The Town
Liberia's wide, clean streets are used more by cyclists and horsemen than motorists. It's pleasant to walk around in the shade provided by the mango trees, though in March and April watch out for the ripe fruit plopping down full-force at your feet. The town is arranged around its large Parque Central , properly called Parque Mario Canas Ruiz. It's dedicated to el mes del annexion , the month of the annexation (July), celebrating the fact that Guanacaste is not in Nicaragua. Liberia's Parque is one of the loveliest central plazas in the whole country, ringed by benches and tall palms that shade gossiping locals. Its church is startlingly modern - somewhat out of place in this very traditional town. About 600m away at the very eastern end of town, the colonial Iglesia de la Agonia is more arresting, with a mottled yellow facade like a pock-marked, washed-out banana. On the verge of perpetual collapse - it has had a hard time from those earthquakes - it's almost never open, but you could try shoving the heavy wooden door and hope the place doesn't collapse around you if it does give way. The town's most interesting street is Calle Real (marked as Calle Central on some maps). In the nineteenth century this street was the entrance to Liberia, and practically the entire thoroughfare has now been restored to its original colonial simplicity. The tourist office houses the Museo de Sabanero , or Cowboy Museum (Mon-Sat 9am-noon & 1-5pm, Sun 9am-1pm; donation appreciated), containing a small-scale display of objects from the big old ranch houses.
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