For two hundred years Nicaragua suffered from the double insult of shaking earth-earthquakes and volcanic eruptions-and military and political interventions from the north. Today a democratic Nicaragua is promoting its diversity of cultures, its Spanish colonial heritage, and its natural wonders. Misquito Indians from the Caribbean coast and descendants of Aztecs, who hardly know each other, still flourish within the country. Nicaragua's lakes, forests, and volcanoes are finally earning the accolades they deserve.