Half day · culture
Sutiaba and El Tamarindón
This hotel is called Cacique Adiact for a reason that is a twenty-minute walk away. Sutiaba was the indigenous settlement next to which León was refounded after 1610, and it is still a quarter with its own identity within the city.
Practical information
- Duration
- Half a morning
- Difficulty
- Flat terrain walking
- Getting there
- On foot heading west from the Parque Central, or by taxi from the hotel.
- Exact location of El Tamarindón
- 70 metros al este de la pista Fanor Urroz, en el Barrio Sutiaba
Who Adiact was
Before the arrival of the Spaniards, Adiact was chief of the Sutiaba people. According to tradition he accepted the Spanish presence, was later accused of treason and hanged from a tamarind tree known as El Tamarindón (The big Tamarind). Legend adds that his daughter Xochilt threw herself into a ravine to avoid capture.
It is worth being precise: that is oral tradition, not documentary record. What is beyond dispute is that Adiact is today, for many people in León, the symbol of indigenous resistance to colonisation.
The quarter and its church
The heart of Sutiaba is its colonial church, San Juan Bautista, facing a wide square. It has a beautiful wooden ceiling that is worth the trip. Around it are streets with single-storey houses and there is less traffic than in the centre.
Next to the church there is a small museum in the Casa Adiact, where the quarter tells its own story. It is small bu a visit is recommended.
It is a quarter where life happens in the street. Going early in the morning or after four p.m. makes more sense than going at midday, when nobody is outside and the temperature in the mid-thirties.
El Tamarindón
The historic tamarind tree is still a landmark in Sutiaba. The official adress is: "70 metros al este de la pista Fanor Urroz, en el Barrio Sutiaba". It may be easier to locate it as follows: From the Sutiaba Church, walk 3 blocks south and then 2 blocks west. The map coordinates are: 12.4299831688336, -86.89684613428517.
If you have any doubts, ask in the reception before leaving. It is literally the hotel's name: if anyone should know how to get there, it is us.
Where to stay for this plan
Room with kitchenette
Sutiaba takes half a morning. Coming back to a room with a kitchenette and a west-facing balcony, in time for sunset, closes the day well.
For the trip itself, at reception we put you in touch with trusted local tour operators. The hotel no longer runs its own tours.
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