Welcome to Tegucigalpa, the capital and largest city of Honduras, which together with its sister city Comayagüela forms the Central District. The two cities are separated by the Choluteca River. Tegucigalpa lies in a valley surrounded by mountains in the southern-central highlands. The Spanish claimed it in 1578, and it became the capital in 1880, when President Marco Aurelio Soto moved the seat of government here from Comayagua. Locals affectionately call it Tegus. It is home to the country's most important public university. Let us visit its cathedral, its beloved Virgin and the green hills around the city.
Tegucigalpa Cathedral
Photo: Luis Alfredo Romero · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsIn the heart of Tegucigalpa stands the Cathedral of Saint Michael the Archangel. It was the biggest Catholic church in Honduras in colonial times, and it is one of the best preserved historical buildings in the country. Its story began with a fire in 1746, which consumed the earlier church on this central square. A decade later, the Bishop of Honduras ordered a new temple to be built on the same site.
Our Lady of Suyapa
Photo: KES47 (According to En:WP en:User:Alarikoeloko17 ) · Public domain · Wikimedia CommonsIn the Basilica of Suyapa you will find one of the most beloved images in Honduras, a small 18th-century statue of the Virgin Mary carved from cedar wood. Pilgrims come especially on 3 February, the day she was found in 1747. Surprisingly, the statue has been stolen and recovered twice. In 1953 Pope Pius the Twelfth declared her Patroness of Honduras, and a replica of the image stands in the Vatican Gardens.
Parque La Leona
Climb up to Parque La Leona, an urban park on a plateau overlooking Tegucigalpa. Winding, often steep stairs and paths lead through it, and its large balcony offers a panoramic view of the city, one of the most photographed spots in the capital. The park lies in a Spanish-built neighbourhood of cobblestone streets.
La Tigra National Park
Photo: Jorge Luis Murillo Palma · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia CommonsAbout 25 kilometres north of the city lies La Tigra, the first national park in Honduras, established on 1 January 1980. Its cloud forest grows on mountains between 1,800 and 2,185 metres high. This forest is more than beautiful: it supplies a significant share of Tegucigalpa's water, and it has been protected since the early 1920s.
National Gallery of Art
Photo: Micah MacAllen from Iringa, Tanzania · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia CommonsStep into the Honduran National Gallery of Art in Tegucigalpa, which first opened its doors on 31 July 1996. It is run by the Foundation for Arts and Culture. Outside, look out for the sculpture garden, opened in 2017, displaying work by 25 Honduran sculptors.
Lomakuume
