Honduras: Honduras and Honduras Research Paper

Submitted By carlosg08
Words: 1756
Pages: 8

Honduras Research Paper
When it comes to choosing a destination for your next vacation, the obvious choices may include popular destinations such as Cancun in Mexico, London in the United Kingdom, or even Paris in France. But why bother going where everyone else goes? Yes they may be popular and fun, but why not explore the wider horizons of the world and go somewhere different for a change? The one place which comes to mind would have to be the country of Honduras. Honduras may not be the most popular travel destination in the world, but once you visit this interesting little country located in Central America, you’ll surely want to go back a couple more times. There are many reasons to go visit and enjoy Honduras, but I will be focusing on a few reasons why I believe Honduras is a peculiar, but still tempting, travel destination to take a second look at. First off, Honduras is a country with a vast and fascinating history. Along with its history, which helped shape the people who live there today, the people in this country also make Honduras a place worth visiting more than once. It’s those people and their culture and traditions that make them stand out from all the others. Yes, they may celebrate some of the same holidays we do, but they have their own Honduran way of celebrating. So whether it is its history, its people, or its culture and traditions, Honduras is a country definitely worth visiting more than once. One of the first things you’ve got to know about Honduras, and why it’s a peculiar country to visit, is about its vast and fascinating history. Now, when you ask people about Honduras, most people will most likely say, “Isn’t it that one country located somewhere south of Mexico?” While that may be true, it is all most people know about Honduras when there is actually much more to know about this country and its people. The history of Honduras, like the history of other Central American countries, is distinguished by its different periods: Pre-Colonial, Conquest, Colonial, and Independence. During the pre-colonial period, much of this time in Honduras was occupied by a very prominent and important group of people known as the Mayans. Before their eventual collapse and decline, the Mayans accomplished quite a bit while in Honduras, one of the most prominent of these accomplishments being the development of the city of Copan. Copan may be one of the best historic sites to see on your visit to Honduras, because it is a prehistoric city set up by the Mayans as a sacred and ceremonial location. Within this city, you can find inscriptions and tall slabs carved by hand by the Mayan people. I know the Mayans left many historical landmarks and artifacts all over Central America, but those left in Honduras are sure worth visiting in the city of Copan. So during the pre-colonial period, also called the pre-Columbian period, the Mayans occupied this land up until their collapse. Even though the Mayan’s population in Honduras declined drastically during the 9th century, they still left quite an impact on the country and people of Honduras. The Mayans weren’t the only people who left their footprint on Honduras and its people. One person who literally left their footprints in Honduras soil was Christopher Columbus. In 1502, Columbus set foot in Honduras for the first time during his voyages he made to the Americas. He landed in the city of Trujillo and soon thereafter named his newly found country Honduras, after the deep waters off its coast. While Columbus may not have accomplished much while in Honduras, because he had gone on to explore the other vast lands in Latin America, he led the way for future explorers from Spain to set forth on this same land. This then led to conquests by men such as Cristobal de Olid, who set up the colony Triunfo de la Cruz, which eventually led to Honduras being colonized by the men of Hernan Cortes, the conqueror of Mexico. During the colonial period in Honduras, there were many