Gracias, Lempira

COLONIAL ARCHITECTURE IN HONDURAS

Countries
Honduras

Zones
Central

Themes
Culture

The city of Gracias is emblematic since the time of the conquest, because it is where the history of the national leader, and defender of our territory is born, the indomitable Indio Lempira. The city is located in the department of Lempira, west of Honduras, at the foot of the Celaque mountain. Today, Gracias is part of the charming towns of the country.

Gracias is the center of the tourist commonwealth called COLOSUCA, which meaning is “bird of beautiful plumage.” This circuit is made up of the municipalities of Gracias, and its route starts at Casa Galeano, the historic museum of the city where you will find models of each of the communities, as well as a collection of pieces to illustrate their content. Then the tour continues with the visit to the historic center, ending at the Fort of San Cristóbal, which has as background the Cerro de Celaque National Park, which in Lenca means “water box.” This park has a visitor center and several trails that must be hiked accompanied by a guide, especially if you want to visit the Cerro de las Minas, the largest elevation in Honduras.

La Campa, the most representative municipality of the commonwealth, has a church where the patron saint of the Lenca ethnic group resides. San Matías, the patron saint, is celebrated in February with a fair and processions accompanied by each town’s patron saint, which, when arriving in front of the Church, notify the brothers who come out with the image of San Matías and proceed to a ceremonial greeting and bowing. As part of the cultural syncretism, the Baile del Garrobo (Iguana Dance) is also performed. Some of the communities are accompanied by the Auxiliary Mayors of Vara Alta, an indigenous civil-religious authority in the municipalities of Intibucá and Yamaranguila.

In La Campa, you can enjoy the most extreme canopy of all Central America, since the canopy cables, several kilometers long, cross a more than 300-meter deep canyon, with a small river at the bottom. The small river passes behind the Church. La Campa is also known for its pottery workshops.