Nicaragua Coffee History

In Nicaragua coffee cultivation began early but it did not dominate the economy as in Guatemala and El Salvador. Coffee cultivation began in the lands in the southern uplands in earnest in the 1860’s where the transition from other commercial agricultural endeavors was smooth. But the prime coffee growing lands in Nicaragua turned out to be in the north central highlands, where Indians owned most of the land, and a familiar course of action that was taking place in other growing areas of the world was about to ensue.

That was the systematic elimination of native populations that stood between the coffee barons and huge profits from coffee experts. These coffee wars were often very bloody and lasted for years. Those that weren’t killed were enslaved to work the plantations on what was once their own land. In 1881 several thousand Indians revolted and attacked the government headquarters in Matagalpa and demanded an end to the forced labor.

The Nicaragua Army suppressed the revolt killing over a thousand natives. Nevertheless, the resistance remained strong for many years and coffee growing in Nicaragua was dangerous business. Many top growers and government officials were assassinated by resistance fighters.

Read the full Nicaragua article by Randy Wilson.