Tegucigalpa is the capital of which country on the map. Tegucigalpa is the dangerous capital of Honduras. General information about the city

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To the north of Morazan Square are the old suburbs, which were once the area where wealthy emigrants lived. The hillsides of Cerro el Picacho are dotted with old buildings, reminiscent of the capital's colonial past. In the Parque de las Naciones Unidas stands the capital's youngest monument, the massive Cristo del Picacho Monument (1997), from the foot of which a breathtaking panorama of the city and surrounding area opens up. To the east of the center begins a respectable area called Colonia Palmyra, where most of the foreign embassies, luxury hotels and rich residences of the capital are concentrated. In the east of the capital is Morazan Boulevard, the entertainment center of Tegucigalpa. It is often also called La Zona Viva. The boulevard borders the country's main stadium - Estado Nacional.

The La Paz Monument, visible to the south of the stadium, was built to commemorate the end of the 1969 "football war" in which approximately two thousand people died. Worth visiting Museum military history in Valle Park - a private collection of objects from pre-Columbian cultures of the Americas - Sala Bancatlán (open from 9.00 to 15.00) on Miraflores Boulevard, the Natural History Museum in the complex of the National Autonomous University of Honduras (UNAH) with an extensive exhibition of the various ecosystems of the country.

The main market of the capital - San Isidro, stretches between the 6th Avenida and Calle Uno from river bridge Puente Carias.

Administration

The city administration consists of a mayor and five councilors from different political parties. A representative of the National Party of Honduras, Ricardo Alvarez, was elected mayor of the city.

Transport

Airport

Toncontin Airport

Toncontin International Airport serves as the main airport for arrivals and departures from Tegucigalpa. The origin of this name is unknown. This airport is often criticized for being one of the top ten dangerous airports peace. Because of its location next to a mountain range, its runway is too short, and its difficult approach requires large commercial aircraft to make a tight hairpin turn to the left. Due to the terrain, the turn maneuver is performed at a low altitude. Efforts have been made for many years to replace Toncontin with Palmerola Airport in Comayagua, which is currently a US-Honduran Air Force base.

On May 30, 2008, a plane crash occurred at the airport in which a TACA plane skidded off the runway and crashed into an embankment, destroying several vehicles. The crash killed 5 people and injured 65 people. Honduran President Manuel Zelaya has announced that within a few years all commercial flights will operate through Palmerola Airport.

Notable residents

Manuel de Adalid y Gamero - composer, conductor and teacher

Twin Cities

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Lima, Peru
Taipei, Taiwan
Bogota, Colombia
Belo Horizonte (port. Belo Horizonte), Brazil
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Guatemala, Guatemala
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The capital of Honduras, Tegucigalpa, is one of the largest cities Central America, which increasingly attracts tourists from all over the world. The city is located in the valley of the Choluteca River and on the slopes of Mount El Picacho. Even the name Tegucigalpa means “silver hills” in the Nahuatl language.

Tegucigalpa is famous not only for its rich recreational resources, but also for its mild climate and fresh air. The city is blown by refreshing mountain winds and brings long-awaited coolness to residents and guests of the capital. Here you can walk for a long time along the narrow streets, which sometimes seem simply endless, and observe a rather interesting picture: sights from the world of ancient Mayan civilizations are in harmony with modern glass multi-story buildings.

The visiting card of the capital of Honduras is the Iglesia de San Francisco church. Built in the mid-18th century, it has still retained its majestic appearance and interior in a traditional Spanish style.

Church of the Iglesia de San Francisco.

No less famous is the Cathedral of San Miguel, which, thanks to its gilded altar and carved stone cross, is an object of pilgrimage for tourists.

Cathedral of San Miguel.

Antigua Paraninfo-Universitaria used to be one of the most prestigious educational institutions in Latin America. But later it was decided to place an art museum in this building.

Monument to Francisco Morazan.

The central place in the capital of Honduras is occupied by Morazan Square, where there is an equestrian monument to the national hero - General Francisco Morazan.

Tegucigalpa has many interesting museums, among which we can note National Museum, Mint, Museum of the National Institute of Anthropology and History of Honduras.

The most common version of the name Tegucigalpa comes from the words Tegus-galpa of the Nahuatl Indian language, which means “silver hills”.

Guatemalan researcher Favio Rodoso put forward the theory that Tegucigalpa means bird in the Nahuatl language about the origin of the name Tegucigalpa. There were other hypotheses put forward by two Mexican experts, Ignacio Davila Garibi and Alfredo Barrera Vazquez, that the word Tegucigalpa comes from the Nualta Tecuztlicallipan, or “Residence of the Rich” or Tegutzincalpan or “Place of the House of Señor Amando.”

Words with the suffix -alpa exist in the Sumo language of the Misumalpa language family, which was widespread in Honduras before the arrival of the Aztecs.

None of the versions, except the official one, have yet received wide distribution.

Tegucigalpa was founded on September 29, 1578 on the site of an existing Indian settlement. The original name of the city was San Miguel de Tegucigalpa de Heredia. At that time it was a center of silver and gold mines. The first capital of Honduras was the port city of Trujillo. The capital was later moved to the city of Gracias in the western department of Lempira. Subsequently, the capital was again moved several times, either to Tegucigalpa or Camayagua. Tegucigalpa finally became the capital in 1880. One of the reasons for the final transfer of the capital to Tegucigalpa was the desire of then President Marco Aurelio Soto to be closer to his mining business, which was located 40 km from Tegucigalpa.

The city remained small and provincial until the 1960s. In the 1930s, the city of Comayagüela, on the other side of the Choluteca River, was incorporated into Tegucigalpa. Now the city is experiencing a boom, going beyond colonial city and continuing to grow at a rapid pace, but rather chaotically. Today, the city is also growing thanks to economic migrants who come to the capital from the provinces in search of work and a better future.

Geography

The capital of Honduras is conventionally divided by the Choluteca River into two halves - mountainous and flat. The plain refers to the part of the city located on the slopes of Mount El Picacho, and several areas on the Comayagua plateau.

The main feature of Tegucigalpa is its mild climate and fresh air. The city is constantly blown by mountain winds, and in addition, on the slopes of nearby mountains there are preserved pine forests, bringing coolness to residents.

Hurricane Mitch

October 22, 1998 waters of the southwestern part Caribbean Sea gave rise to a tropical depression, which a day later developed into a tropical hurricane, called Mitch. Gaining power, Mitch rushed north and by October 26 its strength exceeded 12 points, generating continuous winds of up to 290 kilometers per hour and gusts of up to 320. On October 30, 1998, as a result of this hurricane, the city of Tegucigalpa was badly damaged. Parts of the Comayagua area, as well as some other places along the Choluteca River, were destroyed. Rains and downpours accompanied the hurricane for 5 days, saturating the soil with water and leading to landslides throughout the country, but most of all in the capital along the Choluteca River.
Attractions

The main attraction of the city is the Iglesia de San Francisco church. Most of the modern church was erected in 1740, although the building itself began construction in 1592. It has a majestic appearance and interior in a traditional Spanish style.

Before park area Parque Central is home to the Cathedral of San Miguel, which took almost 20 years to build, from 1765 to 1782. It has a gilded altar and a carved stone cross, which are objects of pilgrimage for tourists.

The premises of the old University of Antigua Paraninfo-Universitaria are currently used as an art museum.

South of Park Central, rises the complex of the National art gallery, or Paraninfo with a collection of Central American art.

The National University was originally built as convent. Next to the National University is the National Congress complex, the main government building of the country. A block to the west is the Presidential Palace, which houses Historical Museum republics.

Particularly noteworthy is Caye Peatonal or Pedestrian Street, filled with shops, cafes and street stalls. To the west lies the cozy and shady Parque Herrera, on the south side of which is the Manuel Bonilla National Theater complex, built in 1915 and an almost exact copy of the Parisian Athény-Comique building.

Parque La Concordia displays replicas of Mayan sculptures from the Copan culture, stored in museums across the country. In the northwest you can find the small domed church of Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de Los Dolores, built in 1732. Its facade is decorated with biblical scenes, and inside there is a unique altar, which, according to some residents, has miraculous properties. Two blocks west of Los Dolores is the Villa Roy mansion, home of President Julio Lozano Díaz, which now houses the National Museum of Anthropology and History with an extensive exhibition on the country's history and a small library.

Morazan Square is also considered one of the central parts of the city and is used as popular place meetings and venue for social events. The statue in the center of the square honors the national hero Francisco Morazan. The National Library is located in his home today. At the eastern edge of the square stands the snow-white façade of the Cathedral of San Miguel, built in 1782.

The La Paz Monument, visible south of the stadium, was built to commemorate the end of the “football war” of 1969, in which about two thousand people died. Noteworthy are the Museum of Military History in Valle Park - a private collection of objects from pre-Columbian cultures of America - Sala Bancatlán (open from 9.00 to 15.00) on Miraflores Boulevard, the Museum of Natural History in the complex of the National Autonomous University of Honduras (UNAH) with an extensive exhibition of the various ecosystems of the country.

The main market of the capital, San Isidro, stretches between the 6th Avenida and Calle Uno from the Puente Carias river bridge.

Administration

The city administration consists of a mayor and five councilors from different political parties. A representative of the National Party of Honduras, Ricardo Alvarez, was elected mayor of the city.

Airport
Toncontin International Airport serves as the main airport for arrivals and departures from Tegucigalpa. The origin of this name is unknown. This airport is often criticized for being one of the ten most dangerous airports in the world. Because of its location next to a mountain range, its runway is too short, and its difficult approach requires large commercial aircraft to make a tight hairpin turn to the left. Due to the terrain, the turn maneuver is performed at a low altitude. For years, efforts have been made to replace Toncontin with Palmerola Airport in Comayagua, which is now a US Air Force and Honduran air base.

Tegucigalpa is the capital and The largest city Honduras. Population: 1,682,725 inhabitants. The third largest city in Central America (after Guatemala and San Salvador). The city is located among the mountains of the central part of the country, in the valley of the Choluteca River at an altitude of about 1000 m above sea level. Tegucigalpa is also the capital of the Department of Francisco Morazan. City coordinates: 14°05′39″ N. w. 87°12′24″ W d. Time zone: UTC-6.

Map of the city of Tegucigalpa

History of the city of Tegucigalpa

The city was founded on September 29, 1578 on the site of an Indian settlement. Translated from the Indian language, “Tegucigalpa” means “silver hills.” The city was originally called San Miguel de Tegucigalpa de Heredia. Tegucigalpa was proclaimed the capital of Honduras several times, but finally became it in 1880. The reason for this event was the desire of President Marco Aurelio Soto to be closer to his business.

In the 1930s, the city of Comayagüela was incorporated into the city. But until the 1960s, Tegucigalpa remained a small provincial town. Since the 1970s, the city of Tegucigalpa has grown at a rapid pace.

Tegucigalpa today

Tegucigalpa develops quite chaotically. The city's economy is growing due to migrants coming in search of work. The city operates international Airport Toncontin, but it is worth noting that it is one of the ten most dangerous airports in the world. The government is now trying to move all flights to Palmerola Airport.

Sights of Tegucigalpa

The main attraction of Tegucigalpa is the Iglesia de San Francisco church (1592). The Cathedral of San Miguel (1765-1782) is very beautiful, famous for its gilded altar and carved stone cross. The Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de Los Dolores (1732) is believed to have miraculous properties.

Famous attractions include: the National Art Gallery complex; the National Congress complex and the Presidential Palace.

The most popular street in the city is Caye Peatonal, where the largest shops and cafes are located. Next to the street is Herrera Park, on whose territory there is National Theater Manuel Bonilla (1915). Copies of Mayan sculptures can be seen in La Concordia Park.

The central square of the city is Plaza Morazan. Here is the Cathedral of San Miguel and the statue of Francisco Morazan.
You can delve into the country's colonial past by visiting Cerro el Picacho, a hill dotted with ancient buildings. It is customary to observe the panorama of the city at the foot of the Cristo del Picacho monument (1997), located in the Parque de las Naciones Unidas.

The La Paz Monument, built in 1969 to commemorate the end of the “football war”, deserves attention; Museum of Military History; Museum of Natural History.

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