Honduras
COUNTRY PROFILE
Honduras offers an array of different mission experiences — perhaps more than any other country in Central America with just the sheer decency and joviality of its people. Hondurans are generally wonderful people: patient, conversant, fun, loving, and giving.
Even though Honduras has not had destabilizing insurgencies of the sort that El Salvador, Guatemala, and Nicaragua have suffered, conditions are far from ideal. The country faced a crisis when Hurricane Mitch struck in 1998. At least 5,600 people were killed, 1.4 million lost their homes, and the country's businesses—particularly agriculture—were dealt a harsh blow. Repairs and rebuilding began shortly after the storm's passing, however. Today, visitors will see little if any evidence of the damage, though the economic and psychological effects of the storm are still being felt. Honduras has long been a center for international industry, although it has remained one of the poorest countries in the Americas.
Some of the most beautiful Spanish Conquest-era colonial towns in the Western hemisphere, such as Gracias and Comayagua, can be found in the Honduran interior. The cobbled streets, horsemen sporting cowboy hats, and gaggles of uniform-clad schoolchildren provide fun and interesting sights.
In addition to Spanish and English, at least six indigenous languages are spoken in Honduras: Garifuna, Lenca, Maya, Pech, Tolupan and Tawahka.
The lempira (the Honduran currency) was named after the famous Indian chief who died fighting the Spanish invaders.
DATES
Call for custom dates.
AGE REQUIRMENT
13 and up
