Honduras

Honduras - map

Wikipedia article about Honduras

 

Main attractions

This small Central American country offers numerous beautiful natural monuments as well as some exciting archaeological monuments.

Highlights of Honduras are:

• The remnants of Copán - one of the most impressive Mayan cities. This site contains numerous unique values of art and history.
• Little explored wilderness - many regions of Honduras represent little explored, rugged wilderness with extreme biological diversity. There still is a possibility to make exciting discoveries here.

Natural landmarks

• Azacualpa hot springs and natural arch (Termales de Zacapa) - Santa Bárbara. Boiling hot springs emiting vapour and whistling like a teapot, water contains sulphur. Natural bridge over the springs.
• Las Colinas andesite opal find - Lempira. Here, on a dangerous cliffside are found beautiful opals with iridescence.
• Pulhapanzák Falls – Cortés. 43 m tall, wide and beautiful waterfall on Rio Lindo.
• Tablon mine of seam opals - Lempira. Some of the most beautiful and expensive opals in the world, with extremely bright iridescence. May cost up to 5,000 USD per carat.
• Taulabe Caves (Cuevas de Taulabé) – Comayagua. Group of 24 caves with beatiful cave formations. Explored length of passages exceeds 12 km. Contains ancient offerings of indigenous cultures including polychrome vessels. Stories about money hidden in this cave.
• Yamaranguila Falls - Intibucá. 120 m tall, free falling waterfall. Considered to be the tallest in Honduras.
• Yoro Fish Rain (Lluvia des Peces) - Yoro. For more than a century few times a year in May - July here is witnessed rain which leaves rather small but live fish of one certain freshwater fish species on the ground. Local people just gather the fish - it is very tasty! This phenomenon has no explanation yet.

Man made landmarks

Urban planning monuments

• Gracias colonial town – Lempira. Attractive town, founded in 1536. Three beautiful colonial churches in the centre and numerous other historical buildings.
• Santa Rosa de Copán – Copán. City with beautiful historical centre, developed since early 18th century. Contains valuable Neoclassical and Ecclectic style buildings lined along cobblestone streets.
• Yuscarán - El Paraíso. Once important mining town, developed in 18th – 19th centuries. Historical centre with more than 200 historical buildings well conserved and picturesque due to hilly terrain, surrounding forests and cobblestone streets.

Ancient settlements

• Cerro Palenque – Cortés. Remnants of city, which developed in 500 AD and flourished in 850 – 1100 AD. Have been found remnants of more than 500 structures. The identity of people living here is not fully clear.
• Copán – Copán. Remnants of Maya city which flourished in 5th – 9th centuries AD, when Copán was a capital city. City was located on the south-eastern border of Maya realm, surrounded by non-Maya peoples. City covered area of more than 250 km² and had population of more than 20,000 people. Abandoned around 10th century AD. Here have been preserved stelas of high artistic quality, as well as the Rosalila temple and numerous other structures and artwork.
• El Puente - Copán. Mayan city, which was under the control of nearby Copán in 6th – 9th centuries AD. Site contains 210 structures, including 5 plazas and 12 m tall step pyramid. El Puente continued to exist after the fall of Copán until circa 950 AD.
• Yarumela - Comayagua. Remnants of ancient city developed by a indigenous culture building monumental buildings before 4th centry BC and possibly having contact with Olmec cluture in Mexico. Structures include two up to 20 m tall earthen step pyramids, which earlier could have been higher and layered with stone.

 

Other man made landmarks

• Talgua Caves (The Cave of the Glowing Skulls) – Olancho. Important burial cave of culture which developed on the border of early Maya realm. Bones have been deposited here circa 1000 – 900 BC and since then often have been covered and cemented to the ground with glittering crystals of calcite. Found 23 burials, most of them have more than one person. Found also more than 20 ceramic vessels. Near the caves have been found traces of important settlement.
• Cueva del Gigante – La Paz. This cave served as a habitat for humans living here 11,500 years ago. In sediments found domesticated corn, stone tools.
• La Cueva de las Pinturas - Lempira. Contains ancient polychrome drawings and numerous sherds of pottery. Sherds are dated from 100 BC. Cave contains built structures which seem to limit access to some parts of cave.
• Lancetilla Botanical Garden – Atlántida. International botanical research centre and species rich botanical garden – unique collection of the plants of Honduras, one of the largest tropical botanical gardens in the world. Area - 1,680 ha.
• Comayagua Cathedral (Catedral de la Inmaculada Concepción) – Comayagua. Beautiful Baroque cathedral built in 1711.
• Los Sapos - Copán. Maya site, part of Copán ensemble. Possible place where royal women conducted fertility ceremonies. Numerous roughly hewn stones.