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Jan 1, 1524
Francisco Hernandez de Cordoba
Francisco Hernandez de Cordoba completed his Spanish conquest of Nicaragua and Spain gains control of the land which is now current day Nicaragua. -
Spanish Independence
Nicaragua declared independence from Spain and joined the Mexican Empire. In 1832 it became part of the United Provinces of Central America which included the countries of Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua. -
Full Independent
Nicaragua again gained its independence and became a fully independent country. -
William Walker
American William Walker declared himself president of Nicaragua after taking control of the government. In 1857 during the Battle of San Jacinto, Walker was defeated by loyalists and surrendered. -
General Jose Santos
General Jose Santos Zelaya took control of Nicaragua. General Jose Santos Zelaya was a liberal who seized power and established a dictatorship in the country. -
The Hay-Pauncefote Treaty
The United States and Great Britain signed the Hay-Pauncefote Treaty which gave United states the rights to build a canal in Nicaragua but not to fortify it. The United States did not end up building the canal in Nicaragua because the U.S. Senate voted to change the building location of the canal to Panama. -
Overthrow of General Jose Santos Zelaya
Troops from the United States help to overthrow General Jose Santos Zelaya who had led a dictatorship in the country for the past 16 years. -
U.S. Military Bases
From 1912 to 1925 the United States established military bases in Nicaragua. -
Anastasio Somoza as Commander of the National Guard
The United States withdrew their troops stationed on bases in Nicaragua. This left the Nicaraguan military officer Anastasio cThis was significant because once Somoza had control of the National Guard, he had an army at the ready to use to gain even more power. -
Anastasio Somoza Dictatorship
Anastasio Somoza used power gained using the National Guard to found a dictatorship. This dictatorship was powered by Money from the United States. This was significant because once Somoza formed a dictatorship he had complete control of the country. The United Stated used Somoza as a pawn to in Latin America to control economic interests. -
Anastasio Somoza Assassinated
Anastasio Somoza was assassinated. His son Luis Somoza Debayle took control of the country. Close friends and high ranking officials close to Somoza helped control the country alongside Debayle for a number of years. -
Earthquake Strikes Nicaragua
A very large earthquake took place in Managua which caused over 6,000 deaths. Somoza Debayle took money from international relief funds illegally to help repair the country. Debayle declared Martial law which made Somoza Debayle Chief Executive in the Nicaraguan government. The United States supported and backed Debayle’s decision in order to gain influence and keep the Somoza family in power. -
Somoza Resigns
Somoza resigned on the 17th of July and fled Nicaragua. Celebrations after the resignation showed that the people of Nicaragua were happy that the Somoza family was out of power.
