Boaco and San Marcos

Boaco and San Marcos are two beautiful cities. Boaco is located in the center of Nicaragua. It is only eighty eight kilometers away from Managua. Boaco has small towns in it; for example, San Lorezo, Camoapa, Santa Lucia, and San Jose de los Remates. Boaco is called the city of two stories. It is located on a very irregular terrain that goes up and down throughout the whole area. For that reason, part of the city is called Boaco up and the other part Boaco down. Its topography is very irregular with many mountains around it. When people walk on the streets, they see a lot of mountains around them. San Marcos is located in the pacific of Nicaragua. San Marcos is a wonderful city which has many towns around it; for example, Masatepe, Jinotepe, La Concha, and others. This city has a nice climate. The weather is sunny and clear. I have been living in San Marcos since January. I can say this is a nice city to visit. I have realized that San Marcos and Boaco differ and are similar in size, transportation, and ways of celebrating their local festivities.

Boaco and San Marcos are the same size. They are big but not too big. Although San Marcos and Boaco are the same size, Boaco has more places to go out. In Boaco you can find many interesting places to visit. One of the oldest churches in Nicaragua is there. Boaco has three museums which are very important and famous. This wonderful city has a lighthouse where people can see all the city. Everybody can go out every weekend to different places. There are many bars, restaurants, parks, clubs, and shopping malls. Whereas Boaco has a lot of places to visit, San Marcos does not have. San Marcos does not have nice places to spend a fun time with friends. There people cannot find a discotheque. A discotheque is one of the best places that a city should have. There people can only find a nice restaurant called “La Casona,” but the food is very expensive.

These wonderful cities use cars and buses as a method of transportation. Most of the families have one or more cars. The people use their cars to move to another city, drive to work, or go to any place they want. Buses are very important in both cities; they generate money. Both Boaco and San Marcos use buses to move from city to city. Whereas in San Marcos there are bicycles as a method of transportation, in Boaco there are not. In San Marcos, bicycles are a cheap method of transportation. Most of the young men work using their bicycles to support their families. Boaco cannot have bicycles as a method of transportation because it is located in an irregular terrain. There are many hills and slopes. While in Boaco the most common method of transportation is taxi, in San Marcos is bicycle. Whereas in San Marcos people can only find taxis in the park, in Boaco people can find taxis in each corner.

The ways of celebrating their local festivities are very interesting. Both Boaco and San Marcos have a horse parade and a lot of processions. But that is where the similarities end. The local festivities in San Marcos have different order. They celebrate the Apostle Saint Marcos and Boaco celebrates Saint James. It is very different from the festival in Boaco. First, one person is in charge of taking care of the saint. That person is called butler. People give a lot of gifts to him, so he can give out food to poor people. Then there is a presentation of horses which are of the best breeds. Next, there is a horse parade. After that, there is a procession where Saint Marcos meets with the Virgin Montserrat from La Concha, Saint James from Jinotepe, and Saint Sebastian from Diriamba. Finally, there are fireworks in the park. The local festivities in San Marcos have many differences from the local festivities of Boaco. One of the most popular local festivities is from Boaco. First, there is a horse parade which is very famous around Nicaragua. Then there is the first procession of the Apostle Saint James. He is decorated with flowers of brilliant colors. The saint is taken in the same procession with national dances and music. Next, there is another procession. That is the most important and lively of all the events. Finally, there is the last procession. In that event there are three groups of chicheros. All the people dance and follow the rhythm of the music.

In conclusion, Boaco and San Marcos are two cities with many differences and similarities, but they are nice places to visit. I recommend people to visit these two wonderful cities with their family or friends. If people come to one of these cities, I am sure that they are going to have a funny time. Both Boaco´s and San Marcos´s people have different customs and traditions. People will learn new and interesting things. I prefer to go to Boaco. There, I can go to interesting places.