2004 - Leon

When you look down a typical street in the city of Leon, you see a cobbled roadway with sidewalks on each side with barely enough room for two to walk abreast.



The streets are lined with buildings with flat facades. The buidings are made of adobe with three foot thick walls. There is no space between buildings, so essentially neighbors share a common wall. The doors open right onto the sidewalk. Owners often paint their section of the building to differentiate between properties.



Ther Mercy Ships base is housed in one such property. The doors open up onto tiled colonnades surrounding central courtyards. The front courtyard is landscaped with lush tropical foliage and one can hear a variety of bird songs.

The "formal" courtyard at the Mercy Ships Base


The back courtyard is more utilitarian. This is where the laundry and other chores are done. There are several large trees; however the courtyard is mainly cement. Clothes lines are stretched out across the back of the courtyard.

The back courtyard


Rooms, which house the Mercy Ships administrative offices and living quarters, open up off the tiled walkways. There is no glass in most of the windows and each room is at least 10 or 12 feet high. The toilets and showers also open up onto the courtyard, so as a result you must leave your room, walk along the colonade to reach the shower or toilet several doors down.



This particular property is approximately 100 years old and was the resident of the Somoza dictator when he would travel to Leon back in the 1940's and 50's. You can tell that at one time this was quite a grand house.

As I walked through the streets last evening, many of the homes had their front doors open to let the evening breeze flow through, and I could look right into their salas, or living rooms, and see beautiful homes with gorgeous tiled floors and lush courtyards behind. On the other hand, some doors open up on dirt floors of poorer families. There does not seem to be segregated "rich" or "poor" areas, but inter-mixed. Many merchants have their storefronts in the front salas, while their family lives in the rear of the property.