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57-478: It is located in the central part of the nation. The departmental capital is Tegucigalpa , which is also Honduras's national capital. The department is very mountainous, with rugged ranges covered in pine forests; which are rocky and mostly clay. Valleys, like those of Guaimaca, Talanga, and Amarateca, are interspersed among the ranges. Many of the high mountain peaks house cloud forests , like La Tigra National park or Cerro Uyuca. The extreme southeastern portion of

114-506: A hotel district, business establishments and corporate buildings, including Los Próceres Comercial Park ( Parque Comercial ). Boulevard Suyapa and Boulevard Juan Pablo II are located south of the aforementioned boulevards, and they also form a busy commercial and financial district stretching through several neighborhoods such as Colonia Los Profesionales where the Presidential House is located; Colonia Florencia Norte where Multiplaza Mall

171-748: A mega-church in Tegucigalpa with more than 10,000 members. The Church of God of Cleveland, Tennessee , was established in Tegucigalpa in 1951, the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel followed in 1952, and by the late 1950s, the Evangelical Alliance of Honduras was established. The Prince of Peace Pentecostal Church , founded in Guatemala City, began its ministry in Honduras during

228-503: A rapid growth in the last 30 years, and only recently has the government passed some of the laws establishing city planning and zoning rules. Surface roads can be narrow with the most important avenues carrying no more than two or three lanes running in each direction, adding to the problem of heavy traffic congestion. Several of the main boulevards have been equipped with interchanges , overpasses and underpasses, allowing for sections of controlled-access highways, but considering that even

285-412: A river, Tegucigalpa is prone to flooding during the rainy season, as experienced to the fullest during Hurricane Mitch and to a lesser degree every year during the rainy season. Despite being several thousand feet above sea level, the city lacks an efficient flood control system, including canals and sewerage powerful enough to channel rainwater back into the river to flow down to the ocean. The river itself

342-406: A rugged mountain of moderate height, rises above the downtown area; several neighborhoods, both upscale residential and lower income, are located on its slopes. The city consists of gentle hills, and the ring of mountains surrounding the city tends to trap pollution . During the dry season, a dense cloud of smog lingers in the basin until the first rains fall. Tucked into a valley and bisected by

399-585: A small green parrot, in Nahuatl) and Toncontín , a small town near Tegucigalpa (toncotín was a Mexican dance of Nahuatl origin). In Mexico , it is believed the word Tegucigalpa is from the Nahuatl word Tecuztlicallipan , meaning "place of residence of the noble" or Tecuhtzincalpan , meaning "place on the home of the beloved master". Honduran philologist Alberto de Jesús Membreño wrote in his book Indigenous Toponymies of Central America that he thinks Tegucigalpa

456-525: A small white minority. They are joined by Chinese and Arab immigrants, the latter mostly from Palestine . There are indigenous Amerindians and Afro-Honduran people as well. In 2004, there were 67 public health care establishments in the Central District—five national hospitals , 22 health centers in the metropolitan area, 37 health centers throughout the rural areas, and three peripheral clinics . There are several private hospitals in

513-469: Is a Nahuatl word meaning "in the homes of the sharp stones" and rules out the traditional meaning "hills of silver" arguing that Taguzgalpa was the name of the ancient eastern zone of Honduras. Tegucigalpa was founded by Spanish settlers as Real de Minas de San Miguel de Tegucigalpa on September 29, 1578, on the site of an existing native settlement of the Lenca and Tolupans . The first mayor of Tegucigalpa

570-420: Is a threat since it isn't deep enough below the streets, nor are there levees high enough to prevent it from breaking out. There are more than 100 neighborhoods deemed zones of high risk , several of them ruled out as uninhabitable in their entirety. There is a reservoir, known as Embalse Los Laureles , west of the city providing 30 percent of the city's water supply as well as a water treatment plant south of

627-540: Is also located in the capital. In 2008, the city operated on an approved budget of 1.555 billion lempiras (US$ 82,189,029). In 2009, the city government reported a revenue of 1.955 billion lempiras (US$ 103,512,220), more than any other capital city in Central America except Panama City. Tegucigalpa's infrastructure has not kept up with its population growth. Deficient urban planning, densely condensed urbanization, and poverty are ongoing problems. Road infrastructure

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684-485: Is covered by public health care. The Central District reports the third highest or 20.2 percent of the country's HIV/AIDS incidence with 5,674 living with the virus . During 2004, there were 258 new diagnoses of HIV infection in the Central District. In 2000, the maternal mortality rate in the city was 110 of every 100,000 births of which 62.3 percent were women ages 20 to 35. In 2001, the infant mortality rate

741-574: Is formed by more than 40 neighborhoods, many of them wealthy middle class residential areas such as Colonia Palmira to the east of the historic center, on Boulevard Morazán, which hosts several foreign embassies as well as upscale restaurants. Other upscale neighborhoods are Lomas del Guijarro, Loma Linda, and Lomas del Mayab, which house most of the apartment complexes in the city. Boulevard Morazán and Avenida Los Próceres/Avenida La Paz are busy commercial corridors (running parallel to each other) and run through several neighborhoods home to foreign embassies,

798-497: Is located; Colonia Miramontes, among others—housing several financial institutions, government offices, hotels, etc. Comayaguela is found on the west bank of the Choluteca River, and most of its urbanization is made up of lower-income neighborhoods. Historically, Comayagua has remained less developed than the other side of the capital, some citing insufficient contribution from public officials. In recent years, this western side of

855-427: Is the average monthly precipitation during the wet season. The wettest months of the rainy season are May—June and September—October, averaging 16.2 rainy days during each of those periods. Tegucigalpa, as with the rest of Honduras, experienced significant damage by Hurricane Mitch in late-October and early-November 1998, something of a magnitude Hondurans had not witnessed since Hurricane Fifi . Mitch destroyed part of

912-532: Is unable to efficiently handle over 400,000 vehicles, resulting in heavy congestions. Both national and local governments have taken steps to improve and expand infrastructure as well as to reduce poverty in the city. Most sources indicate the origin and meaning of the word Tegucigalpa is derived from the Nahuatl language . The most widely accepted version suggests that it comes from the Nahuatl word Taguz-galpa , which means "hills of silver", but this interpretation

969-416: Is uncertain since the natives who occupied the region at the time were unaware of the existence of mineral deposits in the area. Another source suggests that Tegucigalpa derives from another language in which it means painted rocks , as explained by Leticia Oyuela in her book Minimum History of Tegucigalpa . Other theories indicate it may derive from the term Togogalpa , which refers to tototi (meaning

1026-501: The barrios are old inner-city neighborhoods. While the city administration divides the capital into barrios and colonias, the fact that there are hundreds of them makes it difficult to define the city's different regions, especially for those not familiar with the Central District. To have a better understanding of the city's regions, the metro area of the Central District can essentially be divided, first, into two sections: Tegucigalpa and Comayagua. These two entities remain separated by

1083-524: The department of Francisco Morazán of which it is also the departmental capital. It is situated in a valley, surrounded by mountains. Tegucigalpa and Comayagua, being sister cities, are physically separated by the Choluteca River . The Central District is the largest of the 28 municipalities in the Francisco Morazán department. Tegucigalpa is Honduras' largest and most populous city as well as

1140-474: The national soccer team . The city is served by two international airports, Comayagua and Toncontín . The Central District Mayor's Office ( Alcaldia Municipal del Distrito Central ) is the city's governing body, headed by a mayor and 10 aldermen forming the Municipal Corporation ( Corporación Municipal ). Being the department's seat as well, the governor's office of Francisco Morazán

1197-578: The rainy season , and the dry season . Like much of central Honduras, the city has a tropical climate, though tempered by the altitude—meaning less humid than the lower valleys and the coastal regions—with median temperatures averaging between 19 °C (66 °F) and 23 °C (73 °F) degrees. The months of December and January are coolest, with an average min/ low temperature of 14 °C (57 °F); whereas March and April—popularly associated with Holy Week 's holidays—are hottest and temperatures can reach up to 40 °C (104 °F) degrees on

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1254-580: The 1960s. During the 1970s, the Catholic Charismatic Renewal Movement began to grow among the upper classes in Tegucigalpa. ENEE The Empresa Nacional de Energía Eléctrica (also commonly known as ENEE ) is Honduras 's government owned and operated electrical power company, operating within the Electricity sector in Honduras . The organization was created on February 20, 1957, as an autonomous organization responsible for

1311-521: The Central District ( Spanish : Tegucigalpa, Municipio del Distrito Central or Tegucigalpa, M.D.C. ), and colloquially referred to as Tegus or Teguz —is the capital and largest city of Honduras along with its sister city, Comayagüela . Claimed on 29 September 1578 by the Spaniards , Tegucigalpa became the Honduran capital on 30 October 1880, under President Marco Aurelio Soto , when he moved

1368-491: The Central District. The Comayagua side of the capital can be divided into four sections: 1 ) Zona Centro (Downtown Comayagua); 2 ) North Comayagua; 3 ) South Comayagua; and 4 ) West Comayagua: The 2013 Honduran census recorded a population of 1,157,509 in the Central District, continuing a trend of population growth in the city since the 2001 census, which recorded 850,445 residents. In 2004, there were 185,577 households with an average of 4.9 members per household. Both

1425-526: The Choluteca River Basin that runs between them. The Tegucigalpa side of the District can be divided into five sections: 1 ) Centro Histórico (Historic Downtown); 2 ) Centro Contemporáneo or Zona Viva (Contemporary Downtown or Vibrant Zone); 3 ) North Tegucigalpa; 4 ) South Tegucigalpa; and 5 ) East Tegucigalpa. This section of the city is perhaps the best developed and properly urbanized. It

1482-451: The Comayagua section of the city, as well as other places along the banks of the Choluteca River. The storm remained over Honduran territory for five days, dumping heavy rainfall late in the rainy season. The ground was already saturated and could not absorb the heavy precipitation, while deforestation and debris left by the hurricane led to catastrophic flooding throughout widespread regions of

1539-501: The Spanish in the 16th century and the towns of San Miguel de Tegucigalpa , Santa Lucia, and Ojojona were founded as mining hubs. Over time, the territory of what is now Francisco Morazán was part of the Province of Tegucigalpa. The name of the department honors Francisco Morazán, one of the most important heroes in the history of Central America, who was a political and military leader during

1596-605: The UNAH; and the construction of the Honduras Maya Hotel . It still remained relatively small and provincial until the 1970s, when migration from the rural areas began in earnest. During the 1980s, several avenues, traffic overpasses, and large buildings were erected, a relative novelty to a city characterized until then by two-story buildings. However, lacking the enforcement of city planning and zoning laws, it led to highly disorganized urbanization. This lack of proper urbanization as

1653-488: The banks of the Choluteca River, would form the capital, but with separate names and separate local governments. During this period, both cities had a population of about 40,000 people. Between the 1930s and 1960s, Tegucigalpa continued to grow reaching a population of over 250,000 people, giving way to what would become one of the biggest neighborhoods in the city, the Colonia Kennedy ; the nation's autonomous university,

1710-650: The beginning of the 20th century including the Quakers , who in 1914 began work in the nation's capital. In 1946, missionaries of the Southern Baptist Convention first arrived in Tegucigalpa and in the 1950s, the National Convention of Baptist Churches and the Eastern Mennonite Board of Missions followed. The Assembly of God missionaries entered Honduras in the late 1940s and today maintain

1767-469: The capital has seen some growth and improvement such as the opening of Metromall near the airport. With the construction of Mall Premier and City Mall, the latter to become the largest mall in the country, Comayagua will be receiving another upgrade. There are an estimated 650,000 residents in Comayagüela contributing 58.3 percent of the 120 million lempiras (US$ 6.349 million) generated every day by commerce in

Francisco Morazán Department - Misplaced Pages Continue

1824-556: The city about 7.3 kilometres (4.5 mi) from the airport; part of the Concepción Reservoir just 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) southwest of the water plant. The Central District shares borders with 13 other municipalities of Francisco Morazán: (to the north) Cedros and Talanga ; (south) Ojojona , Santa Ana , San Buenaventura and Maraita ; (east) San Juan de Flores , Villa de San Francisco , Santa Lucía , Valle de Ángeles , San Antonio de Oriente , and Tatumbla ; (and to

1881-487: The city as well as hospitals run by the Honduran Social Security Institute (IHSS), the country's government-sponsored social insurance program. In 2003, only 58.5 percent of the employed population contributed to IHSS while the rest who remain uninsured were attributed to being employed in the informal sector or being domestic workers . Overall, only 26.5 percent of the Central District's population

1938-661: The city's beltway does not entirely circle the city, the roads are generally limited-access . Intense webs of electrical and telephone lines above the streets are a common sight in the capital, and in virtually all Honduran cities, since the implementation of underground utility lines has only been adopted in recent years. The metropolitan area of Tegucigalpa and Comayagua is officially divided into barrios and colonias and there are 892 of them. Colonias represent relatively recent 20th-century middle class residential suburbs , some known as residenciales for their upper income development, and these are continuously spreading while

1995-402: The city's population and metro area are expected to double by 2029. The Human Development Index (HDI) is the highest in the country measured at 0.759 in 2006. During the same year, 47.6 percent of the Central District's population lived in poverty—29.7 lived in moderate poverty and 17.9 in extreme poverty . Life expectancy in the District as of 2004 is 72.1 years. By 2010, 4.9 percent of

2052-463: The construction of the first bridge, a ten-arch masonry, connecting both sides of the Choluteca River. Upon completion four years later, it linked Tegucigalpa with her neighbor city of Comayagua. In 1821, Tegucigalpa legally became a city. In 1824, the first Congress of the Republic of Honduras declared Tegucigalpa and Comayagua, then the two most important cities in the country, to alternate as capital of

2109-449: The country, especially in Tegucigalpa. The heavy rain caused flash floods of Choluteca's tributaries, and the swollen river overflowed its banks, tearing down entire neighborhoods and bridges across the ravaged city. The rainfall also triggered massive landslides around El Berrinche Hill, close to the downtown area. These landslides destroyed most of the Soto neighborhood, and debris flowed into

2166-415: The country. After October 1838, following Honduras' independence as a single republic, the capital continued to switch back and forth between Tegucigalpa and Comayagua until October 30, 1880, when Tegucigalpa was declared the permanent capital of Honduras by then-president Marco Aurelio Soto . A popular myth claims that the society of Comayagua, the long-time colonial capital of Honduras, publicly disliked

2223-547: The department has a Pacific dry forest environment, while the northern portion contains the Montaña de la Flor , home to the Jicaque people . Francisco Morazán department covers a total surface area of 7,946 km (3,068 sq mi) and, in 2005, had an estimated population of 1,680,700 people. The coat-of-arms and departmental flag of Francisco Morazán Department are the same as its capital, Tegucigalpa. In pre-Columbian times

2280-456: The department was inhabited mainly by Lenca Indians in the center and south and Tolupan in the north. Archaeological sites demonstrate that they were inhabited by an organized society since approximately the pre-Classic Mesoamerican period. Las Terrazas Ruins as well as the Ayasta caves are examples of organized human presence before European colonization. The territory began to be colonized by

2337-429: The destruction of thousands of homes. A portion of Comayagua was destroyed along with several neighborhoods on both sides of the Honduran capital. After the hurricane, infrastructure in Tegucigalpa was severely damaged. Even 12 years later, remnants of Hurricane Mitch were still visible, especially along the banks of the Choluteca River. Today, Tegucigalpa continues to sprawl far beyond its former colonial core: towards

Francisco Morazán Department - Misplaced Pages Continue

2394-497: The east, south and west, creating a large but disorganized metropolis. In an effort to modernize the capital, increase its infrastructure and improve the quality of life of its inhabitants, the administration has passed several ordinances and projects to turn the city around within the upcoming years. Tegucigalpa is located on a chain of mountains with elevations of 975 metres (3,199 ft) at its lowest points and 1,463 metres (4,800 ft) at its highest suburban areas. Like most of

2451-410: The entire Municipality of the Central District covers a total area of 1,396 square kilometers (539.1 sq mi). Geological faults that are a threat to the neighborhoods on and below the hill have been identified in the District's high regions surrounding the capital. The Choluteca River, which crosses the city from south to north, physically separates Tegucigalpa and Comayagua. El Picacho Hill,

2508-426: The hottest day. The dry season lasts from November through April and the rainy season from May through October. There is an average of 107 rainy days in the year, June and September usually the wettest months. The average sunshine hours per month during the year is 211.2 and the average rainy days per month is 8.9. The average sunshine hours during the dry season is 228 per month while 182.5 millimetres (7.19 in)

2565-461: The interior highlands of Honduras, the majority of Tegucigalpa's current area was occupied by open woodland . The area surrounding the city continues to be open woodland supporting pine forest interspersed with some oak , scrub , and grassy clearings as well as needle leaf evergreen and broadleaf deciduous forest . The metropolitan area of both Tegucigalpa and Comayagua covers a total area of 201 square kilometers (77.6 sq mi) while

2622-473: The nation's political and administrative center. Tegucigalpa is host to 25 foreign embassies and 16 consulates. It is the home base of several state-owned entities such as ENEE and Hondutel , the national energy and telecommunications companies, respectively. The city is also home to the country's most important public university, the National Autonomous University of Honduras , as well as

2679-417: The population has grown is evident on the surrounding slopes of the several hills in the city where some of the city's most impoverished neighborhoods have prevailed. On 30 October 1998, Hurricane Mitch devastated the capital, along with the rest of Honduras. For five days, Mitch pounded the country creating devastating landslides and floods, causing the death of thousands as well as heavy deforestation and

2736-425: The population remained illiterate, compared to the national rate of 15.2 percent. In 2010, the average monthly income was L.8,321 (US$ 440.49), compared to the total national average of L.4,767 (US$ 252.35) and the national urban zone average of L.7,101 (US$ 375.91). The ethnic and racial makeup of Tegucigalpa is strongly tied to the rest of Honduras. 80 percent of the city-dwellers are predominantly mestizos with

2793-580: The population, contemporary estimates as recent as 2007 put them at 47 percent while Protestants make up as much as 36 percent. Their history in Tegucigalpa began around 1548 with the Spanish setting up Mercedarian missionaries as part of their conversion efforts of the native communities. By 1916, the Diocese of Comayagua was relocated and renamed the Diocese of Tegucigalpa, and it was elevated to Archdiocese under Archbishop Santiago María Martínez y Cabanas (1842–1921). Other religious groups made their way at

2850-482: The production, transmission, distribution and commercialization of electrical energy in Honduras . The first large-scale project was the first hydroelectric power station, Cañaveral, which included the construction of transmission lines and substations in order to distribute its generated power to the final consumers. The so-called National Interconnected System continued to expand and now covers most main regions throughout

2907-466: The river, forming a dam. The dam clogged the waters of the river and many of the low-lying areas of Comayagua were submerged; historic buildings located along Calle Real were either completely destroyed or so badly damaged that repair was futile. Situated in a valley and surrounded by mountain ranges, Tegucigalpa is hilly with several elevations and few flat areas. The city is also highly disorganized, particularly around its oldest districts. It has seen

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2964-424: The seat of government from Comayagua , which had been the Honduran capital since its independence in 1841. The 1936 constitution established Tegucigalpa and Comayagua as a Central District, and the current 1982 Honduran Constitution continues to define the sister cities as a Central District that serves as the permanent national capital . Tegucigalpa is located in the southern-central highland region known as

3021-563: The time of the Central American Federation in the 19th century Until April 16th of 1943 it was known as Tegucigalpa department. It was renamed after national hero Francisco Morazán . This Honduras location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Tegucigalpa Tegucigalpa ( UK : / t ɛ ˌ ɡ uː s ɪ ˈ ɡ æ l p ə / US : / t ə ˌ -/ Spanish: [teɣusiˈɣalpa] )—formally Tegucigalpa, Municipality of

3078-549: The west) Lepaterique . It is also bordered on the west by two municipalities of the Comayagua Department , Villa de San Antonio and Lamaní , with the latter exactly at the quadripoint where the Central District, Lepaterique, Villa de San Antonio and Lamaní all meet. Tegucigalpa has a tropical savanna climate ( Aw , according to the Köppen climate classification ), milder due to the elevation and with two distinct seasons:

3135-579: The wife of President Soto, who took revenge by moving the capital to Tegucigalpa. A more likely theory is that the change took place because President Soto was an important partner of the Rosario Mining Company , an American silver mining company, whose operations were based in San Juancito , close to Tegucigalpa, and he needed to be close to his personal interests. By 1898, it was decided that both Tegucigalpa and Comayagua, being neighbor cities on

3192-878: Was Juan de la Cueva , who took office in 1579. The Dolores Church (1735), the San Miguel Cathedral (1765), the Casa de la Moneda (1780), and the Immaculate Conception Church (1788) were some of the first important buildings constructed. Almost 200 years later, on June 10, 1762, this mining town became Real Villa de San Miguel de Tegucigalpa y Heredia under the rule of Alonso Fernández de Heredia , then-acting governor of Honduras. The late 18th and early 19th centuries saw disruption in Tegucigalpa's local government, from being extinguished in 1788 to becoming part of Comayagua in 1791 to returning to self-city governance in 1817. In 1817, then-Mayor Narciso Mallol started

3249-435: Was 29 per 1000 live births (Both maternal and infant mortality rates are based on local and out-of-district residents who arrive to receive medical attention). In 2005, it was estimated that 101 of every 10,000 residents suffered from a physical or mental disability . As with the rest of Honduras, Roman Catholicism is the dominating religion in the Central District and while at some point they made up as much as 90 percent of

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