Did You Know

Interesting Facts about Honduras

Trivia, oddities, and curious tidbits about Honduras.

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Did You Know?

16 curious facts about Honduras.

The name of the Honduran capital city, Tegucigalpa, comes from two indigenous words: teguz, which means hill, and galpa, which means silver. Tegucigalpa was once a silver mining town.
Honduras was originally known as Higüeras, the name of a native plant. Christopher Columbus named the land Honduras, which means “deep waters,” because he landed in a bay off the north coast of Honduras that was very deep.
The Garífuna or Black Caribs are mixed-race descendants of Africans and Carib Indians from the Caribbean island of St. Vincent, who were deported by the British and sent to Central America in the late 18th century.
In 1830, Francisco Morazán, a Honduran military leader, was elected president of the United Provinces of Central America. He worked to improve education, the justice system and regional economic development. Many streets, parks and towns in Honduras are named after Morazán, who is considered the father of Central America.

Although Honduras is a predominantly Roman Catholic country, many couples do not get married in a church. Some live common-law, and others prefer to have a civil ceremony.
Very few people have cars, because cars and gasoline are expensive. Most people in cities travel by taxi or bus. People in rural areas walk or get a ride in a pick-up truck.
The country's main commercial forest product is pine, although Honduras was once well-known for its mahogany.
Among their athletes, Hondurans honour Caneja Cardona, who plays soccer for Honduras, and Leticia Castro, who played women's basketball for Honduras and was recognized as the best Central American player of her time.
Some Hondurans believe that foods and herbs are either “hot” or “cold.” When someone is ill, “hot” or “cold” foods or herbs may be prescribed, depending on the illness. Some of the “hot” foods are coffee, oranges and beef. “Cold” foods include coconuts, bananas, salt and seafood.
In the past, students living in the countryside had to get up as early as 3:00 a.m. to do chores before walking several miles to school. When school ended at noon, they walked home during the hottest part of the day and did more chores. Today, with improved transportation, students in the countryside get up at about 5:00 a.m.