocean to the west. The southern part of the department borders withCosta Rica.[citation needed] A small fishermen village, called San Juan del Sur, has turned into a popular tourist attraction because of its access to beaches in the area.[39] Another major tourist attraction isOmetepe, a large volcanic island inhabited by about 32,000 people (2005 census). Nawat Nicarao people still inhabit the department.[40]
^Vida de González Dávila, Gil. Ávila, c. 1480 – 21.IV.1526. Descubridor y conquistador. et al., 2012
^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.
^Colonización de américa, cuando la historia marcha, de Oviedo y Valdés, Gonzalo c. 1480 - 1557, 2006
^Vida de González Dávila, Gil. Ávila, c. 1480 – 21.IV.1526. Descubridor y conquistador. et al., 2012
^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.
^Colonización de américa, cuando la historia marcha, de Oviedo y Valdés, Gonzalo c. 1480 - 1557, 2006
