Hispanic Cultures Directory
Honduras, Central America's largest republic after Nicaragua, is almost as large as England. Honduras won its independence from Spain in 1821 and became a member of the United Provinces of Central America in 1823 along with Nicaragua, Costa Rica, El Salvador and Guatemala. Most Central Americans had not fought for independence. As a result the union was split from the start. Fighting soon broke out. Honduran pro-union forces were defeated in 1833, a year before the Central American experiment dissolved into countries we know today. Defeated Honduran general Francisco Morazan died a few years later but is still a hero. The Federation's collapse returned Honduras to relative insignificance. Even in preConquest times the territory was never encompassed by Mayans except for Copan. Honduras' remote interior was home to several tribes, most notably the Lencas. At the Spanish Conquest Honduras' Indian population was 450,000, almost a quarter of them killed in armed colonization's early stages. 150,000 were enslaved and sold to distant parts of the empire from Guatemala to Peru. After independence Honduras remained on the sidelines of Central American political and economic development.
Mexican Aztec scouts first contacted South Americans on Nicaragua's Rivas Peninsula, the thin piece of land between Lake Nicaragua and the Pacific Ocean serving as the center for cultural interchange for 2 centuries. Cautious of their rivals, Aztec military took control of the area, preventing competition for Columbia's emeralds. As the Aztecs consolidated their grip on Rivas, arriving Spanish conquistadors fought each other over this prime trading site. Nicaragua's land and network of lakes between 2 oceans was appreciated by Spanish, Dutch, French and English. For 2 centuries English traders allied England with locals.
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