If there is one word to describe the hilly city that is Tegucigalpa, majestic would be it. It makes for a great gateway for the Pacific Coast. In the central and southern highland region of Honduras lies the city of Tegucigalpa, the country’s largest and most populous city. It is also the capital city, housing half of the seat of Honduras government (the other half is in its neighboring city). This lush city in the highland is located in the valley of a beautiful chain of mountains, in the southern central highland area of the country.
Open woodland covers most of the city of Tegucigalpa. The city land area measures 201.5 square kilometers or 77.8 square miles. Together with Comayagüela, the metropolitan district land area dramatically increases to1, 396.5 square kilometers or 539.2 square miles. In 2010 the city is home to 1,126,534 residents, which give a population density of over 5,000 people for each square kilometer or 14,516 people for each square mile. If you take in the metro area, the population rises to more than 1.3 million, with a population density of only 948 persons for each square kilometer or about 2,455 persons per square mile.
In Tegucigalpa lie important institutions such as the National Autonomous University of Honduras, 16 consulates, 25 foreign embassies, and state-owned entities that serve as key drivers to the various aspects of growth and development of Honduras. The area is surrounded by woodlands and shrubs. But despite its surroundings being heavily forested, it remains as a hub for all urban activity in Honduras. Facilities for medical care, leisure, and other tourist-friendly hubs are quite satisfactory here compared to other cities of Honduras.
The city is separated from its nearest neighbor, Comayagüela, by the Choluteca River. Boundaries from within are vaguely defined by barrios and colonias in the sense that it’s not easy to determine the exact delineations compared to other cities. There are so many of these barrios and colonias that it’s harder to track especially for new tourists who are not entirely familiar with the terrain. Instead, it is more clearly divided into the five main sections for faster reference: Zona Viva or Contemporary Downtown, Centro Historico or Historic Downtown, South Tegucigalpa, East Tegucigalpa, and North Tegucigalpa. Centro Historico contains the concentration of government offices and churches, as well as other erected structures in the early days of the city. On the other hand, Zona Viva or Contemporary Downtown is home to around 40 neighborhoods, and is considered the most urbanized with its busy corridors.
Top hotels are all found in Zona Viva. More modestly earning citizens live in North Tegucigalpa. Much larger than Zona Viva are those neighborhoods in East and South Tegucigalpa, which are also composed of middle-class to poor citizens. If you are after cheaper but decent forms of accommodation, it is wise to check out the hotels in Los Dolores. This street is a favorite among backpackers who want to make the most of their stay without having to shell out so much cash.
The downtown is also the very site of the rugged El Picacho Hill, with humble residential establishments perched on its slopes. The physical terrain is inclined to hold in pollution that makes smog as a daily part of the Tegucigalpa life, until it is washed down by rain. It is not as pollution-free as other cities, but the extra dirt and grime is part of its charm.
Fortunately, it has a moderate tropical climate that alternates between wet and dry seasons, due to its elevation, averaging at 990 meters or 3,250 feet. On the average, the city temperature is between 19 °C or 66 °F and 23 °C or 73 °F. The coolest months are December and January, with a pleasantly cool 14 °C or about 57 °F. The hottest months on the other hand are March and April, when the temperature could go up to 40 °C or 104 °F. During the dry season, an average of 228 hours of sunshine is expected. From November until April, the city experiences its dry season while the rainy season begins in May and lasts until October, averaging 107 days of rain. Heavy rainfall usually occurs from June to September. The city receives an average of 182.5 millimeters or 7.19 inches of rain, with about 16.2 days of rainy days a month. Thunderstorms usually occur during the rainy season.
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Its international airport, Toncontin, is known for its notoriously short runway that has many a pilot maneuvering uniquely with marked difficulty. Despite this, the Tegus airport is filled with international airline operations: Delta, United, Copa, TACA, and American Airlines.
Just like anywhere in the word, your safety while traveling is your foremost concern, so do exercise sound judgment and use your common sense to keep out of danger. The most important thing to remember is not to walk anywhere alone at night, avoid shortcuts and darkened alleys. Avoid looking like a tourist by wearing flashy jewelry, carrying wads of cash and toting several electronic gadgets like expensive cameras, mobile phones. Keep loose change in your external wallet or your pockets while keeping the rest of your cash that you are going to use for the day in a hidden body bag.
There are many purse-snatchers and pickpockets in the shopping and tourist areas so be wary of strangers, street children and strangers who offer you food and drink. Always ask your hotel concierge for the best and safest taxis to take you around. Mosquitoes are plenty so it would be wise to bring a bottle of insect repellant, as well as moisturizers, sunscreen and head covering if you are visiting Tegucigalpa during the dry season.
The developing city has plenty of room to grown and its government is busily planning for its infrastructure to keep side by side with the increase in its population as well as alleviating poverty.
History of Tegucigalpa
The Spanish settlers founded the city, primarily a mining town, on September 29, 1578. A year later, the first mayor, Juan de la Cueva, took office. Religion was of utmost importance to the Spanish, as reflected in the first major buildings constructed in Tegucigalpa: Dolores Church, Casa de la Moneda, San Miguel Cathedral, and Immaculate Conception Church. Churches are quite plenty and are considered part of their cultural heritage and tourist attractions.
The period between 1700 and 1800 had been a politically volatile one. A pivotal point in its history occurred in June 10, 1762, when Governor Alonso Fernandez de Heredia turned the town into Real Villa de San Miguel de Tegucigalpa y Heredia. Moreover, it was merged as part of Comayagua in 1791 but was later restored as a self-sustaining town government in 1817. It became a city in 1821, four years after the first bridge connecting Tegucigalpa with Comayagüela, its neighboring city, was built. In October 1880, it was finally declared as the capital city of Honduras by President Marco Aurelio Soto, after decades of alternating with Comayagüela. At the time, there were 40,000 inhabitants in the area.
The city also took part in the Constitution of the Republic of Central America in 1921, albeit it did not last very long. At the time, Tegucigalpa was considered as a Federal District, together with El Salvador and Guatemala. However, this failed and Honduras once again became an independent nation in 1937, taking Tegucigalpa’s independence with it. Tegucigalpa is often in the middle of all the political activities, which began in its foundation as a city until the modern times.
The development of Tegucigalpa was imminent, as mirrored by population growth and the dynamic activities that surrounded it. Growth spurts for Tegucigalpa occurred in the 1930s until the 1960s. The population growth reached around 250,000. But migration from the rural areas of Honduras in 1970s further ballooned the population in the city. By the year 1980, high buildings were erected despite the ill preparedness of Tegucigalpa to full-blown urbanization. The lack of proper planning of structures wreaked further havoc when Hurricane Mitch hit the city in October 30, 1998, causing landslides, destruction of trees and homes, and floods.
At present, current efforts and corrective measures to control the damage from disorganized constructions all over the city are being prioritized. Politically, it continues to have its signature volatility with the ups and downs resembling the city’s hilly surface. But there are more efforts to mitigate the infrastructure risks and damages as well as tourism threats.
Demographics of Tegucigalpa
Tegucigalpa is home to around 1.3 million people. The trend is a continuous and steady upward growth. For the last two decades, the growth rate is pegged at 2.8%. It is home to a population largely comprising 90% mestizos in additional to White-Hispanic, Arab, Chinese, and Palestinian immigrants. Indigenous members of the community are Afro-Honduran and Amerindians, although little is written about these communities.
Only 60,000 out of the entire population are illiterate. In the poorest regions of Tegucigalpa, 140,000 residents rely solely on potable water sources. But transportation systems and infrastructure abound as reflected in the 12 bridges, 64 signaled intersections, and 2,000 vehicles for public transport. They also have the world’s highest murder rate, which makes it earn a red flag in various travel advisories worldwide. Amidst the dangers, the city remains to be a well-visited one because it’s worth the risk for most people who want adventure and a blast from the Central American past.
Spanish is spoken in Tegucigalpa. While there are a number of bi-lingual schools in the city, English is not the used as a medium of instruction or spoken in universities. The Spanish spoken in Tegucigalpa and the rest of Honduras is influenced by local dialects due to large net migration. Arabic, Chinese, English Creole, Armenian are some of the languages also spoken by specific communities. Amerindian languages spoken in the city include Tol, Miskito, Pech and Garifuna.
Economy of Tegucigalpa
Tegucigalpa is heavy on the following industries – construction, services, commerce, tobacco, sugar, and textiles. They have an active labor force of about 400,000, almost a sixth of which works in the public sector or government. Around 60% of the national budget is allocated to the endeavors of the Central District, including both Tegucigalpa and Comayagüela. Activities abound in over 33,000 business establishments that encompass manufacturing, wholesale and retail, agricultural products like sugar and tobacco, hotels and restaurants, banks, and health-related industries.
The city hosts several national and international banking and finance institutions, including the World Bank, HSBC, Citibank, the Central American Bank for Economic Integration and Banco de Americá Central – BAC Honduras.
Assembly plants or maquiladoras are heavily invested in by foreign investors. It started humbly in 1976 but boomed in the 1990s as a main economic attraction of the city’s industrial park. As a traditional mining area, the boundaries of the city maintain the mining of silver, lead, and zinc. Other manufactured goods produced in assembly plants include clothing, lumber, appliances, machinery, metalwork, and ceramics. Meanwhile, contemporary downtown portions of the city have foreign investors in the retail and hospitality industries. Major brands such as WalMart, McDonald’s and other giant business chains have established branches in the main urban zones.
Tegucigalpa Attractions
Countless are Tegucigalpa’s attractions, covering a wide range of interests, which make it a hot spot for various types of tourists. Parks, zoos, museums, churches, and shopping centers abound in Tegucigalpa. Parks are most especially famous because of the rugged terrain, which makes all parks a perfect complement to the hilly areas. Parque La Leona overlooks Central Park. It could be reached by climbing up the steep and winding paths leading to the top. A great view of the city is spread down below when you reach the park. Another park, the Parque el Pichacho, named after the 35-meter statue of Jesus Christ that is visible from any point of the city, gives breathtaking city views. Along the way up to the park, you would be passing by the basilica, the National Identity Museum and the Bonillo Theater. The rapidito bus going to El Hatillo passes by the park if you do not want to walk. Parque Aurora is located on forested hills. Here you could go swimming in one of the pools, have a picnic, visit its small zoo or simply enjoy bird watching or a lazy boat ride.
The only zoo in the city is called the Zoologico Metropolitano Rosy Walter that is located at the United Nations Park or the Parque Naciones Unidas, which is on top of the hill of El Picacho. For a single entrance fee, a visitor could visit the zoo, a botanical garden, a Zen garden as well as the statue of Jesus Christ. The zoo may not be too grand but it houses indigenous animals and birds of Honduras. Likewise it gives a spectacular view of the city amid pleasant surroundings that are conducive to relaxation and picnics. Top attraction at the zoo is a Bengal tiger names Sultan.
At Plaza la Concordia close to La Villa Roy, which houses the Museo de Republicana, are numerous stelae, replicas of sculptures created during the Mayan civilization.
The most important gallery in Tegucigalpa is the Galeria Nacional de Arte or the National Art Gallery. It houses a massive collection of different art forms spanning 7,000 years, some of which date back to paleolithic times. The building itself is 350 years old and used to be a convent. The gallery contains a wonderful collection of works by Honduran artists through the years, showcasing cave paintings and sculptures from the paleolithic era; potteries and stone sculptures that are pre-Columbian; religious paintings from its colonial past; religious art depicted in silver, and contemporary Honduran art displayed in the gallery’s second level.
Aside from parks, museums are common places of interest in this very culturally sound city. In particular, the National Identity Museum or Museo para la Identidad Nacional contains the finest of Honduran art and history. It is found in Barrio Abajo Calle El Telegrafo. Antique paintings, which were restored, are housed by a cultural foundation in the Museo del Hombre or the Museum of Mankind. Military heroes are honored in the Historical Military Museum. Aside from this, there are also contemporary paintings and pre-Hispanic objects showcased in a single gallery of Sala Bancatian.
A fun and futuristic museum was opened in Tegucigalpa in 2003 to teach children about the world, the human body and art. Chiminike is a fully interactive museum for children where they could finger-paint a VW car, have fun in a room that is tilted at an angle of 22 degrees, to a 22-degree angle, crawl through body parts at El Cuerpo Humano, learn about science in the bubble and volcano rooms, experience everyday living at a construction site and a grocery store replicas.
Teatro Nacional Manuel Bonilla is a beautiful building that was inaugurated in 1916. Its façade is patterned after the Athenée of Paris. A panoramic painting done by Carlos Zuñiga Figueroa, a famous Honduran painter, graces its interior walls. The painting depicts the beautiful valley of Tegucigalpa as seen from the El Berrinche Mountain.
The Virgin of Suyapa, the patroness of Honduras is enshrined in a small church near the Basílica de Suyapa, where thousands make their annual pilgrimage every third day of February. She is said to be miraculous and is credited for the ending of the El Salvador-Honduras Football War. The Basilica is a huge white and gray Gothic-inspired church. Hondurans believe that the Virgin does not like the Basilica and will often leave it at night to go back to the smaller church except during her feast day. There are many beautiful and historic churches in Tegucigalpa, including the Catedral de San Miguel Arcángel, the patron saint of the city. It has an astonishingly intricate altarpiece in gold and silver that was sculpted by Vicente Gálvez, a famous artist from Venezuela. Los Dolores Church and the Iglesia de San Francisco, which was built as far back as the 16th century, are located within the city. Do note that taking pictures inside the churches in Tegucigalpa is not allowed.
The statue of famed Tegucigalpa native, Francisco Morázan, the president of the Central American Federation during the 1830s is located in Plaza Morázan or Parque Central. History enthusiasts will also have a field day in seeing Casa Presidencial, a museum dedicated to the country’s presidents. Antiguo Paraninfo University’s Art Museum; To actually see the mining town’s heritage since the Spanish discovery, the towns of Santa Lucia and Valle de los Ángeles paint a picture of what it was like in the old days of the city, complete with cobblestone paths and picturesque sceneries. They have been restored to their 16th century look.
Shopping malls are plentiful in the city. The Calle Peatonal contains most of the shopping hubs for the tourists who want some retail shopping therapy in this Central American city. In early 2012, Tegucigalpa became the home of the largest shopping mall in Central America with the opening of the City Mall. Multiplaza on the other hand is a shopping complex with several levels that houses several designer shops, grocery store, movie theaters, banks and several restaurants. Several other shopping venues of considerable size are located within the center of the city.
Tegucigalpa Culture
The richness of Tegucigalpa culture is as vast and diverse as its varying terrain. A quarter of a million tourists go every year especially during the summer. Every September, the celebration of the city’s anniversary is colorfully depicted. The people Tegucigalpa put a premium in their 400-year-old heritage as a city.
An abundance of schools and museums attest to the love of cultural affairs. Art shows, concerts, parades, and book fairs are considered common fair, even more highlighted on special occasions like the city’s anniversary or Feria de la Capital (Fair of the Capital) in September. The national budget puts a premium on education; in fact, the 2009 National Budget allotted almost half a million dollars for the education of the Central District alone.
The food is just as rich as the culture. There are already existing Japanese and Italian restaurants in the main commercial areas, as well as Asian, Middle Eastern, and Indian cuisine. The ability to host various types of cuisine gives a more homey feel for tourists from all over the globe. But while you’re in there, the best and highly recommended way is to eat the Honduran way so that you could make the most of the gastronomic delights the city has to offer. The things to try are beans, tortillas, and rice. Compared to other Latin American cities, the variety is wide but is not as the quality and depth of the cuisine is not like that served in other countries in Latin America. In Tegucigalpa, the cuisine is a fusion of Spanish, African and indigenous tastes. Definitely worth trying are the various pork and beef specialties, chicken, shrimp, soups and black beans peppered with cheese fondue and vegetables called Anafre. The national beers are also worth giving a try: Imperial, Barena, Port Royal, and Salva Vida.
Since it was founded by Spain, Roman Catholicism is the prevalent religion in the country, adversely affecting the ways and the culture of the Tegucigalpa people. They also have Christmas Fairs or a huge celebration of the Christmas season, as in other Catholic countries. However, the original predominance of Catholicism in Honduras has recently been diluted by Protestantism and other religious movements such as Quakers, Assembly of God, Judaism, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-Day Saints. These contemporary religious changes made the city more open to modern uptakes and ways of doing things.
While Tegucigalpa practices religious tolerance, it still adheres to its Catholic roots, which is prominently displayed during the city’s observance of Holy Week. One of the major highlights of the Lenten Season in the city is the creation of colorful Sawdust Carpets. These are done by several families and institutions, laid along the procession route. The artificial carpets are created to make Christ’s journey less painful.
Two of Honduras’s important newspapers are published in the city, the conservative El Heraldo and the leading and liberal newspaper called La Tribuna. The other daily newspapers, an online daily and the La Gaceta, the official newspaper of the country are likewise published in Tegucigalpa.
Twelve VHF TV channels and six UHF channels, as well as one cable TV provider serve the city. Television broadcast comes from five TV networks based in Tegucigalpa. Twenty-eight AM and twenty-four FM radio stations are transmitting from and into Tegucigalpa, with 17 radio stations based in the city.
Tegucigalpa has two soccer teams, Club Deportivo Motagua and Club Deportivo Olimpia. They play at the Tiburcio Carias Andino National Stadium. City residents also love to play basketball.
The city is also the national education center of Honduras and is the location of most of the country’s universities and other institutions for higher learning. It has 147 bilingual schools and 12 universities.
Interesting Facts about Tegucigalpa
The city of Tegucigalpa, with its tongue-twisting name, has several interesting facts that are worth knowing, which could make you appreciate and know the city better.
- Tegucigalpa’s main country, Honduras, was the first country that was called Banana Republic. American writer O. Henry called it such, because of the influence of the U.S. banana companies in Honduras at a certain period.
- Tegucigalpa has a twin sister city named Comayagüela and they jointly serve as a seat of government for Honduras. It was declared first in 1821 during the first Congress of the Republic of Honduras. Before Tegucigalpa was declared as the official capital city, it alternated the seat of power with its twin sister.
- The origins of the term Tegucigalpa is a highly debated one. The most popular version stated that it means hills of silver in English; cerros de plata in Spanish, as translated from the Nahuatl phrase Taguz-galpa. This could be because the city was previously a highly productive gold and silver mining town. Another source stated that it is from the term Togogalpa, which refers to a small green parrot called tototi. Mexicans believe that the term came from Tecuztlicallipan, also from the Nahuatl language, which means “place of the noble.” Still, another research denotes the literal meaning of the word Tegucigalpa in the Nahuatl language as “in the homes of the sharp stones.”
- Unlike in some countries where there is little supply of public transportation vehicles, Tegucigalpa has an oversupply which is a cause of concern and new government regulations that aim to mitigate the excessive supply that causes traffic in the main roads are being set in place.
- The city has a shortened nickname for easier pronunciation: Tegus.
- Tegucigalpa is considered as one of the capital cities of the world with a name that is hardest to pronounce.
- The city hosts 16 consulates and 25 foreign embassies.
- Toncontin, its international airport, is known worldwide for its runway that is extremely short, making the pilots execute unusual turns to be able to land or take off while avoiding the mountains surrounding the city.
- The city’s population owns some 400,000 vehicles, making for the very congested and heavily polluted metropolis.
- Within Honduras, Tegucigalpa is considered as the most important mining center from the time of Spanish colonial rule until its ascent as a sovereign nation.
- There are no railroads in Tegucigalpa, only bus rapid transits.
- The city is a twin to several cities around the world, including Belo Horizonte in Brazil; Gainesville and New Orleans in the United States; Palu, Banjar Baru and Manado in Indonesia, as well as the cities of Seoul, Taipei, Guadalajara, Lima, Madrid and Quite. Likewise, it is twin city to Amman, Bogotá, Caracas, Managua, Guatemala City and La Paz.
References:
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