Our story · since March 2013
A hotel named after a chief
Who we are, where the name comes from, and which part of the story is documented and which is legend. Both matter; it is best not to confuse them.
Where the name comes from
When the Spaniards arrived, Adiact was chief of the indigenous people of Sutiaba, today the Western part of León. His story has been told in the city for generations and is the reason for this hotel's name.
The documented part is the city's: León was founded in 1524 on the shores of Lake Xolotlán, abandoned in 1610 and refounded close to the indigenous settlement of Sutiaba. The part told by oral tradition is Adiact's: that he accepted the Spanish presence, was accused of treason by them and hanged from the great tamarind tree in Sutiaba called El Tamarindón.
We are not going to put dates on Adiact that nobody can support, nor turn his story into decoration. It is a story of indigenous resistance taken seriously in León, and that is how we treat it here.
Timeline
- Francisco Hernández de Córdoba founds León on the shore of Lake Xolotlán, at the foot of Momotombo.1524
- The city is abandoned after eruptions, earthquakes and conflicts among the colonisers. Today they are the ruins of León Viejo.1610
- León is refounded next to the indigenous settlement of Sutiaba, where it stands today.After 1610
- Adiact, chief of Sutiaba, accepts the Spanish presence; he is later accused of treason and hanged from El Tamarindón. His daughter Xochilt throws herself into a ravine to avoid capture.Oral tradition · tradition
- Hotel Cacique Adiact opens, in a building designed by its own owners.March 2013
Entries marked as tradition are not documented: they are transmitted orally.
Who we are
The hotel belongs to a Danish-Nicaraguan couple and opened in March 2013. They designed the building themselves, respecting León's colonial style: corridors, arches, tiled roofs, courtyards and gardens.
They live in the house next door and share the garden and the pool with the hotel. In practice that means the owners are on the property almost every day, and the garden is looked after the way you look after your own garden.
It also means this is not a chain hotel. There is no customer service department: there is a receptionist who will answer your mail or message on WhatsApp or Telegram.
How we think about the hotel
The most expensive decision the owners made is not visible from the street: it is on the roof. The hotel runs largely on its own solar energy, with batteries that discharge at night and water heated by the sun. We tell that separately, with the figures.
El Tamarindón today
The tamarind tree from the story is in Sutiaba and remains a landmark in the quarter. It is the place that the front desk will suggest people to visit, when they ask about the hotel's name. The official location is "70 metros al Este de la pista pavimentada Fanor Urroz", but an easier to find address is "From the Sutiaba Church, 3 blocks South and 2 blocks West". The map coordinates are 12.429910, -86.897742.
If you have any doubts, ask at reception before you set out.
The transformation: before and after
The original property prior to 2013 and the colonial facade of Hotel Cacique Adiact, designed and built by its owners respecting León's historic architectural identity.
See what's free on your dates
Book directly: best rate, no intermediary commissions and a human, not at bot, answering on mail, WhatsApp, Telegram or WeChat.
Ask about availability