Nicaraguans

Nicaraguans (; also called Nicas) are people inhabiting in, originating or having significant heritage from Nicaragua. Most Nicaraguans live in Nicaragua, although there is also a significant Nicaraguan diaspora, particularly in Costa Rica and the United States with smaller communities in other countries around the world. There are also people living in Nicaragua who are not Nicaraguans because they were not born or raised in Nicaragua nor have they gained citizenship.

==Genetic makeup== The genetic makeup of Nicaraguans differs from the western half of Nicaragua to the eastern half. DNA studies show that most western Nicaraguans (whites and mestizos) descend from Europeans (mostly Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese) and an Indigenous combination of Nahua, Otomanguean, and Chibcha ancestry. The combined Nahua, Otomanguean, and Chibcha ancestry of western Nicaraguans suggests that instead of a mass displacement of Chibchas by migrating Mesoamerican groups like the Nicaraos and Chorotegas, they assimilated the Chibchas who already inhabited western Nicaragua into their societies and mixed with them, blending North American and South American ancestries. This is further evident in the Chibcha minorities that lived and thrived within the Nahua chiefdoms of Kwawkapolkan, Kakawatan, and Masatepek in modern-day Rivas and Masaya. In addition, the military forces of Kwawkapolkan, Kakawatan, and Masatepek had Chibcha troops serving alongside their Nahua counterparts as military service provided social advancement and assimilation to further integrate into Nahua society. Furthermore, the Nicaraos cultivation of potatoes also suggests cultural diffusion between the Nahuas and Chibchas, as the Chibchas introduced potatoes to Nicaragua from South America which did not reach northern Mesoamerica.