Introducing Western Honduras

History is palpable in Western Honduras. The region has been part of the human experience for millennia – it has witnessed the rise and fall of civilizations, the ebb and flow of various people’s control over the land and over each other.

History does not seem distant here. Walking through Copán’s ruins, it is not hard to picture the valley a bustling city of 20, 000. Sitting in a centuries-old church in Santa Rosa de Copán, you can easily imagine a time when the same thick walls were new and the paint fresh. Stand in a Lenca village and you’ll see life there as it was generations ago, not much changed.

Certainly the mountains remain: El Cerro de las Minas (the highest in Honduras), Santa Bárbara (the second highest), Montaña de Comayagua and Cerro Azul. Lago de Yojoa still teems with wildlife; sadly, however, the rivers and forest are much changed.

There are pockets of modern life, such as San Pedro Sula, with its gleaming malls and throbbing nightclubs. But these are aberrations – even in San Pedro you might hear a rooster crowing early in the morning – and they emphasize the fact that this is ancient land and we are not so far removed from it as we think.

For many travelers, Copán is the west’s main and only attraction. But the ruins, spectacular as they are, are the tip of the iceberg; Western Honduras boasts colonial towns and villages, national parks, lakes, caves, hot springs, indigenous art centers and museums. Stay a few extra days – it may well surprise you.