Honduras - 2026

Photos: https://linkit.shutterfly.com/XpKzhq 

            Honduras, similar in size to our Virginia, is the second most populous country in Central America at 11M, same as North Carolina. Their ethnic makeup is 85%+ blend of Spanish and Indigenous. Their landmass is predominantly mountainous and rugged. Their poverty rate is exceptionally high at 60%, approaching 75% in rural areas. Their currency is weak, requiring 26 Honduran Lempira to equal $1 USD. Thus, it comes as no surprise that so many Hondurans want to migrate to the US for a better life.

            Honduras’ national bird is the colorful, and loud, Scarlet Macaw. They are monogamous birds, mating for life. Their population is dwindling due to poachers. The best place to find them is at Macaw Mountain rescue and rehab center and flying wild at the Copan Ruins park, just over the border from Guatemala, both stops on our tour.

            The Mayans are well known for their intelligence compared to other civilizations. They settled primarily in southeast Mexico, Guatemala and Belize. The Mayans had some of the World’s biggest and most well-run cities on the planet by 500 BC. They were the early pioneers of farming, math, clock, calendar, astronomy and civil engineering. Excavations reveal large temples, monumental architecture and elaborate use of water aquifers to support their citizens.

            At its peak, Copan had a population of ~28,000. It collapsed by 850 AD and was abandoned in the 13^th century, becoming overgrown by the jungle. It’s thought that their royalty moved to some of the larger Maya cities. Reasons for the collapse are many, including deforestation, food scarcity due to large population, extended droughts causing drought failure and political instability. Now, these ruins are mone of the major tourist attractions in Honduras.

            In Guatemala, we viewed the smaller ruins of Iximche which was uncovered in the 1950’s. It had 400 residents descended from four families. It was built later than Copan, around 1470 AD. Their downfall was the Spanish Inquisition, which came looking for gold to take back to Spain. This region had little gold but large amounts of Jade, which the Spanish did not value at that time. While friends at first, the Spanish eventually subjugated the Mayan to slaves with their use of superior weapons. The Mayans were forced to work their plantations and do their mining. The Iximche eventually rebelled by disappearing in the night and leaving behind their city. The Spanish remained a short period, abandoning the city by 1524 or 1525, due to ongoing attacks by the Iximche. On their way out, a group of Spanish deserters burn down the city. I find it amazing that so many details have been learned from these ancient peoples.

            The surviving Mayan descendants now number over 6 million; they speak more than twenty-eight surviving Mayan languages and reside in nearly the same area as their ancestors. This would include the Mayans that survived the Spanish genocide during their civil war in Guatemala in 1960 – 1996. Unfortunately, humans continue along a similar path today; evidenced by the destruction of the cities across the Gaza strip by Israel.