CULTURAL |
CULTURAL |
| Monday, April 28, 1997 Online Edition 51 |
Fast food restaurants a quick, clean cure for expat blues By WENDY GRIFFIN An ongoing controversy at Honduras This Week is whether the paper should include reviews of restaurants that serve U.S.-style food when so many restaurants that serve traditional Honduran food go unreviewed. There are many different types of readers of Honduras This Week. The National University and certain bilingual schools subscribe to the paper for their students. Many copies goes overseas, to foreigners interested in Honduras, as well as Honduran embassies and Hondurans living abroad. Perhaps the majority of subscription holders are foreign citizens living here. U.S. Ambassador James Creagan recently pointed out that there are 12,000 U.S. citizens residing in Honduras. They work in development projects, bilingual schools, their own businesses or they are retirees. Most of these overseas Gringos share one thing: they get homesick. The director of the bilingual school in Tela says the worst part of his job is dealing with foreign teachers who are suffering from culture shock. They cry, they want to go home, they want to quit. Take the following test to see if you are homesick: read the menu at the Popeye's chicken restaurant in La Ceiba. Cole slaw, mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, onion rings, fluffy biscuits, southern fried chicken, cajun rice, sweetened iced tea, icy cold beer. If just reading the menu brings tears to your eyes and images of your grandmother on a Sunday afternoon, you are homesick. I recommend eating a nice meal in a very clean fast food restaurant and writing a letter home while listening to soft music. It is much cheaper than going home, and on Monday you can get back into the thick of things here in Honduras. But foreigners are the minority at the U.S. fast food chains in Honduras. When Burger King first opened in Tegucigalpa, people complained that they couldn't go there in their everyday clothes because the Tegucigalpa High Life went in heels, nice clothes and diamonds. Maybe Hondurans go out to eat U.S. fast food like many of us go out to Mexican, Chinese or another exotic cuisine back home. Popeye's is an adventure in southern U.S. cooking, with such treats as New Orleans-style gumbo seafood soup and pecan pie. But there must be something else that attracts Hondurans away from their staples of red beans and rice, even though Popeye's offers its own spicy new Orleans version of these foods. Bay Islander Marthell Watler thinks part of the attraction of foreign fast food restaurants is that they are so family oriented. He wonders wistfully when one will open up in the Bay Islands so the islanders can take their children, too. Many parents will tell you that it's not the food that brings them to the fast food chains, but the play areas and kids meals. The Popeye's in La Ceiba has no playground, but it is right next to the movie theater. Foreign fast food chains offer commodities that many Honduran restaurants do not. Popeye's and Burger King accept Visa and Mastercard, a benefit on a Sunday when you didn't exchange enough money, or your check hasn't come yet. Most of these restaurants also have clean restrooms. Poorer Hondurans choose restaurants with different criteria than most tourists. My Tawahka friends love the places in downtown Tegucigalpa that have loud music and people selling cassettes tapes, sunglasses and gum constantly going by. They like the movement and say "eating here has chispa. The chicken is great and it is cheap." They do not mind the lack of repainting and the absence of interior design. Instead, these factors reassure them that the food will be cheap. Popeye's is well lit and decorated with interesting prints featuring New Orleans Jazz. You can see into the kitchen so that any doubts as to cleanliness are immediately gone. There is a no smoking section, a blessing to those of us with asthma. My Tawahka friends would probably dislike Popeye's as they disliked Burger King with its Art Deco decor. "There's no movement here." But I heard every word a friend said, because there was no loud music. There are also Hondurans who enjoy a nice clean decorated places to go. Popeye's has been open in La Ceiba for a year and the Honduran manager says there has been good acceptance from the public. The prices are within the range of middle class Hondurans. A chicken breast, small cole slaw, biscuit and soft drink sells for Lps. 25. The hours are also convenient, from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m., so you can go after the movies. Honduras is a place where you can enjoy many kinds of foods -- Garifuna, Bay Island, traditional Honduran, cuisine from Spain, India, Uruguay, China. And now you can enjoy food from the southern United States. If hot fluffy biscuits that are even better than my grandmother's with a good hot cup of coffee do not cheer you up, maybe it really is time to go home. |
Think you have an answer? Email hontweek@hondutel.hn or share your comments and read what others have said in the new Forum. ANSWER TO LAST WEEK'S TRIVIA QUESTION
A: McDonald's, the world's biggest chain, opened a restaurant in downtown Tegucigalpa in 1972, but the franchise soon went out of business. The modern wave of fast food chains began with the 1988 opening of a Pizza Hut in San Pedro Sula. Other chains that currently have franchises in Honduras are Burger King, Popeyes, Wendy's, Taco Bell, Subway, TGIFriday's, Domino's Pizza and Little Caesars -- the most recent.
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| Monday, April 21, 1997 Online Edition 50 |
Pupusas are Honduran, believe it or not By RICARDO
MADRID MARMOL A pupusa looks like a sort of thick tortilla. Actually, it's corn flour mixed with white cheese, then formed into a tortilla and cooked. If your pupusa contains cheese only, it's called a pupusa de quesillo. If small pieces of crisp pork rinds are added to the corn flour mix, it's called a pupusa de chicharron. If it contains both cheese and pork, it's called a pupusa mixta. Most Hondurans will tell you that the pupusa is part of the native cuisine of El Salvador because pupusa restaurants -- pupusarías -- can be found all over the place in that country. But according to the Larousse Encyclopedic Dictionary published in Paris 40 years ago, the dish is of Honduran origin. History is the cause of the misbelief that pupusas are Salvadoran. During the 1950s and 1960s, extreme overpopulation and economic crisis prompted 300,000 Salvadorans to immigrate illegally to Honduras. In 1969, thousands of them were deported by the Honduran government and many alleged that they were mistreated by Honduran officials. After visiting Honduran fans were attacked by Salvadorans at a World Cup qualifying soccer match in San Salvador in June of that year, the Hondurans became very angered and deported thousands more Salvadoran immigrants, who again alleged abuse at the hands of the Hondurans. On July 14, 1969, the famous "Soccer War" began when El Salvador invaded Honduras and bombed Honduran airports. Although the war lasted only 100 hours, relations between the two countries remained strained even after the signing of a peace treaty. Nevertheless, when El Salvador burst into a civil war in the 1980s, thousands more Salvadoran refugees crossed the border into Honduras. The Salvadorans are very industrious people. They have to be in order to compete and survive in a country 20 percent the size of Honduras with twice the population. When they went back home, some of these Salvadoran refugees took the Honduran pupusa back with them and made it a staple fast food item. Back in Honduras, it used to be that if you lived in Tegucigalpa and you wanted to eat pupusas, you had to drive 15km out of town on the Southern Highway to a small cluster of roadside pupusa restaurants. Today, however, Edmundo Flores and his Pupusas Ricas restaurants allow you to enjoy the unique flavor of pupusas right downtown, served with cabbage salad and a spicy condiment made of onions, carrots, jalapeños, tomato, lemon and vinegar. At Pupusas Ricas you'll also find José Colindres Davila, your bilingual host and manager, and numerous local and foreign clients who are satisfied regular customers. The menu includes all three varieties of pupusas, plus daily specials and Mondongo and Tapado soups on weekends. For a culinary adventure, why not try Pupusas Ricas, located in downtown Tegucigalpa, just 30 meters west of the Arbolito landmark. Did you know? Although travellers worldwide are discovering that Honduras is full of natural beauty and cultural riches, few know the country also has its share of natural wonders. The following are just a few: The Great Crab Race -- Every July and August in the municipalities of Esparta and El Provenir on the Honduran North Coast, thousands of crabs emerge from the sea and begin a long overland march to destinations unknown. Although a biologist might be curious about where the crabs are headed and why, locals facing hard economic times are less analytical of the phenomenon. Whether plucked up by hand or gathered into special traps, the crabs get a good price at the local market. Magnetic Rocks -- Just outside the village of Agalteca, near the municipality of Talanga in Francisco Morazan department, there is a group of large boulders and smaller rocks whose claim to fame is that they attract any object that contains iron or copper, including farming tools and machetes. Guanisales Cave and the Tunnel of Braids -- Located within the hill of the same name, just outside of Marcala, La Paz, the Guanisales Cave is 20 meters long, 10 meters across and full of bats. Not far away on the same side of the hill is the entrance to the Tunnel of the Braids, whose floor is covered with yellow dust and where braids made of human hair have been found. Archaeologists believe they were Mayan. The Bell Stone -- This unusual stone is found in the Sensenti Valley along the road that connects the municipalities of Corquin and Sensenti. Made of a material that resembles marble, the stone resonates like a bell when kicked or struck. It plays a very important role in local agricultural activities. Because its tone can be heard over great distances, it is rung in the morning and the evening to mark the beginning and the end of the work day. |
Think you have an answer? Email hontweek@hondutel.hn ANSWER TO LAST WEEK'S TRIVIA QUESTION A: The names of the six bolsones are Tepangüisir and Cayaguanca (bordering Ocotepeque), Sazalapa-La Virtud (Lempira), Naguaterique (also spelled Nahuaterique) and Dolores (La Paz), and Goascorán (Valle). The largest island in dispute was Meanguera.
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The Maya Calendar A guide to the best in Honduran culture THEATER NEW THEATER -- The Ministry of Culture has just inaugurated a new Theater Room in the Casa Cultural of Santa Rosa de Copan. For more information call 36-9738. CHILDREN'S THEATER WORKSHOP -- The Ministry of Culture in San Pedro Sula and the Futuro Theater Project are holding a theater workshops for children. For more information, visit the Ministry's office in the Inmosa Building at 4 Calle NO and 3 Avenida. ART ARCHAEOLOGY EXHIBIT -- THROUGH APRIL -- The Honduran Institute of History and Anthropology is sponsoring an exhibit titled "Los Hombres de Maiz" at Comayagua's Museum of Archaeology. Comayagua is located 80 kilometers north of Tegucigalpa. PAINTING EXHIBIT -- MAY 8-15 -- Banco Atlantida in Plaza Bancatlan of Tegucigalpa will be host to an exhibit of paintings titled "Un Rincón del Eden" by Maria Martha Alegria. The event, held in memory of the late Dr. Paul Vinelli, will be inaugurated on May 8 at 7:30 p.m. PORTRAIT PAINTING COURSE -- APRIL 26 -- The Center for Design, Architecture and Construction (CEDAC) is offering a course on portrait painting by U.S. painter William Swetcharnik. The course will take place over four Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. More information at 32-0449. EVENTS ANTIQUE RADIO EXHIBIT -- MAY 5 TO 9 -- The National Teaching University (UPN) and Radio Uno of San Pedro Sula will sponsor the Second Annual Antique Radio Exhibit at the UPN campus, located behind the Francisco Morazán Stadium. More information at 52-7206. GARIFUNA BICENTENNIAL -- MAY 29-30 -- The Coordinadora Nacional de Organizaciones Negras de Honduras will hold a forum with community leaders and public officials. For more information call the Ministry of Culture at 36-9738. MUSEUMS AND GARDENS TEGUCIGALPA MUSEO DE HISTORIA REPUBLICANA Formerly the National Museum and the Museum of the Honduran Republic, the New Museum of Republican History is located at the Villa Roy building in Tegucigalpa's Barrio Buenos Aries. It is open 8:30 to 3:30, Tuesdays through Sundays and features portraits, paraphernalia, and other interesting items from past presidents. Admission is Lps. 20 for non-resident foreigners and Lps. 10 for Hondurans and Central Americans. For more information, call 22-3470 or 22-1468. CENTRAL BANK MUSEUM The Central Bank of Honduras located at the Comayagüela annex building is open from 9 a.m. to noon and from 1 to 4 p.m., Monday to Friday. It has a permanent coin and painting exhibit. For special presentations, call the Emisión y Tesorería department at 37-2270 (-78), ext. 2117 (-2120). NATIONAL ART GALLERY The Galería Nacional de Arte features rock art, pre-Columbian ceramics, colonial paintings, religious art and a wide selection of 20th century Honduran painters. The gallery is located at the Plaza de la Merced in downtown Tegucigalpa. It is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10-5 p.m. and Sunday from 10-2 p.m. Admission is Lps. 10 for adults, Lps. 5 for senior citizens, Lps. 3 for students and Lps. 1 for children accompanied by adults. IGUANA FARM The Biosfera Ecocentro Iguana Farm in Colonia La Joya invites the public to come and learn everything about iguanas. Admission is Lps. 5 for adults, Lps. 3 for children. The facility is open every day (except Wednesday) from 9 to 5. For more information, call 30-6346. YUSCARAN, EL PARAISO YUSCARAN HOUSE OF CULTURE Yuscarán's Casa de la Cultura is located at the former Casa Fortín in downtown Yuscarán, El Paraíso department, just 45 km from Tegucigalpa on the road to Danlí. It is open Mondays through Saturdays. LA PAZ, LA PAZ LA PAZ HOUSE OF CULTURE The La Paz Casa de la Cultura is located in downtown La Paz. It features an attractive exhibit of the Lenca handicrafts and culture. It is open Mondays through Sundays. SAN PEDRO SULA, CORTES SAN PEDRO SULA MUSEUM The Museo de San Pedro Sula is located between 3rd and 4th Avenues, 4th Street N.O. in San Pedro Sula. It is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesdays through Fridays; from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturdays; and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays. Admission is Lps. 5 for adults, Lps. 2 for students (must present valid ID) and Lps. 2 for children under 12 years of age. (Tel: 57-1496, Fax: 52-7091) COPAN COPAN ARCHEOLOGICAL MUSEUM Located at the entrance of Copán department in the western zone of the country, it shows a splendid variety of the Mayan pieces that have been found in the Copán Ruins Archaeological Park. LA ENTRADA ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM Featuring a sizeable collection of Mayan handicrafts and photographs as well as a room with Japanese antique ceramics, this new museum is located 120 km from San Pedro Sula on the highway to Copan. COMAYAGUA, COMAYAGUA COMAYAGUA COLONIAL MUSEUM Located in the city of Comayagua, 2 hours north from Tegucigalpa, the Comayagua Colonial Museum is in the building that served as home to the government in the 19th century. It contains objects used by indigenous cultures and the Spanish during the pre-Colombian and Colonial eras. TELA, ATLANTIDA LANCETILLA BOTANICAL GARDENS Located 2 kilometers from Tela on the Atlantic coast highway, the gardens feature one of the largest collections of tropical and subtropical plants, shrubs and trees in all Latin America. It is open from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Mondays through Sundays. There is an admission charge. LA CEIBA, ATLANTIDA BUTTERFLY AND INSECT MUSEUM Thousands of butterflies and insects from Honduras and 18 other countries are on display in La Ceiba' private Butterfly and Insect Museum. It is located in Colonia El Sauce, 2nd etapa, casa G-12. Visiting hours are 8-12 and 2-5, Monday through Saturday. The museum is closed Wednesday afternoon. Fees are Lps. 15 for adults and Lps. 10 for students. Tel. 42-2874, e-mail: rlehman@ns.gbm.hn ROATAN, THE BAY ISLANDS CARAMBOLA BOTANICAL GARDENS Possibly the only private gardens in Honduras, the Carambola Botanical Gardens and Nature Trails is located in Sandy Bay, Roatán, Bay Islands. A wide variety of exotic plants is featured here, including "Roatán's most extensive orchid collection." It is open daily from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, call 45-1117 and ask for Bill or Irma Brady. The Maya Calendar is a public service for our readers. If you would like to announce an event taking place in Honduras, please send the information to: Calendar Editor, Honduras This Week, Fax 32-2300, e-mail: hontweek@hondutel.hn |
| Monday, April 14, 1997 Online Edition 49 |
Forest sprite looks after cattle and tries to woo women
By WENDY GRIFFIN Cattle are a very important part of Honduran culture. Not only could a book be written about Honduras' relationship with cattle, at least one book already has. Regrettably, Honduran historian Leticia de Oyuela's A Century on the Hacienda is now out of print. Honduras' cattle ranching history began in the first days of the Spanish Conquest. By the 1540s, the departments of Colon and Olancho already had sizeable cattle herds. According to the traditional religious beliefs of most Honduran Indian groups, every wild animal has its own spiritual owner. But cows are so much a part of Honduran culture that they are one of the few domestic animals that also have spiritual owners. The Miskito Indians believe the duende looks after both cattle and deer. The Bay Islanders also associate the duende with cattle. People in the village of West End on the Bay Island of Roatan say they used to see this spirit creature around the corrals where they keep their cows. Today there are few cows left in West End, however, and duende sightings have stopped. There are different versions of what these duendes look like. Most agree that they are short. Some Miskito stories say they appear as naked boys between the ages of eight and ten. Sometimes they're white, sometimes they're black. Spanish speakers usually report that the duendes are dressed in a large hat and red clothes. The Spanish speakers of Trujillo also associate the duende with cattle. duendes reportedly try to get young girls to fall in love with them by boasting of their riches and inviting them back to their hacienda to admire all their cattle. According to one legend, there was once a girl near Trujillo who liked to bathe in her house, rather than down at the river. One day, a duende came along and invited her back to his home to show her all of his wealth. She went with him, and returned home. As always, when it was time for her to bathe, she asked her mother to bring her water from the river so she could bathe in the house. But her mother had grown tired of hauling water for her daughter, and told her that if she wanted to bathe she would have to do so in the river. The young girl obeyed and went to the river. As she washed her hair, cows began to drop into the water with every drop that fell from her head. They were gifts from the duende, still intent on winning her heart. But because the mother had refused to let the girl bathe at home, all of the cows got away. They say the first time the duende gives you riches; the second time he takes you away forever. When duendes are trying to get girls to pay attention to them, they cause problems for the other boys who want to be with the girl. But sometimes male duendes take the young men to teach them to be men, how to raise cattle, report Ladinos in Trujillo. Cattle are not only associated with duendes, but also witches. Jogita Quioto Valerio of La Union tells the story of a man who was visiting his neighbor when night fell. The man wanted to go back home, but the woman said, "don't go. There is a big cow in the creek between your place and mine. It will not let you pass." The man left anyway and soon found the huge, storming mad cow. The man threw a rock that hit the bull above the eye. The next day when he saw his neighbor, she had a big cut above her eye, where he had thrown the stone. Later that night, again it became dark while he was at his neighbor's house. The woman said, "don't go now. There is a big hog in the creek between our properties." The man went anyway. He saw the hog and cut it with his machete. The next day he visited his neighbor, who was in bed recovering from a machete wound in the same place where he had hit the hog. Then he knew that it was his neighbor who changed into these animals. Witches who can change into animals are a common motif in Ladino stories. There are also female duendes, report the Miskitos. One man from Auka reportedly caught one. He had to feed her special natural uncooked foods. He also had to protect her from the eyes of his neighbors. When humans looked at her, it caused sores. Finally she died from these sores. This story could be a metaphor for the struggle between the wild forest things in Honduras and human-brought things like cattle. Places like the Aguan River near Santa Rosa used to have dantos, monkeys, alligators and many other wild animals. Now this area and most areas where these animals lived have been cleared for cattle ranching. Many fear that Honduras' wild animals will suffer the same fate as the poor female duende. |
Think you have an answer? Email hontweek@hondutel.hn ANSWER TO LAST WEEK'S TRIVIA QUESTION A: Thomas Jefferson, 3rd president of the United States, died on July 4, 1826. Francisco Morazán, second head of state of Honduras, died on September 15, 1842. He was executed by a firing squad in Costa Rica.
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The Maya Calendar A guide to the best in Honduran culture ARCHAEOLOGY -- THROUGH APRIL -- The Honduran Institute of History and Anthropology is sponsoring an exhibit titled "Los Hombres de Maiz" at Comayagua's Museum of Archaeology. Comayagua is located 80 kilometers north of Tegucigalpa. HONDURAN HISTORY -- APRIL 15 -- The Center for Design, Architecture and Construction (CEDAC) is sponsoring a series of lectures on Honduran history by experts such as Leticia de Oyuela, Marcos Carias and Mario Martinez Castillo. Lectures will be held Tuesdays and Fridays from 3 to 5 p.m. beginning April 15. Admission is Lps. 120 per lecture or Lps. 2,000 for the entire series. PORTRAIT PAINTING COURSE -- APRIL 26 -- The Center for Design, Architecture and Construction (CEDAC) is offering a course on portrait painting by U.S. painter William Swetcharnik. The course will take place over four Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. More information at 32-0449. GARIFUNA BICENTENNIAL -- THROUGH MAY -- The Garifuna community is celebrating the bicentennial of their arrival to Honduras. In Roatan, Bay Islands, today's activities include a Garifuna clothing show, demonstrations of the processing of Ereba, traditional food and the delivery of land deeds to Garifuna communities. At 2 p.m. President Reina will participate in the unveiling of a new monument commemorating the bicentennial, at 4:30 p.m. a Yurumana Lernesi Celebration Mass will be held on the beach in Punta Gorda and at 6 p.m. there will be an intonation of ancient songs. Tonight and tomorrow in La Ceiba there will be performances by local and international Garifuna groups beginning at 8 p.m. on San Isidro Avenue and Main Street. On May 29-30 in Tegucigalpa there will be a forum with community leaders and public officials. For more information call the Ministry of Culture at 36-9738. MUSEUMS AND GARDENS TEGUCIGALPA MUSEO DE HISTORIA REPUBLICANA Formerly the National Museum and the Museum of the Honduran Republic, the New Museum of Republican History is located at the Villa Roy building in Tegucigalpa's Barrio Buenos Aries. It is open 8:30 to 3:30, Tuesdays through Sundays and features portraits, paraphernalia, and other interesting items from past presidents. Admission is Lps. 20 for non-resident foreigners and Lps. 10 for Hondurans and Central Americans. For more information, call 22-3470 or 22-1468. CENTRAL BANK MUSEUM The Central Bank of Honduras located at the Comayagüela annex building is open from 9 a.m. to noon and from 1 to 4 p.m., Monday to Friday. It has a permanent coin and painting exhibit. For special presentations, call the Emisión y Tesorería department at 37-2270 (-78), ext. 2117 (-2120). NATIONAL ART GALLERY The Galería Nacional de Arte features rock art, pre-Columbian ceramics, colonial paintings, religious art and a wide selection of 20th century Honduran painters. The gallery is located at the Plaza de la Merced in downtown Tegucigalpa. It is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10-5 p.m. and Sunday from 10-2 p.m. Admission is Lps. 10 for adults, Lps. 5 for senior citizens, Lps. 3 for students and Lps. 1 for children accompanied by adults. IGUANA FARM The Biosfera Ecocentro Iguana Farm in Colonia La Joya invites the public to come and learn everything about iguanas. Admission is Lps. 5 for adults, Lps. 3 for children. The facility is open every day (except Wednesday) from 9 to 5. For more information, call 30-6346. YUSCARAN, EL PARAISO YUSCARAN HOUSE OF CULTURE Yuscarán's Casa de la Cultura is located at the former Casa Fortín in downtown Yuscarán, El Paraíso department, just 45 km from Tegucigalpa on the road to Danlí. It is open Mondays through Saturdays. LA PAZ, LA PAZ LA PAZ HOUSE OF CULTURE The La Paz Casa de la Cultura is located in downtown La Paz. It features an attractive exhibit of the Lenca handicrafts and culture. It is open Mondays through Sundays. SAN PEDRO SULA, CORTES SAN PEDRO SULA MUSEUM The Museo de San Pedro Sula is located between 3rd and 4th Avenues, 4th Street N.O. in San Pedro Sula. It is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesdays through Fridays; from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturdays; and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays. Admission is Lps. 5 for adults, Lps. 2 for students (must present valid ID) and Lps. 2 for children under 12 years of age. (Tel: 57-1496, Fax: 52-7091) COPAN COPAN ARCHEOLOGICAL MUSEUM Located at the entrance of Copán department in the western zone of the country, it shows a splendid variety of the Mayan pieces that have been found in the Copán Ruins Archaeological Park. LA ENTRADA ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM Featuring a sizeable collection of Mayan handicrafts and photographs as well as a room with Japanese antique ceramics, this new museum is located 120 km from San Pedro Sula on the highway to Copan. COMAYAGUA, COMAYAGUA COMAYAGUA COLONIAL MUSEUM Located in the city of Comayagua, 2 hours north from Tegucigalpa, the Comayagua Colonial Museum is in the building that served as home to the government in the 19th century. It contains objects used by indigenous cultures and the Spanish during the pre-Colombian and Colonial eras. TELA, ATLANTIDA LANCETILLA BOTANICAL GARDENS Located 2 kilometers from Tela on the Atlantic coast highway, the gardens feature one of the largest collections of tropical and subtropical plants, shrubs and trees in all Latin America. It is open from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Mondays through Sundays. There is an admission charge. LA CEIBA, ATLANTIDA BUTTERFLY AND INSECT MUSEUM Thousands of butterflies and insects from Honduras and 18 other countries are on display in La Ceiba' private Butterfly and Insect Museum. It is located in Colonia El Sauce, 2nd etapa, casa G-12. Visiting hours are 8-12 and 2-5, Monday through Saturday. The museum is closed Wednesday afternoon. Fees are Lps. 15 for adults and Lps. 10 for students. Tel. 42-2874, e-mail: rlehman@ns.gbm.hn ROATAN, THE BAY ISLANDS CARAMBOLA BOTANICAL GARDENS Possibly the only private gardens in Honduras, the Carambola Botanical Gardens and Nature Trails is located in Sandy Bay, Roatán, Bay Islands. A wide variety of exotic plants is featured here, including "Roatán's most extensive orchid collection." It is open daily from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, call 45-1117 and ask for Bill or Irma Brady. The Maya Calendar is a public service for our readers. If you would like to announce an event taking place in Honduras, please send the information to: Calendar Editor, Honduras This Week, Fax 32-2300, e-mail: hontweek@hondutel.hn |
| Monday, April 7, 1997 Online Edition 48 |
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All original articles and photographs published in Honduras This Week are protected by international copyright law. Reproduction, in whole or in part without prior written permission, is strictly prohibited.Published online by Marrder Omnimedia |
Cows have their own special
protectors in La Mosquitia folklore. (Photo by Eric
Schwimmer.)
