DESTINATIONS
Tegucigalpa

History of Tegucigalpa

Tegucigalpa started around 430 years ago, as the Spaniard colonists arrived in the search of precious minerals to be mined and sent to Spain. It is now the capital city of the department of Francisco Morazán, one of the 18 departments, and at the same time it is the Capital City of the country. It was founded on September 29, 1578. It started out as a mining town, and its center was located where we now find the old Presidential House in the historical downtown area.

It became the capital of Honduras in part thanks to the love relationship of one of its presidents. For centuries, the capital of Honduras was located in Comayagua, a colonial town located in a fertile valley equidistant from the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. The story says that Doctor Marco Aurelio Soto married a Tegucigalpa native, who was never accepted by the high society in Comayagua, and because of this contempt towards her, he decided to transfer the capital to Tegucigalpa. Another reason may have been that he was one of the owners of the mines in San Juancito, a town located much closer to Tegucigalpa than to Comayagua. And yet another reason explains that it would be more difficult for military enemies to reach the new capital city. After this event “Tegus”, as its people warm fully call it, passed from being an important mining center to becoming the capital of the Republic.

The city is actually made up by two sister cities, Tegucigalpa and Comayagüela, divided by the Grande or Choluteca River. To the east we find the original Tegucigalpa and to the west Comayagüela, joined by several bridges. In 1937 the first and the latter were joined to form the Metropolitan Central District. Tegucigalpa is home to several civil, military, and religious constructions that represent the pre-Columbian, colonial, and republican periods. You may observe its archaeological, historical, and artistic heritage in is parks, homes, bridges, streets, buildings, monuments, and viewpoints. Tegucigalpa offers a great deal of walks to its visitors.

The name Tegucigalpa comes from the Nahuatl language which means “silver hill”. It holds many places of historical interest that enclose the life and past of a mining village that became the Capital of the Republic and seat to the three branches of government.

General Information

Nowadays Tegucigalpa still retains its colonial atmosphere as it offers its visitors the best of the XXI century with first class hotels and excellent restaurants, most of them located in the Morazan and John Paul II Boulevards and the Palmira and Mall Multiplaza zones.

Tegucigalpa is home to the three branches of government, that is, the Judicial, Executive, and Legislative powers. It has a population of about 1,200,000, most of which are mestizo. It headquarters most of the banks that function in the country. Here you may find BAC-Honduras, Banco Atlantida, HSBC, Banco Cuscatlan, Banco Azteca, Banco de Occidente, Banco UNO, and Banco Ficohsa among others.

Ninety-five percent of all businesses accept major electronic credit and debit cards such as VISA, MASTER CARD, AMERICAN EXPRESS, JBC CARD, and DINERS CLUB INTERNATIONAL. Just take a look at the stickers posted at the entrance of each business or ask before doing your shopping.

The climate of Tegucigalpa is Tropical rainy and dry; depending on the time you wish to visit “Tegus”. The temperature may vary depending on the month, for example, during the first and the last months of the year the temperature may drop to between 15º and 22º Celsius, meanwhile, during the dry season it may reach between 20º and 35º Celsius.

One of the city’s best kept secrets is the celebrations that take place during the holy week. During this week, the Catholic Religion which is predominant in the country holds a series of processions and other events in its several downtown temples. The processions include statues brought from Europe during the colonial times, and many of their costumes are original to that time. Among its most colorful actions is the elaboration of sawdust carpets that depict the life and passion of Christ, similar to the ones made in Antigua Guatemala, they are worth seeing and taking pictures of. If you are early enough you may even become a volunteer in their embellishment.

Since the city becomes partially deserted during this time due to the fact that many people use the holiday to visit their hometowns and/or beaches, car traffic in the downtown area is closed for the making of the carpets so it becomes a pedestrian mall guarded by the local police 24 hours a day. This creates a great opportunity to walk through cobblestone alleys and discover ancient homes and buildings that still dot the city.

The city is a gateway to the Pacific Coast and to many of the country’s other attractions, since it is a starting point to the four cardinal points. Nearby Tegucigalpa, on the mountains, there are several colonial towns including Santa Lucia, San Antonio de Oriente, Valle de Angeles, Ojojona, and Yuscaran. A very well kept town in which you may buy handicrafts is Valle de Angeles.

How do I get to Tegucigalpa?

You may reach Tegucigalpa in two different ways, air and land. If you do it by plane you will be arriving into the Toncontin International Airport, which was once visited by the well known pilot Charles Lindbergh. This terminal receives 4 daily flights from Miami, Florida, 1 daily flight from Houston, Texas, 1 from Panama City, and 2 from San Salvador and its connections. Continental Airlines, TACA, American Airlines, and Copa Airlines all fly into this city. There’s a number of local flights coming and going to La Ceiba, San Pedro Sula, Roatán, La Mosquitia, and Guanaja.

In case you decide to come by land you may do so in your own car, highways are totally paved and in excellent conditions since it is the Interoceanic Highway and the Panamerican Highway, which together connect the city to the four cardinal points. El Amatillo’s border with El Salvador is 82 miles away, while the border with Nicaragua, Las Manos and Guasaule are 79 miles and 109 miles away respectively. There are several international bus companies that arrive in Tegucigalpa, these being: Hedman Alas, Tica Bus, King Quality, and Pullmantur among others. For more personalized information about how to get here we suggest you to contact us.

Gastronomy in Tegucigalpa

Gastronomy in Tegucigalpa is very varied, including our regional dishes offered by local restaurants and international cuisine, so you may find restaurants offering foods from many regions of the world. We recommend that you read the Honduras Tips guide, which includes a list of chosen restaurants that will satisfy your taste. In order to obtain this guide, contact us and we’ll make sure you receive it. If what you desire is to go on one of our tours, don’t worry, we will take you to the place or places of your choice that you may flavor both our regional and international cuisines.

Night Life and Restaurants in Tegucigalpa

Night life in Tegucigalpa is very wide-ranging as there are three recreational eras in which you may visit a restaurant to enjoy whether it may be a delicious breakfast, lunch, or dinner. In these same areas you may find bars and clubs. These zones are the following:

Palmira Zone

There are several restaurants you may find in this area including Chili’s, Alondra, Theo´s, El Porcao, El Charrua (Uruguayan cuisine), Rojo Verde y Ajo, La Trattoria, La Salsa (these last three are Italian restaurants), La Veranda, Café Dumonde, Mirawa and Cam Fon (Chinese food), and Taco Taco (Honduran and Mexican food). Some well-known bars and clubs in the area are Casa Vieja, La Grotta, H2O, Yoghis, Blend, and Kabbala.

Morazan Boulevard

This is the liveliest area of the city since most international fast food restaurants are located in it. Here you may find T.G.I. Friday’s, Dunkin Donuts, Burger King, Quiznos Sub, Pizza Hut, Dominos Pizza, Popeye’s, Campero, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and Chester’s Chicken. Some popular local restaurants comprise El Patio and Criollos (Honduran cuisine), Nifu Nifa (Argentinan Food), Pa Pa Chacalin, and El Puerto (these last two serve Seafood). Among its most visited bars, clubs, and Karaoke bars you may visit Boga Bar, El Señor Tortuga, Manatee’s Bar, Jala la Jarra, Bambú Discoteque, and Las Reses.

Juan Pablo II – Mall Multiplaza Zone

Here you may find some of the largest hotels in town like the Clarion, Marriot, and Intercontinental Hotels, but also more fast food restaurants and internationally franchised restaurants like Pizza hut, burger King, Mac Donald’s, Church’s Chicken, Campero, Little Caesar’s, T.G.I. Friday’s, Sbarro, Ruby Tuesday, Los Cebollines, Tony Roma’s, Applebees, and some local places like Furiwa. There is also a bar for open-minded visitors called Metropolis. As of 2007 part of this area has started a transformational period that will continue for about 2 years.

Places of Interest in Tegucigalpa

Manuel Bonilla National Theatre, built during the government of the president whose name it now bears, it was inaugurated on September 15, 1915 on the date of our independence. Its first name was Cervantes Theatre and later House of Culture, as some older people still call it. Before its remodeling it was a replica of the Athenee Theater in Paris, but still holds most of its inner original features. The National Schools of Dance and Theatre, and the National Philharmonic Orchestra hold their presentations here, as well as other national and international artists, which make it a busy place nearly every week of the year.

The Suyapa Basilica, it is the main religious centre for the Catholics of the country, who visit it, especially during February, to see The Virgin of Suyapa, a holy figurine that was discovered by Alejandro Colindres, a few miles from Tegucigalpa in 1747 and was kept just a block away from this new basilica in the Old Suyapa Church, built 1780. The groundbreaking ceremony of what is now the largest religious building in Central America took place in December 1954 and was visited by John Paul II in 1983. Breathtaking stained glass decorates its walls.

Old Churches in the Downtown Area, all of which are a walking distance from one another, the oldest of which is the San Francisco Church built in 1592, what makes it the oldest human made structure in the city. Just two blocks away you may visit the Metropolitan Cathedral dedicated to Saint Michael Archangel with a gold leafed altar, built in 1782.One block to the south we find La Merced Church, built in 1650. Two other churches in the downtowns area are Los Dolores, a richly decorated chapel built in 1732 and El Calvario. All this churches contain European and Latin American paintings and statues dating back to colonial times.

Downtown Parks, right in front of each the previously mentioned churches you may find a small park or which were named after our national heroes (Francisco Morazan, Dionisio de Herrera, and Jose Cecilio del Valle) or after a particular church (La Merced and Los Dolores). La Concordia Park, originally built in the 1880s, and later refurbished is decorated with replicas of Mayan statues and buildings from Copan, Tikal, and Chichen Itza.

El Picacho National Park or United Nations Park, with magnificent viewpoints of the city it is the perfect place to take pictures and to see up-close the Cristo del Picacho Monument, a 66 feet high statue built by Mario Zamora, a local artist. The park, which contains replicas of several Mayan statues, gardens, and a small zoo, was opened on August 2, 1946.

The Peace Monument, elegantly positioned atop the Juana Lainez Hill, was built out of local reddish stone in 1947 to commemorate the end of World War II and previous Honduran civil wars. It was placed here because it may be viewed from nearly any point in the city and since many battles took place in this area.

La Leona Neighborhood, found in one of the higher spots of the city with homes that date back to the 18^th century, including the popular Alambra house right across from the local park and viewpoint. Its cobblestone streets let you know about this neighborhood’s age, as it was were the first inhabitants of Tegucigalpa once lived.

National Art Gallery, located between the National Congress and La Merced Church features pre-Columbian ceramics, colonial paintings, religious art and contemporary work. First built as a monastery, it later housed what is now the National Autonomous University of Honduras. Open Daily.

History of the Republic National Museum, also known as Villa Roy, covers the period of Honduras history since its independence in 1821 to the 1990s. It is housed in a mansion donated by Laura Vijil de Lozano Diaz, former first lady. Well-organized exhibits trace the progress of the country’s history. Open Tuesday-Sunday.

National Identity Museum opened in 2006 by former president Ricardo Maduro, features state-of-the art exhibits that give you a tour through Honduras’s history since the continent formed until the present time, including the exceptional “Virtual Copan” presentation. This edifice was initially constructed as a Hospital in the 1880s and later served as an office building to several government departments. English tours are available upon request. Open Tuesday-Sunday.

Museum of Honduran Man, built in 1876 and located across from the San Francisco Church, it was once Ramon Rosa’s (former vice-president) house and afterward became the Supreme Court House. The facility includes art exhibits, the Queen Sophia Art Library, and an exhibit hall with temporary exhibits related to Honduran culture.

Aviation Museum, found in the premises of the Toncontin Airport, it features airplanes that were was used by the Honduran Air Force, pictures, model airplanes and artifacts that tell you the history of aviation and its link to Honduran history. Open on Weekends. Tours are available any day upon request.

Chiminike Children’s Museum, interactive exhibits teach children about the environment, the human body, the solar system, city life, gravity, and much more. Children may learn by doing accompanied by an adult or guided by one of the many professional tour guides. Open daily.

Other Museums, smaller in size but still interesting to see are the Central Bank Museum in Comayagüela, which holds numismatic and painting exhibits. Open Monday-Friday.

The Military History Museum located beside the San Francisco Church. Open Monday-Saturday. The Telecommunications Museum in the downtown Hondutel Building featuring the history of the telegraph, telephones, etc. Open Monday-Saturday. The Museum of National History situated in the National University premises. It exhibits a small display of Honduran insects, mammals, and rocks. Open Monday-Friday. Tours are available upon request.

Other Cultural Centers, The National Library is just a block away from the Cathedral in what used to be the National Printing Press. Open Monday-Saturday. The National Archives and National School of Theatre are situated in the former Presidential House which was built in 1922, just two blocks from the Central Park. There is a patio with views of the rear of the Casa Presidencial. Open Monday-Friday. The Children’s Cultural Center situated across from The Museum of National Identity offers music, dance, drama, and art courses. Visitors are welcome to observe classes Monday-Saturday.

Two more museums will soon be opened, the History of Tegucigalpa museum across Central Square and the Religious Art Museum behind the San Francisco Church.