A Bit of Western Honduras History

By the time Christopher Columbus arrived on the coast of Honduras in 1502, this land had already seen great civilizations rise and fall. Nowhere is this more evident than in Copán, one of the most breathtaking archaeological sites in Central America. For most visitors, the history of this part of the country equals the history of the Maya at Copán. What makes Copán so fascinating to archaeologists is not just its astounding size, but its small details. They have deciphered the hieroglyphics that tell the history of this great city, as well as that of others that existed in the region. If you want to understand the ancient civilizations of Quiriguá in Guatemala or Teotihuacán in Mexico, you'll need to pay Copán a visit.

Dominating the region after the fall of the Maya, the Lenca had no intention of being subjugated when the Spanish arrived in the 16th century. Lempira, the leader of the Lenca, brought various groups together to battle the conquistadors; his murder at the hands of the Spanish at a "peace conference" provided Honduras with its first national hero. The country's currency is named for this great leader.

But fall the Lenca did, and the Spanish dominated the region for the next 300 years. Gracias was briefly the seat of the Audencia, the ruling council that governed Spain's colony in Central America. Santa Rosa de Copán gained fame and wealth as a center for tobacco cultivation. Comayagua eventually was named the Honduran colony's administrative capital, a role it would continue postindependence, until the seat of government was moved in 1880. All three—especially Comayagua—remain don't-miss repositories of colonial architecture today.