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Lempira is one of the 18
departments of
HondurasHonduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
Central AmericaCentral America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
, located in the western part of the country with borders with
El SalvadorEl Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
. It was named
Gracias department until 1943, and the departmental capital is
GraciasGracias is a small Honduran town/municipality that was founded in 1536, and has a population of approximately 25,000 people...
.
In colonial times, Gracias was an early important administrative center for the Spaniards. It eventually lost importance to Antigua, in Guatemala.
Lempira is a rugged department, and it is relatively isolated from the rest of the country. The highest mountain peak in Honduras,
Cerro las MinasCerro Las Minas is the highest mountain in Honduras. Cerro Las Minas is located in the rugged and relatively isolated Lempira department in the western part of the country...
, is in Lempira. The department was named after Lempira, a local chieftain of the Lenca people who fought against the Spanish
conquistadorConquistadors were Spanish soldiers, explorers, and adventurers who brought much of the Americas under the control of Spain in the 15th to 16th centuries, following Europe's discovery of the New World by Christopher Columbus in 1492...
es in the early 16th century. Opals are mined near the town of Opatoro.
The department covers a total surface area of 4,290
km² and, in 2005, had an estimated population of 277,910.
MunicipalitiesThe 18 departments of Honduras are divided into 299 municipalities . Municipalities have elected mayors , as opposed to the appointed governors of departments. For statistical purposes, the municipalities are further subdivided into 3731 aldeas, and those into 27969 caserios...
- Belén
Belén is a municipality in the Honduran department of Lempira. The latitude is 15.75 north, the longitude is 87.93 west, and the altitude is 313 meters....
- Candelaria
Candelaria is a municipality in the Honduran department of Lempira.Candelaria is one of the municipalities of the Lempira department. It is located 96 km away from Gracias city, and passing by San Juan del Caite...
- Cololaca
Cololaca is a municipality in the Honduran department of Lempira.Cololaca is one of the municipalities of the Lempira department. It is located more than 200 km away from Gracias. There is also an alternate way to go there, and that is taking a deviation in San Marcos de Ocotepeque. Taking this...
- Erandique
Erandique is a municipality in the Honduran department of Lempira.Erandique, is one of the several municipalities of the Lempira department. One has to travel 65 km from the city of Gracias passing by San Juan . A second road that leads to Erandique is going by the town of "Dolores" in...
- Gracias
- Gualcince
Gualcince is a municipality in the Honduran department of Lempira.Gualcince is one of the several municipalities of the Lempira department. It is located 78 km from Gracias city. It is necessary to pass by San Juan, Intibuca and through the municipalities of Santa Cruz and San Andrés. It has 2...
- Guarita
Guarita is a municipality in the Honduran department of Lempira.Guarita is one of the oldest municipalities of the Lempira department. The best way to go to Guarita is via Santa Rosa de Copán-San Marcos de Ocotepeque-Cololaca-Guarita and it takes about 2.5 hours. This way is much more preferable...
- La Campa
La Campa is a municipality and an aldea, or small town, in the Honduran Department of Lempira, located about by dirt road from Gracias, the largest town in the immediate region. The inhabitants of Gracias, La Campa, and other nearby aldeas, including San Manuel Colohete, are mainly of Lenca descent...
- La Iguala
La Iguala is a municipality in the Honduran department of Lempira.La Iguala is one of the oldest municipalities of the Lempira department. The municipality capital is also known as "La Iguala Centro". The access to this town is quite a challenge. Both ways will be briefly described here...
- Las Flores
Las Flores is a municipality in the Honduran department of Lempira.Las Flores is one of the municipalities of the Lempira department. It is located at 17 km from Gracias on the paved road that leads to Santa Rosa de Copán. The town is 200 meters away from the paved road.- History :The very...
- La Unión
La Unión is a municipality in the Honduran department of Lempira.It is one of the smallest municipalities of the Lempira department; travel to La Unión is a challenge. One way is to go 75 km from Gracias city on the common road for La Iguala and San Rafael, about 3 km before San Rafael is a left...
- La Virtud
La Virtud is a municipality in the Honduran department of Lempira.La Virtud is one of the municipalities of the Lempira department. It is also one of the furthest from the big cities in Honduras but near to El Salvador border. It takes up to 4 hours to get there taking either way of Gracias or...
- Lepaera
Lepaera is a municipality in the Honduran department of Lempira. It has tropical climate all year round.Lepaera is one of the oldest municipalities of the Lempira department. It is also the departmental capital of the municipality...
- Mapulaca
Mapulaca is a municipality in the Honduran department of Lempira.Mapulaca is one of the smallest municipalities in the south of Lempira department. It is hard to get there and the traveler can take any road, however, the suggested option is via Santa Rosa de Copán-San Marcos de...
- Piraera
Piraera is one of the municipalities of Lempira department in Honduras. It is located on one of the branches of "Congolón" mountain, it is 105 km away from the city of Gracias.- History :...
- San Andrés
San Andrés is a municipality in the Honduran department of Lempira. It is notable as the principal site in Honduras for the mining of andesite opals from Las Colinas deposit near Sosoal, which is in the municipality. This mining is largely performed by artisanal miners, rather than on an industrial...
- San Francisco
San Francisco is a municipality in the Honduran department of Lempira.San Francisco is one of the furthest municipalities of the Lempira department in Honduras.- History :...
- San Juan Guarita
San Juan Guarita is a municipality in the Honduran department of Lempira.San Juan Guarita,is one of the smallest municipalities of the Honduran Lempira department.The best way to go to Guarita is via Santa Rosa de Copán-San Marcos de Ocotepeque-Cololaca-Guarita and it takes about 2.5 hours.-...
- San Manuel Colohete
San Manuel Colohete is a municipality in the Honduran department of Lempira, located approximately twenty miles southwest of the departmental capital of Gracias. The population of the entire municipality is around 16,000 but within the town center about 1,500....
- San Marcos de Caiquín
San Marcos de Caiquín is a municipality in the Honduran department of Lempira; it has the particular significance of being the newest one. In order to make it to the municipality capital, the traveler must start in the city of Gracias.- History :...
- San Rafael
San Rafael is a municipality in the Honduran department of Lempira.San Rafael is one of the farthest municipalities of the Lempira department of Honduras...
- San Sebastián
San Sebastian is a municipality in the Honduran department of Lempira.San Sebastián is one of the farthest municipalities of the Lempira department. It is 13 km ahead of San Manuel Colohete. It is highly recommended to go on a 4 wheel drive vehicle when visiting this municipality.- History :In the...
- Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz is a municipality in the Honduran department of Lempira.Santa Cruz is one of the most hidden municipalities of the Lempira department. It is 70 km away from the city of Gracias, forced to pass by San Juan del Caite in Intibuca.- History :...
- Talgua
Talgua is a municipality in the Honduran department of Lempira.- History :Talgua was originally founded in the colonial period in the place called "Las Mercedes" village. Also it was known as a village where Lenca Indians dwelled, by Pedro de Alvarado and his troops...
- Tambla
Tambla is a municipality in the Honduran department of Lempira.Tambla is one of the municipalities of the Lempira department. In order to arrive to its municipality capital is better to go via Santa Rosa de Copán-San Marcos de Ocotepeque-Cololaca-Tambla.- History :At the beginning it was located at...
- Tomalá
Tomalá is a municipality in the Honduran department of Lempira.Tomalá is one of the smallest municipalities of the Lempira department in Honduras. It is situated 10 minutes away from Tambla municipality.- History :...
- Valladolid
Valladolid is one of the municipalities of the Lempira department of Honduras. It takes about 2.5 hours to travel there and it must be via Santa Rosa de Copán–San Marcos de Ocotepeque–Cololaca–Tambla–Valladolid.- History :...
- Virginia
Virginia is a municipality in the Honduran department of Lempira.Virginia is located in Lempira Honduras and shares a border with El Salvador. Many Virginians travel to El Salvador to do their shopping, because the Honduran cities are far away from Virginia....