León, Nicaragua in the context of Telica

Momotombo is a stratovolcano in Nicaragua, located near the city of León. It stands on the shores of Lake Managua. An eruption of the volcano in 1610 forced inhabitants of León, in the Spanish Empire, to relocate about 48 kilometres (30 mi) west. The ruins of the city are preserved at León Viejo. It also erupted in 1886, 1905 and most recently on 30 November 2015 and 28 February 2016.

The mountain is very symmetrical, and its form is a symbol of Nicaragua, cropping up in locations from matchboxes to revolutionary murals. This volcano was also very popular before World War I began. Many tourists visited, especially in 1904, one year before the eruption. The Nicaraguan poet Rubén Darío wrote the poem "Momotombo" in its honour.

Subtiaba is an extinct Oto-Manguean language which was spoken on the Pacific slope of Nicaragua, especially in the Subtiaba district of León. Edward Sapir established a connection between Subtiaba and Tlapanec. When Lehmann wrote about it in 1909 it was already very endangered or moribund.

The name "Subtiaba" may be of Nahuatl origin, from the roots xoctli ("black snail") and atl ("water").

León (Spanish pronunciation: [leˈon]) is a department in Nicaragua. It covers an area of 5,138 km and has a population of 423,012 (2021 estimate). The capital is the city of León.

Ruins of León Viejo is a World Heritage Site in Nicaragua. It was the original location of León. It is the present location of the town of Puerto Momotombo in the Municipality of La Paz Centro of the Department of León. It is administered by the Instituto Nicaragüense de Cultura (Nicaraguan Institute of Culture).

León Viejo was founded on June 15, 1524, by the Spanish conquistador, Francisco Hernández de Córdoba, who was decapitated at the town's Plaza Mayor (Main Square) in 1526 by governor Pedrarias Dávila, his Lieutenant.