In the
pre-Columbian era, Rivas was home to the
Nahua nations of Kwawkapolkan, and Kakawatan, as well as neighbouring
Chibchan peoples. Kwawkapolkan was the most powerful chiefdom in pre-Columbian Nicaragua, ruled by chief
Macuilmiquiztli, and translates to "place of capulín trees" in
Nawat. It's a combination of the Nawat words
Kwawit (tree),
kapolin (
capulín), and
-kan (a locative meaning "place of"). Kwawkapolkan extended from
Rivas down to
Bagaces in central
Guanacaste in Costa Rica. Kakawatan was another Nahua chiefdom in Rivas, ruled by chief Wemak who was Macuilmiquiztli's cousin. Wemak also had a warrior son named Eskuat, though he wasn't mentioned by Spanish sources again. The name
Kakawatan is a combination of the Nawat words
kakaw (Cacao),
at (water), and
-tan (locative suffix meaning land/place of). Therefore Kakawatan translates to "land of cacao water", referring to chocolate drinks, one the most important aspects of Nicarao culture. This tradition is still practiced in the communities of Rivas among the descendants of the Nahuas both indigenous and mestizos alike. Chibchan minorities lived and thrived within Kwawkapolkan and Kakawatan alongside the Nahua majority. Chibchans also served in the Nahua chiefdoms armed forces to further integrate into Nahua society, as military service provided social advancement and assimilation. The cultivation of
potatoes in Kwawkapolkan and Kakawatan also suggests
cultural diffusion between the Nahuas and Chibchans, as the Chibchans introduced potatoes to Nicaragua from
South America which did not reach northern
Mesoamerica. Before and during spanish contact, Kakawatan and Kwawkapolkan had a military alliance and were in a constant state of war with the Chorotegas, the
Kingdom of Nicoya, and later fought together against the Spanish. Kwawkapolkan and Kakawatan sent their armies as far north as
Carazo during their wars against the
Chorotegas, and as far south as the
Nicoya Peninsula and southern
Guanacaste during their military campaigns against the
Kingdom of Nicoya and the Huetares. ==Overview==