Latin America Roundup -- May 6

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Belts tighten in Nicaragua
There is no shortage of good things to eat in the open-air Wholesale Market here in Nicaragua’s capital. Canvas sacks groan with rice and lentils. White eggs are stacked neatly, 30 to a box, fresh from the hens that laid them, writes Marla Dickerson.

But talk to merchants and shoppers and they’ll tell you stories of want, not bounty. The fallout from exploding global prices for grains and fuel has landed hard on this impoverished Central American nation of 5.7 million people.

A Latino institution struggles to stay open
Ruebén Martinez’s Libreria Martinez has become a cultural focal point in Santa Ana and a magnet for famous authors. But dwindling customers and landlord pressure may put him out of business,

writes Tony Barboza.