Tegucigalpa, the "Silver Mountain" - Honduras
Tegucigalpa and its history
Tegucigalpa has its beginnings 438 years ago, with the arrival of spanish colonizers, who were looking for precious minerals to be exploited and brought to Spain. It is currently the head of the department of Francisco Morazán, one of the 18 departments of Honduras and the capital of the country. It was founded as a city on September 29, 1578. Tegucigalpa began to form as a mining town, its main center was where the old presidential house is currently located, in the historic center of the city.
The Capital is composed of 2 twin cities, Tegucigalpa and Comayaguela, divided by the river Rio Grande known as Choluteca too . To the east is located the original city of Tegucigalpa and to the west the twin of Comayaguela, both cities are connected by several bridges along their territorial extension. Tegucigalpa has important civil, military and religious constructions, which make up the historical ensemble of the pre-Columbian, colonial and republican periods, intimately linked to its protagonists; its real estate of archaeological, historical and artistic value can be seen in its parks, houses, bridges, streets, buildings, monuments and viewpoints. Tegucigalpa offers a variety of walks of great interest to the visitor. The name Tegucigalpa, by the way, has its origin of the Nahuatl language, which was named "Tegus-galpa" this means "silver mountain". The city has many historical sites, which enclose the life and past of a mining village, which became the capital and the headquarters of the three powers of the state of Honduras.
General Information
Today Tegucigalpa retains its colonial atmosphere while offering the visitor the best of the 21st century with top-notch hotels and excellent restaurants.
At 95% of the stores, restaurants, hotels you will find, accept your international credit and electronic debit cards.
The climate of Tegucigalpa is tropical rainy and dry, this is determined by the season of the year in which you decide to travel to Tegus. Temperatures may vary depending on the time of year, for the case at the end and beginning of the year temperatures are from 15o to 22o Centigrade, in the dry season temperatures range between 20o and 35o Celsius
One of the capital's best-kept secrets is the celebrations that take place during Easter. During this week, a series of processions and events are held in the different churches of the city´s downtown. Among the most colorful acts is the elaboration of sawdust carpets, similar to the famous carpets of Antigua Guatemala and which are undoubtedly worth seeing. The city serves as an entrance gate to the Pacific coast and all the attractions of the rest of the country, as it is a starting point to the four cardinal points of the nation. Near Tegucigalpa, above the mountains, there are small colonial villages such as: Santa Lucia, San Antonio de Oriente, Valle de Los Angeles, Ojojona and Yuscaran. A well preserved city and where beautiful handicrafts can be bought, is Valle de Angeles.
How to get to Tegucigalpa
You can go to Tegucigalpa by 2 ways: land and air. If you do it by air you will be arriving at Toncotín International airport. This terminal receives 2 daily flights from Miami Florida, 1 daily flight from Houston, Texas, 1 flight from Atlanta Georgia, 1 flight from Panama/Panama and 2 flights from San Salvador and its connections. There are also local flights that travel frecuently to the cities of: La Ceiba, Roatán, San Pedro Sula, La Mosquitia, and Guanaja
If you want to come by land, you can do it in your own vehicle, the road is completely paved and is in good condition because it is the interoceanic road/panamericana that connects the four cardinal points of the country.
The Border with El Salvador – El Amatillo - is 132 km away and the Borders with Nicaragua are 127 km (Las Manos) and 176 km (Guasaule), both distance from Tegucigalpa.
Places of interest to visit in Tegucigalpa
The Manuel Bonilla National Theatre, built in the government of President Juan Manuel Bonilla, by agreement of April 4, 1905. Originally it was called Teatro Cervantes, later, Casa de la Cultura and now Teatro Nacional Manuel Bonilla. It was inaugurated on September 15, 1915, celebrating the anniversary of our national independence.
The Sanctuary of Suyapa, is the largest religious center of the Catholic faith of the country, very visited by nationals and foreigners attracted by the virgin of Suyapa, (Suyapa means: "In the water of the palm trees"), its original hermitage was built in 1780. In December 1954 the first stone of the present-day Basilica of Suyapa was laid.
Churches in downtown: La Merced, which was built possibly in the middle of the seventeenth century, being restored in the late nineteenth century, also very close is the Los Dolores, its construction dates from 1732 was built as a new parish because that of San Miguel de Tegucigalpa could not efficiently serve the parishioners. The Metropolitan Cathedral is in the center of these two churches, has a main altar plated in gold. All these churches located in the historic center of Tegucigalpa.
El Picacho National Park or United Nations park, has an impressive view of Tegucigalpa, is the ideal place to take excellent photographs of the city. It also has replicas of the Mayan ruins of Copan, with the famous Christ of El Picacho , which bears a resemblance to the Christ of the Corcovado of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. You will also find in this place a small zoo of the native species of Honduras. This park was opened to the public on August 2, 1946.
La Paz Monument, located on Cerro Juana A. Laínez, The construction of this elegant and imposing monument dates back to 1947. It is important to note that this site is in the city center itself and it is built with reddish stone that was extracted from a local quarry.
