Augusto César Sandino

The small man with the large hat is Nicaragua’s best known national hero. He was born in 1895 and murdered in 1934, by national guardsmen acting on the direct orders of Anastasio Somoza Garcia who later installed himself as president. Somoza admitted that he had done this “for the good of Nicaragua” with the backing of the US Ambassador.

From 1926 until his death Sandino defied the military might of the United States whose Marines had occupied the country since 1909; in 1933 the last contingent left Nicaragua. Six long years of combat by a handful of workers and campesinos had achieved that victory.

Sandino was not only a fighter but a prolific writer and gifted speaker. Throughout the long years of the US-backed Somoza dictatorships, and ever since, Sandinismo has become the rallying cry for freedom, self-determination, non-intervention and dignity for the Nicaraguan people.

Recommended reading: go to our Book Shop >>
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General info: go to History of Nicaragua >>

NB. If you can find them in a library or elsewhere these books are excellent:
* 'Sandino in the Streets' by Joel Sheesley and Wayne Bragg (Indiana University Press). Packed with colour images of Sandino and excerpts from his letters and writings.
* 'Sandino Without Frontiers' edited by Karl Bermann. (Compita Publishing). Detailed introduction, writings by Sandino and essays by Carlos Fonseca and Sergio Ramirez.
* Michael J. Schroeder, The Sandino Rebellion, 1927 – 1934, A documentary history. www.sandinorebellion.com

Walter Castillo Sandino

Walter Castillo Sandino (pictured) and Marbely Castillo Cerna were in the UK from 30 November until 6 December 2010 to participate in the Latin America Conference and other events in London and Bristol.  

Walter is the grandson of Augusto Cesar Sandino, whose small army of peasant farmers and workers defied the military force of the US marines who occupied Nicaragua from 1912 until 1933. Sandino was assassinated in 1934 on the orders of Anastasio Somoza Garcia who later installed himself as president. Somoza claimed that he had done this “for the good of Nicaragua” with the backing of the US Ambassador. Sandino was not only a fighter but also a prolific writer whose legacy, along with Simon Bolivar and other heroes of Latin America independence, has become a rallying cry for national sovereignty, self-determination, and dignity for the peoples of Nicaragua and Latin America. The most recent manifestation of this legacy is the emergence of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA).  

Walter Castillo Sandino and his family left Nicaragua in 1961 on the instructions of Fidel Castro and Che Guevara because of the persecution they were suffering at the hands of the Somoza dynasty. They lived in exile in Cuba for the next 18 years. In 1979 Walter undertook training in guerrilla warfare in order to return to Nicaragua to fight against the Somoza dictatorship with a group of Nicaraguans and internationals. On 19 July of the same year the Sandinista forces finally overthrew the Somoza dictatorship and the Sandinista government took power.  

From 1982 – 1987 Walter studied in Russia where he graduated as an aeronautical engineer. On returning to Nicaragua he joined the Sandinista Army and later became chief engineer in the Sandinista Air Force. When the FSLN lost the elections in 1990 Walter left the military and worked for various national and international airlines before setting up his own airline ‘Air Segovia’ in honour of his mother and the mountains of northern Nicaragua where his grandfather fought in the 1920s. 

Walter and his wife Marbely Castillo Cerna set up a Foundation in 2005 dedicated to promoting the role and legacy of his grandparents. They have published essays and a biography entitled ‘The Banditry of Sandino in Nicaragua”  using previously unknown material including anecdotes, love letters, poems, children’s stories, documents and over 1,000 photos. The forward to this book is written by President Hugo Chavez whom Walter and Marbely consider to be the true inheritor of the legacy of Sandino. They are currently working on the second volume of the biography of General Sandino and doing research for a biography of Sandino’s wife, Blanca Sandino Arauz. 

Interview with Walter Castillo Sandino >>