List of Nicaraguans

This is a list of Nicaraguans and people of Nicaraguan ethnicity:

Republic of Nicaragua

(Flag of Nicaragua) (Coat of Arms)

Art

• Omar D'Leon (b. 1929), painter and poet.
• Claudia Fuentes de Lacayo (b. 1938), painter.
• Helio Gutiérrez (b. 1965), sculptor.
• Franck de Las Mercedes (b. 1972), painter.
• Armando Morales (1927–2011), painter.
• Denis Nuñéz (b. 1954), painter.
• José Ortiz Bracamonte,^[1] painter, sculptor.
• Hugo Palma-Ibarra (b. 1942), painter.
• Rodrigo Peñalba (1908-1979), painter.
• Róger Pérez de la Rocha (b. 1949), painter.
• Javier Valle Pérez (b. 1973), painter.

Business

• Harry Brautigam (1948–2008), economist, banker and academic.
• José Cardenal (b. 1940), businessman.
• Michael Cordúa (b. 1961), restaurateur, entrepreneur, businessman, award winning self-taught chef.
• Carlos Reynaldo Lacayo (b. 1950), businessman.
• Carlos Pellas Chamorro (b. 1953), businessman, entrepreneur, Nicaragua's first billionaire.^[2]
• Alfonso Robelo (b. 1939), businessman, politician, diplomat who served as ambassador to Costa Rica.

Education

• Elena Arellano Chamorro (1836–1911), reform pedagogue, a pioneer for education of women.
• Mariano Fiallos Gil (1907–1964), rector of UNAN-León.
• Josefa Toledo de Aguirre (1866–1962), reform pedagogue, general director of education in the 1920s.
• Herman Van de Velde (b. 1956), basic and cooperative education pedagogue.

Fashion, models and beauty queens

Cristiana Frixione; Miss Nicaragua 2006.

• Xiomara Blandino (b. 1984), Miss Nicaragua 2007, model.
• Nastassja Bolivar, Nuestra Belleza Latina 2011 - Miss Nicaragua 2013 - and Top 16 in Miss Universe 2013 -The Best National Costume.
• Dolly Castro, model.
• Erielda Casaya, model, dancer, most notable role includes the one in Mas Flow: Los Benjamins.
• Deyra Corrales, model
• Cristiana Frixione (b. 1984), Miss Nicaragua 2006, model.
• Regina Gonzalez Bolaños, international model.
• Iva Grijalva Pashova (b. 1986), Miss Earth Nicaragua 2007.
• Jade Jagger (b. 1971), model.
• Shantall Lacayo, third place project runway Latinoamerica.
• Thelma Rodríguez (b. 1989), Miss Nicaragua 2008.

Government and politics

José Santos Zelaya, president of Nicaragua from 1893–1909

.

• Lila T. Abaunza (1929–2008), First Lady of Nicaragua from 2002 to 2007.
• Fernando Agüero (b. 1920), politician.
• Arnoldo Alemán (b. 1946), former President of Nicaragua from 1997–2002. Mr. Aleman has been one of the most corrupt Presidents Nicaragua ever had. He stole more than US $200,000,000 from the Nicaraguan Treasury.
• Leonardo Arguello Barreto (1895–1947), former President of Nicaragua (1947).
• Miguel d'Escoto Brockmann (b. 1933), former Foreign Minister of Nicaragua (1979–1990), President of the 63rd UN General Assembly (2008–2009) and leading liberation theologian.
• Juan Bautista Sacasa (1874–1946), former President of Nicaragua from 1933–1936.
• Claudia Bermúdez (b. 1954), Nicaragua-American politician and entrepreneur; first Nicaraguan American to be the nominee of a major party for a seat in the United States Congress.
• Enrique Bolaños (b. 1928), former President of Nicaragua from 2002 to 2007.
• Róger Calero (b. 1969), Nicaraguan American who ran for U.S. President in the 2004 elections.
• Adolfo Calero (b. 1931), leader of the Contra-Revolutionary Movement.
• Emiliano Chamorro (1871–1966), former President of Nicaragua from 1917–1920 and part of 1926.
• Fruto Chamorro (1804–1855), first President of Nicaragua 1854–1855.
• Manuel Coronel Kautz, vice minister of foreign relations.
• Arturo Cruz (b. 1923), politician and diplomat.
• Pedro Joaquín Chamorro Alfaro (1875–1879), former President of Nicaragua from 1875–1879.
• Violeta Chamorro (b. 1929), first female president in Latin America, second in North America and 48th President of Nicaragua.
• Adolfo Díaz (1875–1964), President of Nicaragua in 1911–1917 and 1926–1929.
• George William Albert Hendy (1879–1888), Hereditary Chief of Miskito Nation.
• Edmundo Jarquín (b. 1946), politician, candidate for president of Nicaragua in 2006.
• Máximo Jerez (1818–1881), politician, lawyer, and military leader in 19th century Nicaragua.
• Herty Lewites (1939–2006), politician.
• Eduardo Montealegre (1955), politician, businessman.
• Oldman (d. 1687), King of the Miskito Nation from 1625–1687.
• Daniel Ortega (b. 1945), current President of Nicaragua, leader of the FSLN.
• Edén Pastora (b. 1937), politician.
• Mariano Prado (1776–1837), lawyer and a four-time, liberal chief of state of El Salvador.
• Sergio Ramírez (b. 1943), Vice President of Nicaragua during the Junta, writer, intellectual.
• Jorge Salazar Argüello (1939–1980), a Nicaraguan coffee grower and popular leader of UPANIC (Union of Agricultural Producers of Nicaragua – Unión de Productores Agropecuarios de Nicaragua), seemed poised to become the leader of the opposition to the Sandinista government, until his death at the hands of State Security forces.
• José Santos Zelaya (1853–1919), president of Nicaragua from 1893–1909.
• Hilda Solis (b. 1957), U.S. congresswoman.
• Anastasio Somoza García (1896–1956), brutal dictator, 34th and 39th President of Nicaragua
• Anastasio Somoza Debayle (1925–1980), brutal dictator, 44th and 45th President of Nicaragua from 1967 to 1972 and from 1974 to 1979.
• Luis Somoza Debayle (1922–1967), dictator, 40th President of Nicaragua from 1956–1963, but was effectively dictator from 1956 until his death.

Journalism

• Pedro Joaquín Chamorro Cardenal (1924–1978), editor of La Prensa daily newspaper, assassinated.
• Xavier Chamorro Cardenal (1932–2008), co-founder, director and editor of El Nuevo Diario.
• Enrique Gottel (1831–1875), journalist, music composer, and historian.
• Mari Ramos, weather anchor for CNN.

Literature

Gioconda Belli was designated amongst the 100 most important poets during the 20th century.

Ruben Darío in 1915.

• Claribel Alegría (b. 1924), poet, she received the Neustadt International Prize for Literature in 2006.
• Emilio Álvarez Lejarza (1884–1969), writer.
• Emilio Álvarez Montalván (1919–2014), political writer.
• Eugenio Batres Garcia (b. 1941) noted newscaster and journalist, writer, author and poet.
• Gioconda Belli (b. 1948), poet and writer.
• Yolanda Blanco (b. 1954), poet and translator.
• Tomás Borge (1930–2012), writer, poet, politician and essayist.
• Omar Cabezas (b. 1950), writer.
• Ernesto Cardenal (b. 1925), poet.
• Blanca Castellón (b. 1958), poet.
• José Coronel Urtecho (1906–1994), poet, translator, essayist, critic, narrator, playwright and historian.
• Alfonso Cortés (1893–1969), poet.
• Arturo Cruz (b. 1954), writer.
• Pablo Antonio Cuadra (1912–2002), poet.
• Pablo Alberto Cuadra Arguello (b. 1971), poet, theologian.
• Rubén Darío (1867–1916), poet, referred to as The Father of Modernism.
• Karly Gaitán Morales (b. 1980) film historian, writer, journalist.
• Salomón Ibarra Mayorga (1887–1985), poet and lyricist of "Salve a ti, Nicaragua", the Nicaraguan national anthem.
• Erwin Krüger (1915–1973), poet and composer.
• Danilo López (b. 1954), poet.
• Rigoberto López Pérez (1929–1936), poet and writer.
• Francisco Mayorga (b. 1949), writer.
• Christianne Meneses Jacobs (b. 1971), writer, editor, and publisher.
• Rosario Murillo (b. 1951), poet.
• Azarías H. Pallais (1884–1954), poet.
• Rafael Pallais (b. 1952), writer.
• Joaquín Pasos (1914–1947), poet.
• Horacio Peña (1946), writer and poet.
• Sergio Ramírez (b. 1942), writer.
• Mariana Sansón Argüello (1918), poet.
• Arlen Siu (1955–1972), essayist.
• Julio Valle Castillo (b. 1952), poet, novelist, essayist, and a critic of literature and art.
• Daisy Zamora (b. 1950), poet.

Military and police

• Enrique Bermúdez (1932–1991), military and political leader of the Nicaraguan Contras from 1979–1991.
• Fernando Chamorro Alfaro (1824–1863), General and member of the governing junta of Nicaragua (1860–1863).
• Aminta Granera (b. 1952), police chief of Nicaragua.
• Aristides Sánchez (d. 1993), key figure among the Contras.
• Anastasio Somoza Portocarrero (b. 1951), former commander of the National Guard.

Movies and TV entertainment

• Maurice Benard (b. 1963), actor on American soap operas All My Children and General Hospital
• Jhonny Block, actor whose notable roles include Land of the Dead and Get Rich or Die Tryin'.
• Barbara Carrera (b. 1951), film, TV actress, former model.
• Oswaldo Castillo, actor, most notable role includes the one in The Hammer.
• Jose Alberto Torres (b. 1986), actor, most notable role includes André for '11-11 En mi cuadra nada cuadra' for Nickelodeon and several other for Telemundo Internacional.
• Edward'O, notable astroanalyst and co-host of Telemundo's dating show, 12 Corazones.
• Gabriel Traversari (b. 1963), actor, director, writer, singer, songwriter and painter.

Music

DJ Craze at a rave in 2002

Singer song writer Luis Enrique Mejía Godoy

• José Areas (b. 1946), percussionist, former drummer for Santana.
• Lya Barrioz, singer and actress.
• Katia Cardenal (b. 1963), singer/song writer from Duo Guardabarranco.
• Dimension Costeña, musicians.
• DJ Craze (Aristh Delgado) (b. 1977), only DJ in history to win 3 consecutive World DMC Champion titles.
• DJ Carnage, Trap/EDM Producer.
• José de la Cruz Mena, (1874–1907), composer and conductor.
• Luis Abraham Delgadillo Rivas (1887-1961), classical music composer and conductor.
• Norma Helena Gadea (b. 1955) singer (latinamerican song).
• Erwin Krüger (1915–1973), singer and Nicaraguan folklore poet.
• Luis Enrique Mejía López (b. 1962), salsa singer and music composer.
• Carlos Mejía Godoy (b. 1943), musician, composer, singer.
• Luis Enrique Mejía Godoy (b. 1945), musician, composer, singer.
• Alfonso Noel Lovo (b. 1951), composer and guitarist.
• Tony Melendez (b. 1962), guitar player, singer and Christian rock songwriter who was born without arms.
• Maria Mena, Norwegian/Nicaraguan Pop Singer.
• Otto Benjamín de la Rocha López (b. 1933), singer, songwriter and radio actor.
• T-Bone (b. 1973), rapper.
• Torombolo (b. 1985), reggaeton and hip hop singer.
• Raúl Traña, (1921–2013) band leader and composer.
• J Smooth, bilingual hip hop and Reggaeton singer.
• Donald Vega (b. 1974), jazz musician and composer.
• Alejandro Vegas Mates (1875–1937), classical music composer and conductor.
• Pablo Vega y Raudes (1850–1919), maestro de capilla at the León cathedral.
• Hernaldo Zúñiga (b. 1955), singer and music composer.

Non-Governmental Organizations

• Reinaldo Aguado Montealegre (b. 1960), President of the International Society for Human Rights in Nicaragua.
• Aubry Campbell Ingram (1903–2000), former baseball player who helped found the Asociación de Scouts de Nicaragua.
• Myrna Cunningham, Miskita indigenous rights activist and physician.
• Joseph A. Harrison (1883–1964), Moravian Pastor who helped start the first scout troop in Nicaragua.
• Bianca Jagger (b. 1945), social and political activist, former wife of Mick Jagger.

Religion

Ernesto Cardenal is a poet, Roman Catholic priest and a famous liberation theologian.

• Leopoldo Brenes (b. 1949), Archbishop of Managua, cardinal.
• Ernesto Cardenal (b. 1925), Catholic priest and liberation theologian.
• Fernando Cardenal (b. 1934), jesuit priest, director at the Fe y Alegría organization in Managua.
• Miguel D'Escoto Brockmann (b. 1933), Roman Catholic priest, former foreign minister of Nicaragua, received the Lenin Peace Prize in 1985.
• José de la Jara, priest.
• Uriel Molina Oliú (b. 1932), Franciscan priest.
• Pablo Antonio Vega Mantilla (1919–2007), Roman Catholic bishop and bishop Emeritus.
• Maria Romero Meneses (1902–1977), Salesian nun, beatified in 2002.
• Miguel Obando y Bravo (b. 1926), archbishop emeritus of Managua, cardinal.
• Jesus Rojas (1950–1991), jesuit priest.
• César Bosco Vivas Robelo (b. 1941), bishop of León.

Revolutionaries, heroes and martyrs

Arlen Siu, martyr of the Sandinista revolution.

• Patrick Argüello (1943–1970), martyr of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.
• Nora Astorga (1948–1988), Sandinista revolutionary, lawyer, politician, judge and Nicaraguan ambassador to the UN.
• Antonio Cardenal Caldera (1951–1991), also known by the nom de guerre Jesus Rojas, major leader of the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front.
• Armandito Castillo, Sandinista, lives in Canada.
• Arturo Cruz, Jr. (b. 1954), revolutionary, writer, professor and diplomat.
• Rigoberto Cruz (d. 1967), one of the founders of the FSLN.
• Ajax Delgado (1941–1960), student activist, martyr of the Sandinista revolution.
• José Dolores Estrada (1792–1869), national hero, famed for his part in the battle Hacienda San Jacinto in 1856.
• Idania Fernandez (1952–1979), Martyr of the Sandinista Revolution.
• Carlos Fonseca (1936–1976), teacher, founder of FSLN.
• Maximo Jerez (1818–1876), lawyer, politician, general, president.
• Augusto César Sandino (1895–1934), revolutionary, symbol of the FSLN.
• Arlen Siu (1955–1972), martyr of the Sandinista revolution.
• Dora María Téllez (b. 1947), Comandante during the Sandinista revolution, founded the MRS, historian.
• Jose Santos Zelaya (1853–1919), president.

Science

Clodomiro Picado Twight was a pioneer in the medical research on molds and snake venoms.

• Aurora Aragón, UNAN-León, epidemiologist, occupational health.
• Marianela Corriols^[3] (b. 1965), UNAN-León, epidemiologist, expert on the effect of pesticides on human health.
• Graziella Devoli, Instituto Nicaragüense de Estudios Territoriales, geologist, landslides specialist.
• Jorge Alberto Huete Pérez,^[4] UCA, molecular biologist researching infectious diseases.
• Luis Javier Cuadra Cea, (1885–1975), statistician and historian.
• Leonor Martínez de Rocha, archeologist, founder of the Ancient footprints of Acahualinca museum.
• Jean Michel Maes^[5] (b. 1958), entomologist, founder of the Museo Entomológico de León.
• Armando José Matute Moreno,^[6] UNAN-León, medical scientist, infectious diseases and anti-microbial resistance.
• Antonio Mijail Perez (b. 1964), taxonomist, expert on biodiversity and quantitative analysis.
• Manuel Ortega Hegg^[7] (1947–), UCA, sociologist, analyzing sociocultural aspects of religion and politics.
• Milagros Palma (b. 1949), Caen University, anthropologist
• Rodolfo Peña, UNAN-León, demographer and epidemiologist, researching sexual and reproductive health.
• Clodomiro Picado Twight (1887–1944), Pasteur Institute, biologists whose work on molds was a precursor to the formal discovery of penicillin.
• Miguel Ramírez Goyena^[8] (1857–1927), botanist, author of Flora Nicaragüense
• Ricardo Rueda Pereira (b. 1960), UNAN-León, botanist
• Wilfried Strauch,^[9] Instituto Nicaragüense de Estudios Territoriales, geologist, expert on earthquakes and volcanoes.
• Javier Sunyer,^[10] UNAN-León, herpetologist
• Carlos Alberto Zúniga González,^[11] UNAN-León, agricultural economist.

Sports

Devern Hansack, former professional baseball player, pitching for the Boston Red Sox.

José "Quiebra Jícara" Alfaro, boxer; world champion

Baseball

• Porfirio Altamirano (b. 1952), former Major League Baseball player.
• Marvin Benard (b. 1970), former Major League Baseball player.
• Tony Chévez (b. 1954), Major League Baseball player.
• David Green (1960), former Major League Baseball player.
• Devern Hansack (b. 1978), current Major League Baseball player.
• Oswaldo Mairena (b. 1975), Major League Baseball player.
• Dennis Martínez (b. 1955), first Nicaraguan to play in Major League Baseball, pitched the 13th perfect game in major league history.
• Vicente Padilla (b. 1977), current Major League Baseball player.

Boxing

• Román González (b. 1987), boxer, world champion.
• José Alfaro (b. 1983), boxer, world champion.
• Rosendo Alvarez (b. 1970), boxer, former world champion, only person to hold the undefeated flyweight champion to a draw.
• Alexis Argüello (b. 1952), boxer, former world champion.
• Julio Gamboa (b. 1971), lightweight boxer.
• Eddie Gazo (b. 1950), super welterweight boxer.
• Ricardo Mayorga (b. 1973), boxer, former WBA/WBC Welterweight champion and WBC Junior Middleweight world champion.
• David Obregon (b. 1978), professional boxer.
• Juan Palacios (b. 1980), professional boxer, reigning WBC Interim Minimumweight World Champion.
• Luis Alberto Pérez (b. 1978), boxer, current IBF world junior-bantamweight champion.
• Adonis Rivas (b. 1972), boxer, former world champion.

Football (Soccer)

• Armando Collado (b. 1985), professional soccer player.
• Denis Espinoza (b. 1983), professional soccer player.
• Shawn Hasani Martin (b. 1987), professional soccer player.
• Lester Meléndez (b. 1981), professional soccer player for the University of Miami.
• Emilio Palacios (b. 1982), professional soccer player, Nicaraguan to score a hat-trick in an international competition.
• Wilber Sanchez (b. 1979), professional soccer player.
• Samuel Wilson (b. 1983), professional soccer player who currently plays for Atletico Olanchano.

Martial Arts

• Diana López (b. 1984), Olympic bronze medalist in the sport of taekwondo.
• Mark López (b. 1982), Olympic silver medalist in the sport of taekwondo.
• Steven López (b. 1978), first official Olympic gold medalist in the sport of taekwondo.

Swimming

• Claudia Poll (b. 1972), swimmer, won the Gold medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics.
• Silvia Poll (b. 1970), swimmer, won the silver medal at the 1988 Summer Olympics.

Other sports

• Jessica Aguilera (b. 1985), a track and field sprint athlete, competed in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
• Karla Moreno (b. 1988), weightlifter, competed in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
• Emil Amador, flag football champion.
• Eriel Casaya, track and field, USATF MastersWorld Ranking.

References

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