Managua was more than a city, more than the capital city of Nicaragua.
It was the city of Nicaragua, housing one-fifth of Nicaragua's
population, the central government, and trade and transportation
centers. No sleepy town drowsing in the tropical sun, Managua
was a vibrant city with expanding industries, two modern skyscrapers,
half a dozen national and international banks, and planes and
ships daily carrying people and goods to and from foreign ports.
Within a few catastrophic minutes, it was all gone. As a high
official, Cabinet Minister Gustavo Montiel, sadly declared, "The
heart of Nicaragua is destroyed."
Nicaraguans are a happy people. At the slightest excuse they will hold a parade, throw a party, explode fireworks and shoot rockets into the sky. As the year 1972 drew to a close there was a special gaiety in Managua. Nicaragua and its capital were hosts to the Twentieth World (Amateur) Baseball Series, in which sixteen countries were participating. The players came not only from the Western Hemisphere but also from Europe and Asia. Even Cuba was represented, despite the deep political enmity between that country and Nicaragua.
The Cubans were the current champions, but Nicaraguans were happy to host one of the best teams, and had hopes of dethroning the Cubans. As the Series drew to a close, the Cubans remained undefeated, the Americans had lost one game, and the Nicaraguans were in third place with two losses. The night the Cubans played the Americans, over 20,000 spectators jammed Managua's Estadio Nacional. Most of them cheered the Americans, knowing that if the Americans beat the Cubans, there was a chance Nicaragua might be part of a three-way tie for first place. The hard-fought game went ten innings before a home run brought victory to the Cubans.
Undaunted, the Nicaraguan team took on the Cubans a few nights later--and won. All activity in the city stopped as Managuans watched the game on TV or listened on their radios, and when their team brought down the mighty Cubans the city went delirious. Firecrackers went off, rockets went up, youths piled into cars and drove happily around the city loudly honking their horns. Hardly had the festivities of the Series ended when Managua and Nicaragua celebrated the Griteria de Maria, a 24-hour festival marking the start of the Christmas holiday. Again rockets, firecrackers, parties, dancing in the streets.
As Christmas Day approached, decorations were strung over Avenida Central, Managuals main street. Store window displays were brightly lit. The skyscrapers and the Hotel Inter-Continental sported long strands of colored lights. Holiday crowds strolled the streets, young lovers walked hand in hand.