A steep yet worthwhile hour’s hike from the cemetery and embedded in a boulder-crusted ridge is the town cross, originally placed here in 1703 by Franciscan Fray Margíl de Jesús. The view of Jinotega and the layered Cordillera Isabelía from up here is unreal. Take the center path through the cemetery and begin the sweaty climb. When you emerge from the trees and come to a plateau, hug the ridge tightly and keep climbing.
If you land here during Jinotega’s biggest party, the Fiestas de la Cruz (April 30 to May 16), which peaks on May 3, you can follow the abuelas (grandmothers) as they ascend, ever so gingerly, en masse.