Culture of Nicaragua

Culture of Nicaragua is a fusion of Mesoamerican, Chibcha and European influences. The western part was colonized by the Spanish and its culture is similar to western El Salvador in that western Nicaragua was dominated by the Nahua people, specifically the Nicarao, a branch of the Pipil people. Nahua heritage can still be seen in Nicaraguan culture especially in its cuisines, the etymologies of many of its place names, and even DNA analysis. While western Nicaragua is mostly mestizo of Nahua or Oto-mangue origin, eastern Nicaragua is mostly of Chibcha, Miskito, and African origin.

The northern region, however, was inhabited mostly by German migrants, and to a lesser extent Russian and Dutch. The inhabitants of the northern part are mostly white and in to a lesser extent mestizos (Indigenous, European).