An Introduction to Honduras
- Nuevo Mundo -

The Country

Honduras is the second largest country located on the Central American Isthmus and is bordered by Guatemala, El Salvador, and Nicaragua.
To its north lies the Caribbean Sea and to the south the Pacific Ocean. Much of the country is mountainous, with lowland areas in the north east which follow the coastline east.
With over 800 km of Caribbean coast, it is blessed with some of the most pristine beaches left in this area.
Its population of close to 5 million people, in an area slightly smaller the England, means that Honduras has a very low population density and vast natural resources that are as yet untapped.

What has begun to be recognised by the up and coming tourism industry, is Honduras' natural beauty and rich cultural history.
It has everything a tourist destination could dream of: coastlines on both the Caribbean and Pacific, lush mountains teeming with exotic plants and wildlife, romantic Caribbean Islands, excellent highway infrastructure, very friendly people, and an ancient cultural heritage.

History

Honduras boasts one of the best examples of early civilization at the ruins of Copan. This Mayan city-state was settled as early as 1000 B.C.. Strangely, around 900 A.D., Copan was abandoned for reasons that still remain unknown.
The Spaniards first landed near Trujillo in the early 16th century and, because of the deep waters off the north coast, named the area Honduras, meaning "depths" in Spanish. Trujillo, founded in 1525, became the first Spanish capitol for the colony of Honduras.

The Spanish soon sought cooler climates and moved the capital up into the highlands of the interior to the city of Comayagua.
The discovery of silver in the southeast of Guatemala and northwest of Honduras, attracted a trickle of fortune- seeking immigrants.
Settlements during the 16th and 17th centuries were mostly along the trail from Guatemala City at Gracias, La Esperanza, Tegucigalpa, and Comayagua. The colonial capital was eventually moved to its present location, at Tegucigalpa, in 1880.

The early Spanish settlers focused on the interior of the country, generally ignoring the northeast Ulúa lowlands and the Caribbean coastline. This left an opening for the British, who were attracted by the great quantity of mahogany and other hardwoods. They brought in black labor from the British West Indies and Jamaica for their timber industry.
In the 19th century, the second phase of settlement began on the north eastern Honduran coastline, when US companies discovered its great banana growing potential.
Twentieth century politics were economically influenced by the US, especially the Honduran military. In 1911 and 1912, US President William Howard Taft sent U.S. marines into Honduras to 'protect American investments' seemingly threatened by political developments. In 1954, the US and Honduras signed an agreement giving the U.S. unlimited access to Honduran natural resources in exchange for military training and equipment.

From the 1930's till the early 1980's the military were essentially in control of the country, regardless of the government in power. With revolution erupting in parts of Central America during the 1980's, Honduras became the focus of U.S. policy and strategic operations. Huge sums of U.S. money were funnelled in for the undeclared, covert wars against Nicaragua and El Salvador. This created many internal problems for Honduras until, in November 1988, they ended their military agreements with the US.

The People

The population of Honduras in the 1988 census was 4,443,721. Roughly 90% of the people are a mixture of Spanish and Indian, or mestizo. Another 7% of the population are pure Indian from the Jicaques, Lencas, Misquitos, Payas, and Sumos descent. Garifunas, a mixture of African and Carib Indians, were brought to the area by the British beginning in 1797 and comprise 2.5% of the population.

There are also many people of Jamaican descent on the north coast who either came to Honduras with the British or, later, to work on the US banana plantations. Most speak English with a lilting Caribbean accent.

Weather

The dry season, or verano, in Honduras is from December through April , with March and April being the hottest and driest months. The rainy season, or invierno, is from May through November and the wettest months are August and September.

- Nuevo Mundo -