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JerÓnimo rios, trader from matagalpa to east coast (March 1928)

 
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Interview with Jerónimo Rios, trader familiar with trails from Matagalpa to East Coast

     This intelligence memorandum summarizes the information gleaned from a trader who made regular circuits between Spanish-speaking Western Nicaragua and the mostly Miskitu Indian and Afro-Caribbean Creole zones of the Atlantic Coast region. This was just as Sandino and his men, hundreds strong, were traveling east on their way to raid the mining districts of Bonanza and La Luz, a middling zone between Western Spanish-speaking Nicaragua and the very different cultural and social milieu of the East Coast.

     The report sheds light on the Marines' ignorance of the physical geography of Nicaragua; the social and physical geography of the vast sparsely inhabited zones east of Matagalpa; the huge distances, when measured in the time it took to travel overland along the best trails; the ambivalence of East Coast Miskitu Indians toward the rebellion; and the antagonism between property-owners like Rios and the Sandinistas, among other things.
 

 

 

HEADQUARTERS
DISTRICTS OF MATAGALPA AND JINOTEGA
MATAGALPA, NICARAGUA
20 MARCH 1928

INTELLIGENCE MEMORANDUM:
 
A native by the name of JEREMOIS RIOS, a trader, was questioned at Matagalpa, on 16 March 1928, and gave the following information.
 
          Rios purchases merchandise such as coffee, clothing, and food stuffs at Managua and Matagalpa and sells his wares on a trail leading to the East Coast, Prinzapolca, and on the East Coast. The trail followed is called the PICADO REAL. It takes him eighteen days from Matagalpa to reach the East Coast traveling at the rate of six leagues a day by pack animal during the dry season and from twenty-two to twenty-five days in the wet season. There are some large fords encountered during the rainy season at the RIO GRANDE. There are boats a available at these places to transport travelers which have a capacity of four. The fords at the rivers IRAS and UANI have boats with a capacity of ten. There are only Indian settlements along this trail. The Indians he claims are very friendly and do not discuss Sandino. He heard nothing about the possibility of Sandino coming in their direction and heard nothing while on the East Coast about Sandino coming there for arms or other aid. He reports that to him everything appeared quite [quiet] at PUERTO CABEZAS. He only feared Sandino when he approached TUMA as he had heard that some of Sandino's men had been near there, the trail otherwise seemed peaceful.

          He states that this trail is over very rugged country and very mountainous, at times, the rivers are high. The timber along this trail is considered the best in Nicaragua. The only food which can be brought on this journey is food beans, and rice, corn can be purchased for the pack animals. He states that there are no mosquitos until reaching the East Coast. Shelter can be procured for at least twenty men at the villages. These shelters are the straw hut variety. Rios is making another trip in May. This month is still dry in the area passing over, July being the most rainy month. Rios owns a small piece of land one half mile south of Matagalpa.

/s/   A. C. Larsen

M28.03.20a, RG127/209/1

 

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