History of Honduras

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Honduras was already occupied by many indigenous peoples when the Spanish arrived in the 16th century. The area in extreme western Honduras was occupied by the Maya people; the western-central part of Honduras was inhabited by the Lencas, the central north coast by the Tol, the area east of Trujillo by the Pech and the Miskito and Sumo. These autonomous groups maintained commercial relationships with each other and with other populations as distant as Panama and Mexico.[1]


Pre-Columbian era



Spanish period

Christopher Columbus landed on the mainland near modern Trujillo in 1502 and named the country Honduras ("Depths") for the deep waters off its coast.

In January, 1524, Cortés directed captain Cristóbal de Olid to establish a colony for him in Honduras. Olid sailed with a force of several ships and over 400 soldiers and colonists. He sailed first to Cuba, to pick up supplies Cortés had arranged for him, where Governor Velázquez convinced him to go and claim the colony he was to found as his own. Olid sailed from Cuba to the coast of Honduras, coming ashore east of Puerto Caballos at Triunfo de la Cruz where he initially settled and declared himself governor.

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