Managua—A “Gringorized” City? Urbanization, Consumption, and Shopping Spaces in times of revolution and crises, 1979-1993

Abstract

This article analyzes urban change and food consumption in revolutionary Managua and during economic transition up to 1993. The Sandinista revolutionaries tried to establish new consumer ideals, ensure equal access to food for all Nicaraguans, and slow down urbanization. However, economic crises, the Contra war, conflicts over agrarian reform, and stagnating food production undermined their political project. This article demonstrates that the supply problems and internal contradictions of Sandinista food policy eroded support for the revolution. Social crisis and hunger combined with luxury consumption of some Sandinista leaders led to disillusion by the late 1980s. During transition, consumption became a time-consuming, frustrating experience. The urban poor had to rely on old survival mechanisms while the new elites revived US consumer ideals as a model.