CULTURAL |
CULTURAL |
Monday, July 27, 1998 Online Edition 116 |
Cultural tours open niche market opportunities By WENDY GRIFFIN Recently, the Garifuna, Pech, and Miskitos of Brus Laguna have begun to offer a series of cultural and artistic tours, opening up a wide variety of new niche market opportunities. For example, one medicinal plant company in the United States is now thinking of offering medicinal tours to its customers. The Tawahkas, Pech and Garifunas are ready with guides trained to offer this kind of tourism, which could include medicinal plant tours among Ladino communities. Honduras already has two sites that are used for ethnographic field schools. Roatan in the Bay Islands is the site of a study center coordinated by Dr. David Evans of Wake Forest University. Cofradia, Cortes alternates as a site for studying ethnography and as a base to do archaeological research of important Post-Classic sites. Tela is now ready to participate and work with people who wish to do research on the Garifuna. However, these study centers might have more local support if Hondurans could see the results. Both Tela and Copan have the hotels and sites/tours to make a nice cultural trip combining visits with the Chortis and the Copan ruins, and to Tela to meet the Garifunas, along with a day in San Pedro Sula for museum and souvenir shopping. This could help Tela get into the upscale tours offered by universities and museums to their alumni or members. This project would be helped along by the creation of the proposed Chorti cultural center to show firsthand the culture of Honduras' modern living Mayas. There are associations of Copan artists, San Pedro Sula artists, as well as the Tela Artist's Association. Tegucigalpa has a good art museum and galleries that exhibit Honduran art. Between Comayagua and Tegucigalpa, there are also several fine examples of Central American Colonial art. All this could be put together in a packaged tour for art museums or university art departments. Putting this together could be one of the tasks of the multi-country tourism commissions that exist in Central America. Although the Ministry of Tourism has studies showing that one of the reasons tourists come to Honduras is to see the living cultures here, there is no indication that the people who work with tourism understand what Honduras's minority cultures could offer to tourist in such areas as crafts, music, dance, and traditional foods. In Honduras, the Ministry of Tourism works to attract direct foreign investment into the tourism industry. However, there are no services to Hondurans who need help to reach tourism markets. If there is no tourism infrastructure of things to see and do, places to stay and eat, than all the advertising that this ministry is planning to buy with the new 4 percent tourist tax is not going to be helpful. Most of Honduras' foreign tourists are backpackers, and the people interested in building hotels for these low-budget tourists are Hondurans. It is common for schools to organize excursions. If cultural tours were available, and schools knew about them, then perhaps they would try to include these in the itinerary of their excursion. How many schools go to Copan, but do not manage to meet the Chortis, or to Tela and fail to meet Garifunas? Educated people in Tegucigalpa have asked me if it is true that all the Lencas are dead. Working to develop this type of cultural tourism might help improve social relations in Honduras.
PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBIT -- THROUGH JULY 31 -- The German Cultural Center, located on Calle La Fuente, will present the work of Honduran photographer Nicolaza Hernandez, titled "Nature and Her Colors." Admission is free. HONDURAN CHILDREN’S THEATER -- AUGUST 3,5,8 -- The Honduran Children’s Theater will present "The Flying Flower" or "La Flor que Vuela" at the Manuel Bonilla National Theater. Showtime is 7 p.m. Admission is Lps.20. '98 SEASON OF ARTISTIC EXPRESSION -- THROUGH SEPTEMBER 26 -- Theater and Musical Groups will perform Fridays and Saturdays at the La Fragua Theater in El Progreso, Yoro. AUGUST 7,8: La Fragua Theater Group in "High is the Night." AUGUST 14,15: Guillermo Anderson and his musical group, La Ceiba will perform "Honduran Caribbean Songs." AUGUST 21, 22: La Fragua Theater Group in three short plays, Bald Mountain, The Thing and The Bridge. Showtime is 7 p.m. Admission is Lps. 30. CHILDREN’S THEATER -- SUNDAY MORNINGS -- The Teatro Latino continues presenting "The Three Little Pigs" puppet theater Sunday mornings at 10:30 a.m. at the D’Barro Restaurant in Colonia Alameda of Tegucigalpa. Admission is Lps. 20. For more information, call director David Vivar at 225-2440 or D’Barro at 239-6905. CONCERT -- AUGUST 4 -- The German Cultural Center is sponsoring a violin and piano concert at the Manuel Bonilla National Theater. Rodolfo Escoto on violin and Hector Aguilar on the piano will perform works by Beethoven, Schumann, Gluck, Kreisler, Wieniawski, Elgar, Debussy, Mozart and Sarasate. Showtime is 7:30 p.m. Admission is Lps. 30, Lps. 20 (students) and Lps. 125 (superticket for 5 people) if purchased at the German Cultural Center before Aug. 3. At the door, tickets will be Lps. 40, Lps. 25 and Lps. 170, respectively. FAMILIES ANONYMOUS -- Families Anonymous (FA) meetings are held every Tuesday evening at the Union Church at 7:30 p.m. Call Eileen for more information at 239-9779 or 239-9778. WEIGHT WATCHERS -- Weight Watchers, an international weight loss program with over 40 years of experience in helping people maintain a healthier lifestyle is offering classes in Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula. To join or for more information, contact Juan Cueva Membreno at 239-0161. ENGLISH SPEAKING WOMEN'S CLUB -- The English Speaking Women's Club invites all English-speaking women to attend its teas held the second Thursday of each month at 2:30 p.m. in the Hotel Honduras Maya. Participate in interesting programs, sign up for activity groups, and make new friends. For more information, call Sara at 211-8369. ART, READING & TUTORING FOR CHILDREN -- The Art and Education Center, BONAMPAK, at the Plaza Millennium, is currently offering hourly art courses for children ages 6 to 12 on Mondays and Wednesdays, as well as Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3 to 5 p.m. Hourly reading courses for children ages 7 to 12 are being held on Fridays from 4 to 6 p.m., as well as for children ages 4 to 6. Tutoring services are also available. Call 222-5487 for more information. CHILDREN'S LIBRARY -- The Centro Cultural Infantil of San Pedro Sula currently has a program titled "The Reading Corner" offering young people a chance to read and listen to stories in a comfortable environment. The library of this center holds a "Story Hour" daily and has a study area where students may do research. For more information about CCI services, call 557-8639. SPANISH CLASSES -- Spanish as a second language courses are being offered at the National Autonomous University of Honduras. Learn Spanish with personal and advanced methods for Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced and Superior levels. For more information, call 232-2110, Ext. 217 or write to University Certificate in Spanish Proficiency, P.O. Box U 8779, Tegucigalpa. MUSIC APPRECIATION CLASSES -- The Centro de Diseno, Arquitectura y Construccion (CEDAC) is currently offering free music appreciation classes on Mondays and Thursdays from 4 to 6 p.m. For more information, call CEDAC at 232-0449 or at 232-6024. MUSEUMS AND GARDENS TEGUCIGALPA MUSEO DE HISTORIA REPUBLICANA The 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 222-3470 or 222-1468. CENTRAL BANK MUSEUM The Central Bank of Honduras located at the Comayaguela 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 Emision y Tesoreria department at 237-2270 (-78), ext. 2117 (-2120). [CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.] NATIONAL ART GALLERY The Galeria 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 230-6346. YUSCARAN, EL PARAISO YUSCARAN HOUSE OF CULTURE Yuscaran's Casa de la Cultura is located at the former Casa Fortin in downtown Yuscaran, El Paraiso department, just 45 km from Tegucigalpa on the road to Danli. 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 4:15 p.m., Tuesdays through 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: 557-1496, Fax: 552-7091) MUSEUM OF NATURE OF SAN PEDRO SULA Sponsored and managed by the Fundacion Ecologista H.R. Pastor Fasquelle, this new museum was inaugurated last December in its current location at the Biocentro on 3 Avenida and 9 Calle Noroeste. It has 24 exhibits on the environment, natural resources and biology of Honduras. Hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily and 8 a.m. until noon on Saturdays. Admission is Lps 5 for students from public schools and Lps. 10.00 for everyone else. COPAN COPAN ARCHEOLOGICAL MUSEUM Located in the village of Copan Ruinas, Copan department, the museum exhibits a splendid assortment of Mayan pieces that have been found in the Copan Ruins Archaeological Park just 1 km away. LA PUENTE ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM Featuring a sizeable collection of Mayan handicrafts and photographs as well as a room with Japanese antique ceramics, this museum is located at the El Puente Archaeological Site, about an hour's drive from Copán Ruinas. MAYAN SEPULTURAS MUSEUM Inaugurated in 1996, this is the premier Mayan museum in the Mundo Maya, featuring the finest examples of Copán's tombs, sculptures and architecture. Located at the Copán Ruins Archaeological Park, the museum is open Monday through Sunday. 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. COMAYAGUA RELIGIOUS MUSEUM Located in the Casa Cural in front of Comayagua's cathedral, this museum features religious paintings and objects dating back to the 16th century. Hours are 8-12 and 2-4 p.m., Mondays through Fridays. For more information, contact Leonardo Letona at 772-0348. 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. 442-2874, e-mail: rlehman@ns.gbm.hn ROATAN, THE BAY ISLANDS CARAMBOLA BOTANICAL GARDENS The private Carambola Botanical Gardens and Nature Trails is located in Sandy Bay, Roatan, Bay Islands. A wide variety of exotic plants is featured here, including "Roatan's most extensive orchid collection." It is open daily from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, call 445-1117 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 232-2300, e-mail: hontweek@hondutel.hn |
Copan Update By HOWARD ROSENZWEIG This week we look at nine ways to improve Honduras' tourism product line. 1) Open up new 'niche' products -- cigar tourism, archaeological tourism, jungle trek tourism, off-road motor bike tourism, birding, and mountain bike tourism. Name an interest and there's a tourist who is interested in it. Honduras can tap into the nicho tourism market by being creative and responsive to tourists' needs and wants. 2) Encourage the development of small resorts that cater to the international tourist. Resorts should stress appropriate architecture using local materials and design as well as excellent service. The key here is to give the tourist what they want. 3) Encourage the development of ecotourism . Eco-tourists want pristine nature, a natural setting, access to wilderness, a commitment by government and the private tourism sector to protecting the nation's natural resources. Eco-tourists are willing to pay a premium price for high quality ecotourism experiences. They are low-impact tourists, they leave no garbage, are well-educated professionals for the most part, and are highly motivated to travel the globe in search of the best eco-touristic experiences. Sea kayaking, mountain climbing, diving, windsurfing, jungle treks, river trips,and bird watching are just some of the possibilities. Eco-tourists can offer a lot to Honduras, but the key to it is that Honduras must offer up what eco-tourists crave most: pure, unadulterated, true ecotourism. These tourists are savvy and they won't settle for imitation eco experiences. So Honduras must offer up the real product. One problem is that few in Honduras have much experience with true ecotourism projects; one must look to Belize to the north and Costa Rica to the south to find quality ecotourism projects. 4) Encourage the arrival of additional international airlines, who will tend to lower airfares that are currently very high. 5) Protect national parks, biospheres and other wild areas by keeping out ranchers, loggers and settlers. National parks by the dozen look great on paper, but serve little purpose if there is no concrete, on the ground, protection and enforcement. 6) Create zoning ordinances for all touristic areas: Bay Islands, Copan, Gracias, Trujillo, Tela, Omoa, and all the rest. 7) Implement a touristic police force in all major tourist areas of the country, especially hot spots like Tela, Trujillo and La Ceiba. 8) Encourage the development of additional archaeological parks at major archaeological sites around the country. 9) Make the population (and government) aware that if we play our cards right, tourism will soon be the number one player in the Honduran economy. But this comes at a price -- we must protect and promote what we've got, which costs money. Howard Rosenzweig, a U.S. expatriate living in the Village of Copan Ruinas, is the owner of the Casa de Cafe Bed and Breakfast.
Ab-Intestato inheritances -- what happens when you didn't plan ahead
By MELANIE WETZEL When people die all of their rights are extinguished, including the right to own property. In most societies, ever since the origin of private property these rights are inherited by other people. Every person is entitled to dispose of his/her property and other rights in the way that he/she sees fit, using a document called a will or testament, which has effect after the death of the person. If a person does not leave a legally binding document, the law will decide how to dispose of the property and rights. Ab-intestato inheritances take place when the deceased did not leave a will, left a will that is declared invalid, or left a will that only disposed of a portion of his/her property and rights. The law will decide who receives the ab-intestato portion. This brings up an important question, especially for foreigners living in Honduras. Whose law will decide who receives the ab-intestato inheritance? The general rule is that the judicial proceedings that accompany an inheritance are held in the court of the last known residence of the deceased. If a tourist dies in Honduras, all judicial proceedings will take place in their home country, according to the laws of that country or the particular province or state. If a foreigner is a legal resident and dies in Honduras, the judicial proceedings will take place here, under Honduran law. Under Honduran law, the following people inherit when a person dies and leaves property not included in a valid will: 1) children 2) parents 3) siblings 4) spouse 5) other collateral relatives (cousins, uncles, nieces) 6) the municipality of the last known residence. Each group excludes the following groups; for example, if their are children no one else inherits, if there are siblings the spouse and the municipality do not inherit. In addition to these heirs, all minor children receive an obligatory inheritance to cover their needs. A spouse who has no other property receives 1/4 of the estate, if they inherit along with children. If the spouse has other property, he or she receives an amount that when added to their personal property is equivalent to 1/4 of the estate. If the spouse inherits along with other groups, not children, he or she will receive half of the estate. There is an important clause in Honduran law that governs the property of a foreigner when he dies. When a foreigner dies in Honduras or outside of Honduras, any Honduran citizens will have the same rights as they would have in the inheritance of a Honduran. These rights include obligatory inheritances for minor children, the spouse's portion, and any hereditary rights granted in a will, or by the laws, ab-intestato. Hondurans who have a right to inherit from a foreigner, as determined by a Honduran court, will have preferences over any property located in Honduras. This offers protection to Honduran citizens in case of a legal dispute in a foreign country. |
Monday, July 20, 1998 Online Edition 115 |
Bananas have strong impact on North Coast cuisines By WENDY GRIFFIN The first bananas that ever entered the United States came from Honduras, specifically from Utila in the Bay Islands around 1860. After the U.S. Civil War, Honduras' banana production grew until the 1920s, when bananas made up more than 80 percent of all exports. With all of its connotations, Honduras has been one of the quintessential Banana Republics. Bananas were brought to Honduras from Africa by the Spanish in Colonial times, probably to feed homesick slaves. But while Americans content themselves with only a few uses for bananas, such as banana pudding, pie and bananas on corn flakes and ice cream, the cultures of Honduras' North Coast prepare dozens of banana dishes, most of which tourists never taste. If you ask around, though, someone will probably be able to prepare them for you. Every afternoon Garifuna women and walk along the beach and through their villages selling different kinds of cakes and breads. "Pan de guineo maduro" or ripe banana bread is not the same as American banana bread. This is made with mashed bananas, a little flour, raw cane sugar, and a lot of coconut cream. Bay Islanders call these pot cakes. In the Bay Islands, they also use charter bananas, (chatas in Spanish) to make a pot cake called pan de chata or charter cake. Puddings or porridge are also made with bananas. Among the Garifunas, pluplumaya is atol de banano verde (green banana porridge) and letu is ripe banana porridge. They are made differently. To make letu, says Enrique Gutierrez, the owner of a Garifuna food restaurant, the banana is first cooked in its skin. Afterward, the skin is removed and the banana slightly mashed. Coconut cream and cinnamon or nutmeg are then added. This is cooked until it thickens, and sugar is finally added. To make pluplumaya, peel green bananas in long slices. Let them dry in the sun. Mash them when dry, to make a kind of banana flour. Pass this through a sifter. Add coconut cream, cinnamon, sugar to taste. This drink is still common in remote areas like Batalla on the Rio Platano Biosphere. When this porridge is made with chatas or charter bananas, in the Bay Islands this is called Conch 'n' Tea. Although considered very typical, it is hard to find anymore, notes Arnold Auld of Roatan. The Miskitos also use green bananas that are mashed and mixed with coconut cream to make their traditional drink/porridge wabul. In the past, Miskitos buried certain foods, like corn, to preserve them. Bananas could be prepared, buried and dug up to be eaten at some later moment, says Miskito Scott Wood. These buried preserved foods are no longer common in La Mosquitia. Both Miskitos and Bay Islanders like to peel whole bananas while still green and cook them in coconut cream. This is not the same way Ladinos cook green bananas. Ladinos cut off the ends, steam them in their skins, then cut off the skins before serving, a method of cooking called sancochadas. All groups use green bananas in soups, such as the traditional coconut plate or tapado in the Bay Islands. One of the more unusual ways of cooking bananas is as dumplings in coconut soup. Peel green bananas. Grate the bananas and mix with chile, onion, coconut oil, salt and stir. Cook the coconut soup and add the banana mixture in small portions. This dish, called alabondiga in Garifuna, is served with fish or seafood. What Bay Islanders call dumplings or blue dross is also made with bananas, but it is cooked like a nacatamal. Modern Bay Island girls often avoid making this, because bananas can dye their hands or nails blue, ruining fancy nail styles, says Artlie Brooks. Charter bananas can also be made into dumplings by mixing the flour of the bananas, prepared in the same way as a for conch `n' tea, with coconut cream and then cooking them. Banana or charter dumplings are also becoming rare among Miskitos, notes Brus Laguna native Scott Wood. There is talk of starting a traditional Miskito food restaurant in Puerto Lempira to serve these kinds of foods. Currently, rice and beans are the only thing available in most restaurants there. One reason given for the disappearance of Honduran banana-based foods is that new Africans continued arriving in Honduras until the 1840s, reenforcing the use of these recipes. Around 1900, there were probably still people born in Africa in many villages. With African influences cut off, and in the presence of strong U.S. and Ladino influences, these dishes of African origin are steadily disappearing, a phenomenon seen elsewhere in Latin America. When the corn harvest is not in yet, this is the favorite time for the Pech to grill ripe charter bananas on their grills or comales. These banana fritas or fritters are made with ripe and green bananas and are also popular among Garifunas. Although modern day Garifunas may seldom make these traditional dishes, ancestors who request a banquet for the dead called a chungu often ask for specific traditional foods such as darasa, which are Garifuna tamales made from bananas. Since bananas have been such a large part of Honduran life, they affect not only cooking and the economy, but also folklore, such as banana field humor. In Honduras, where people say it is better to laugh than to cry, there are even jokes about the deadly sigatoka disease, which affects banana plants. One day a man goes to his doctor and says, "Doctor, I think I have sigatoka." The doctor looks at him and says, "But sigatoka is a disease affecting bananas." The man replies, "Yes, that is it, it is exactly on the banana that I have this problem." One traditional Honduran folk song is "El Bananero" -- The Banana Grower. The Zotz Folklore Dance Group and the National Folk Dance Group now bring this song, available on tape from "Voces de Honduras," to Honduran stages.
Musical group Ancestro to tour Honduras Ancestro, a grass-roots musical group comprised of Central American musicians and based in New Orleans, plans to tour Honduras next year, offering a series of concerts in major cities. The traditional bamboo wind instruments of the indigenous peoples of Latin America (the Inca, Maya, Aztec, and Aymara) are featured in Ancestro's music. The versatility of these instruments is well displayed by these fine musicians, whose members not only play the quena, zampona, pan pipes, rondador, bombo and chajchas, but they craft them as well. Originating in Honduras in 1990, Ancestro performed and recorded music on the Pedestrian Mall in downtown Tegucigalpa to earn enough money for their move to New Orleans. Veterans of the New Orleans Jazz Fest, Ancestro's renditions of traditional Latin folk music earned them the following commentary from Off Beat Magazine in their May 1998 article Jazz Fest: A look at everyone playing this year: "The most enchanting sounds of Ancestro come from the bamboo wind instruments -- the flutes and pan pipes -- the band plays. The airy, lilting sound is at once cheery and morose, evoking visual images of the high Andean mountains." -- Maria Fiallos |
Upscale Tapas Bar offers relaxing tropical atmosphere By MARIA FIALLOS El Rincon de Alfredo, one of Tegucigalpa's most popular restaurants, recently inaugurated an adjacent Tapas Bar, "Puerta de Alcala," for a great combo of fine dining and relaxing bar scene. While sipping a cool beer or the house special, alcala cocktail, you can savor Tapas' delicious appetizer-sized portions of Spanish food from the kitchen next door. The bar is set in the garden area where seven "champitas" built in two rows lead to a covered full-service bar. Adding to the casual design are the wooden industrial spools used as tables; these are surrounded by padded wooden benches sitting from six to eight people. A roof terrace sporting six tables provides additional breeze for cooling off and unwinding after a hot, hectic day. Prices range from Lps. 16 for local rum to Lps. 50 for a shot of whiskey; cocktails run between Lps.25 and Lps.40. Live entertainment is provided on the weekends by "Doble Via," a group of young musicians some of whom also play with the National Symphony Orchestra. Enjoy the sound of cello, keyboard, lead and bass guitars accompanied by a talented female singer playing a combination of mainly tropical, Latina music with some jazz and blues elements. Covers of Carlos Santana, Fito Paez, Presuntos Implicados, Silvio Rodriguez and a lot of their own music add up to a good show. Hospitable Mireya Guevarra, restaurant and bar owner told Honduras This Week that as a former resident of Houston, she and her husband, frequent visitors to Tegucigalpa, were disappointed by the closing of the famed Restaurant Rincon Espanol. Since they missed the food they had so often enjoyed they decided to hire former employees of the Rincon Espanol and offer the same service. The "El Rincon de Alfredo" restaurant was inaugurated in December 1996 with the help of a manager. However, in May 1997 Guevarra decided to take over management herself and moved to Tegucigalpa. The idea of a Tapas Bar had been maturing ever since. For a gourmet dinner of Spanish cuisine, El Rincon de Alfredo is always Tegucigalpa's first choice. Excellent service distinguishes this restaurant. The house specialty, paella, steamed saffron rice stocked with shrimp and chicken for Lps. 145 is a good choice for a tasty, satisfying meal. Steak platters run from Lps. 105 to Lps.150; fish and seafood dishes are from Lps. 155 for a filet of fish to Lps. 345 for a lobster. Also available is a good selection of wines, including pitchers of sangria and a full international bar. The restaurant is open daily from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. for lunch and dinner. The Tapas bar is open Wednesday to Sunday from 3 to 12 p.m. To get there, go three blocks south from Credomatic on the Boulevard Morazan, Restaurant and Bar are located to the right in the middle of the block.
|
PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBIT -- JULY 24 THROUGH 31 -- The German Cultural Center, located on Calle La Fuente, will present the work of Honduran photographer Nicolaza Hernandez's work titled "Nature and Her Colors." Admission is free. '98 SEASON OF ARTISTIC EXPRESSION -- THROUGH SEPTEMBER 26 -- Theater and Musical Groups will perform Fridays and Saturdays at the La Fragua Theater in El Progreso, Yoro. JULY 24,25: La Fragua Theater Group in "High is the Night." AUGUST 7,8: La Fragua Theater Group in "High is the Night." AUGUST 14,15: Guillermo Anderson and his musical group, La Ceiba will perform "Honduran Caribbean Songs." AUGUST 21, 22: La Fragua Theater Group in three short plays, Bald Mountain, The Thing and The Bridge. Showtime is 7 p.m. Admission is Lps. 30. CHILDREN’S THEATER -- SUNDAY MORNINGS -- The Teatro Latino continues presenting "The Three Little Pigs" puppet theater Sunday mornings at 10:30 a.m. at the D’Barro Restaurant in Colonia Alameda of Tegucigalpa. Admission is Lps. 20. For more information, call director David Vivar at 225-2440 or D’Barro at 239-6905. NATIONAL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA -- JULY 23,24 -- The Orchestra will host its sixth performance of the season at the Manuel Bonilla National Theater at 7 p.m. Admission is Lps. 30, for students with I.D. Lps. 15.00 FAMILIES ANONYMOUS -- Families Anonymous (FA) meetings are held every Tuesday evening at the Union Church at 7:30 p.m. Call Eileen for more information at 239-9779 or 239-9778. WEIGHT WATCHERS -- Weight Watchers, an international weight loss program with over 40 years of experience in helping people maintain a healthier lifestyle is offering classes in Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula. To join or for more information, contact Juan Cueva Membreno at 239-0161. ENGLISH SPEAKING WOMEN'S CLUB -- The English Speaking Women's Club invites all English-speaking women to attend its teas held the second Thursday of each month at 2:30 p.m. in the Hotel Honduras Maya. Participate in interesting programs, sign up for activity groups, and make new friends. For more information, call Sara at 211-8369. ART, READING & TUTORING FOR CHILDREN -- The Art and Education Center, BONAMPAK, at the Plaza Millennium, is currently offering hourly art courses for children ages 6 to 12 on Mondays and Wednesdays, as well as Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3 to 5 p.m. Hourly reading courses for children ages 7 to 12 are being held on Fridays from 4 to 6 p.m., as well as for children ages 4 to 6. Tutoring services are also available. Call 22-5487 for more information. CHILDREN'S LIBRARY -- The Centro Cultural Infantil of San Pedro Sula currently has a program titled "The Reading Corner" offering young people a chance to read and listen to stories in a comfortable environment. The library of this center holds a "Story Hour" daily and has a study area where students may do research. For more information about CCI services call 557-8639. SPANISH CLASSES -- Spanish as a second language courses are being offered at the National Autonomous University of Honduras. Learn Spanish with personal and advanced methods for Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced and Superior levels. For more information, call 232-2110, Ext. 217 or write to University Certificate in Spanish Proficiency, P.O. Box U 8779, Tegucigalpa. MUSIC APPRECIATION CLASSES -- The Centro de Diseno, Arquitectura y Construccion (CEDAC) is currently offering free music appreciation classes on Mondays and Thursdays from 4 to 6 p.m. For more information, call CEDAC at 232-0449 or at 232-6024.
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 Comayaguela 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 Emision y Tesoreria department at 37-2270 (-78), ext. 2117 (-2120). NATIONAL ART GALLERY The Galeria 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 Yuscaran's Casa de la Cultura is located at the former Casa Fortin in downtown Yuscaran, El Paraiso department, just 45 km from Tegucigalpa on the road to Danli. 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 4:15 p.m., Tuesdays through 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 in the village of Copan Ruinas, Copan department, the museum exhibits a splendid assortment of Mayan pieces that have been found in the Copan Ruins Archaeological Park just 1 km away. LA PUENTE ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM Featuring a sizeable collection of Mayan handicrafts and photographs as well as a room with Japanese antique ceramics, this museum is located at the El Puente Archaeological Site, about an hour's drive from Copán Ruinas. MAYAN SEPULTURAS MUSEUM Inaugurated in 1996, this is the premier Mayan museum in the Mundo Maya, featuring the finest examples of Copán's tombs, sculptures and architecture. Located at the Copán Ruins Archaeological Park, the museum is open Monday through Sunday. 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. COMAYAGUA RELIGIOUS MUSEUM Located in the Casa Cural in front of Comayagua's cathedral, this museum features religious paintings and objects dating back to the 16th century. Hours are 8-12 and 2-4 p.m., Mondays through Fridays. For more information, contact Leonardo Letona at 72-0348. 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 BUTTERFLY FARM The Tropical Butterfly Farm & Gardens of La Ceiba is open to the public seven days a week from 8 to 4:30. Directions to the farm: The turn off is marked with a large sign 12 Km west of La Ceiba. Go through pineapple fields and follow smaller signs. Admission is Lps. 30 for Hondurans and $6 for international visitors. 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, Roatan, Bay Islands. A wide variety of exotic plants is featured here, including "Roatan'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, July 13, 1998 Online Edition 114 |
Pinatas: By MELANIE WETZEL The pinata is a part of nearly every child's birthday party in Honduras. The dizzying excitement of a blindfolded child with a stick in his hand madly seeking the candy inside a paper mache Barney replica is something few can resist. In the past five years many businesses dedicated to making and selling pinatas have opened on Avenida Juan Manuel Galvez in Tegucigalpa. Morning and afternoon commuters are treated to a display of the latest designs in wire, glue, and colored tissue paper. In one of these simple wooden houses Marta Yolanda Giron has been making pinatas for three years. "I used to come and visit the woman who had this house before; she made pinatas and I would sit for hours and watch," says Giron. Now Giron herself is a skilled pinata artist. She starts each pinata with a framework of wire, which is then covered in several layers of newspaper and glue, "until is starts to take its form." Once Giron has created the desired shape, she covers the design in "papel chino" --colored tissue paper. Giron says, "We buy it from the Chinese importers. It comes in large sheets that must be folded into a narrow strip of many layers. Then I cut notches in the strip and curl each of the notches." The resulting colorful frills are used as the top layer of the pinata. Eyes and other details cut from paper are added as a finishing touch. The entire process takes 1 ½ to 2 ½ hours, depending on the size of the pinata. "Barney is a big pinata, he takes a long time." Giron says that Barney has been her biggest seller for over a year, with Winnie the Pooh and Tweety Bird running second and third. "It all depends on what the kids are watching on T.V., although some people choose more traditional designs like dogs or fish." Giron can create a pinata from any drawing or picture. "Some people want a certain character that I am not familiar with so they bring a picture. But I try to keep up on the latest cartoons; that is part of the job...watching cartoons." Special occasion pinatas are also big sellers, such as Santa Claus at Christmas and Halloween pumpkins. Just before the party, a package of candy and small toys wrapped in newspaper is hidden somewhere inside the pinata. When hit just right the package will break open and dispense the treats to the waiting children. The pinatas that Giron creates are lovingly detailed replicas of cartoon characters and animals. When asked if she is bothered by the fact that her "art" will soon be destroyed at the hands of a mob of children, she laughs, "No, of course not! It is all for the children's entertainment. And if they have a good time destroying this year's pinata, then they will come again next year to buy another one."
Children directing innovative mural project By MARIA FIALLOS The Latin American Art Resource Project is currently conducting an innovative mural project in the capital. Distinguishing this project from others is the fact that the children design, plan and paint the murals themselves. Materials used are low cost and locally produced. Use of traditional painting techniques from the children's own culture is also encouraged with little or no interference from adults involved in the project. The purpose of the project is to inform the general population about child rights as well as to enrich the communities where the children participating live. The project is also expected to promote independent community efforts in the future. Artist and professor William Swetcharnik, director of the Latin American Art Resource Project, is training approximately 100 persons involved in a Child Rights Mural Project. Participants include 25 children and 25 representatives from eight organizations working with children and another 50 children who are indirectly involved. Save the Children is sponsoring the project, with some help from UNICEF and the coordination of COIPRODEN (Coordinator of Private Institutions that are Pro Children and their Rights), with the supervision of U.N. volunteer Johann Nicolas Bollen. Participating organizations are the San Juan Bosco Institute in Tela and in Tegucigalpa, FUNDART at the Instituto Central High School, Unidos Para Mejorar Community Association of the Colonia 21, Casa Alianza in downtown Tegucigalpa, the Honduran Boy Scouts, the Proyecto Compartir near the exit to the eastern highway (to Danli), the Christian Youth Association, and the organization Alternatives and Opportunities.
|
Honduran jokes take the sting from hard times By WENDY GRIFFIN There is something you have to admire about Hondurans. When times get rough, Hondurans make jokes about the situation. This is perfectly evident in the small booklets called "Chistes Politicos" (Political Jokes), published bi-monthly since last November. If the situation with crime has you down, enliven your conversation with jokes like this. "President Reina reportedly was good at telling what country he was in by putting his arm out the window. So some people decided to put this to the test. They took him to Canada. He put his arm out the window, and said, "It is cold. This is Canada." "Very good, Mr. President," said his aides. Then they took him to Mexico. He put his hand outside the window and said, "It is hot. This is Mexico." "Very good, Mr. President," said the aides. Then they took him to Honduras. He put his arm outside the car window. When he brought it back in, he said, "This is Honduras, my watch is gone." One of the themes during the Reina administration was investigating the alleged corruption of the previous administration headed by Rafael Leonardo Callejas. Once a man went to the HONDUTEL office in the Colonia l5 de Septiembre. Not finding a parking space, he parked directly in front of the residence of Callejas. A guard came out to say, "You can't park here. This is the house of Lic. Callejas." The driver looked at the guard. "This car has Yale locks, an alarm system, and a burglar bar on it. I think it will be okay." Then he walked into HONDUTEL. One of the most ridiculous remarks made by the current administration is "let them eat garrobo," the spiny tailed iguana, an endangered species in Honduras. Even before it was said, there were already jokes about why this is not a solution. One day a man saw a garrobo. "Wife, wife, come here. Look, now we can eat well." The wife looked sad. "If we cook this garrobo, we would need to buy soap to wash it and soap is expensive. If we cooked the garrobo, we would need coconuts, and coconuts are expensive. "If we cooked the garrobo, we would need spices and spices are expensive. If we cooked it, we would need vegetables to go with it, and vegetables are expensive. Just let it go," said the wife. Unable to contain his delight, the garrobo got up and began to shout, "Viva Reina, Vive Reina." Some people are aware that high prices are not due entirely to decisions of Honduran officials, but rather the devaluation of the lempira as a condition of international loans. Even the size of Honduras' foreign debt inspires some jokesters. In the year 2001, when Carlos Flores' is set to leave office, he comes to make a public address. He tells the Honduran people, "I have some good news and some bad news." "Tell us the good news," the people said. "The good news is that we have no foreign debt. The bad news is we have 24 hours to leave the country." Have you ever gone to public offices in the morning to wait in line? They close for lunch without attending you, saying "come back in the afternoon." Then, there is no one in the office all afternoon. If so, this joke is for you. A man goes to the government offices in the afternoon, but there is no one there to help him. He exclaims, "What?" Now government officials do not work in the afternoon?" Another man behind him says, "No, it is in the morning that they do not work. It is in the afternoon that they do not come to work." Many of the jokes are not flattering to the people they are about and some are not suitable for young children. But the authors claim it is the revenge of the little people against the politicians who do not serve them honestly. Look for these booklets around Tegucigalpa's Central Park with the newspaper sellers where for Lps. 7 each they might help to restore your sense of humor. If you cannot get to Tegucigalpa, try contacting the authors at Ciudad Universitaria, Tegucigalpa, Honduras, A.P. 9060. They also encourage people to send in their stories and jokes. Soon they hope to make this a monthly publication, a worthy successor to the now defunct newspaper "El Tornillo Sin Fin" (Screw Without End). |
Monday, July 6, 1998 Online Edition 113 |
Celsa Flores exhibits paintings at Trio’s Art Gallery
By MARIA FIALLOS Trio’s Art Gallery recently hosted an eight-day exhibit of Honduran painter Celsa Flores’ work titled "Portraits of Memory." The paintings exhibited were works she had done during the last two years. Flores said they were inspired by events and experiences occurring in her life during this time period. In describing her work, Longino Becerro’s said she uses a technique that is a mixture of acrylics, carbon and pastel; her work reflecting different elements and style, with an internal harmony of things apparently dissimilar. The paintings are always representative of the human figure, either intuitively or explicitly. Rafael Selva Murillo said the artist constructs and deconstructs with surprising variety and richness; her painting having reached a level of maturity that allows her to organize her emotions and place them onto the canvas. She paints from within herself without knowing what the outcome will be, but depending on the artistic process to give a realization, he added. Flores obtained a bachelor of arts degree in art and art history at the University of Windsor, in Ontario, Canada. She also studied anatomical drawing for a year at the Academy of Fine Arts in Rome, Italy. International recognition of her work has been attained through individual exhibitions in the United States and Italy, and in Honduras at the Paradiso Gallery, Trio’s Gallery and Portales. Collective exhibits include shows in Europe, North and Latin America. She also won First Place in the United Nation’s 50th Anniversary Art Competition in 1995. For further information about this artists work, call at 221-1842. Comayagua: Honduras' forgotten city By ERLING DUUS There is a well known saying in Honduras that captures something of the difference between its major cities. "Tegucigalpa thinks, San Pedro Sula works, and La Ceiba has fun." Completely different from any of these is the small city of Comayagua. Perhaps we could say of it, "Comayagua remembers." For this is a place where the past over-shadows the present, and yet it is unique not only in Honduras, but in some measure, to all the world. Books and magazines promoting tourism in Honduras tend to give Comayagua a short shrift, and indeed very few tourists come to the city. There are no fancy hotels, no multinational fast-food restaurants, and traffic moves along at a leisurely pace, minus the hectic chaos which is typical in larger cities. This is a good place for quiet contemplation, for walking and absorbing, and for thinking about what it was like once. Comayagua was founded as the capital of Honduras in 1537, and was the center for political and religious administration, as well as being the location for Central America's first university until l880, when for reasons that were largely frivolous, the capital was moved to Tegucigalpa. Left behind were the colonial buildings and the memories that had shaped the nation. If there were advantages to the new location other than a somewhat cooler climate, they are difficult to identify. Comayagua is located on a well-watered fertile plain where expansion could have been orderly and comparatively easy, while Tegucigalpa, on the bottom of a mountain bowl, was never meant to be a city with space for more than two or three hundred thousand residents. Throughout the historical portions of the ancient city, one finds crumbling remains of once fine homes and buildings that bear largely unobserved plaques announcing that this was once the home of some important writer or statesman, mostly unknown to me and I suppose to most Hondurans, but once important to national life and culture. Young students such as the great Jose Cecilio del Valle once walked and dreamed on these streets, but where he lived and how it was for him then and there only a very few know or care. There are and have been reconstructions efforts in past years. The ancient city has not been totally neglected. But in general far too much of over 300 years of history have been allowed to crumble. Some will say it is because there is no money, but in a country where glittering new hotels and massive banking center are being constructed regularly, this is a little hard to credit. There is money in this country, but only small portions are designated to preserve and honor the past. Comayagua should be a shrine for all Honduras, and not the city which time forgot. School children from all over the land should take annual pilgrimages to the city to spend a day or two be immersed in the pageant of history. And while they are at it, they should pay a long reflective visit to Tenampua, near the city, which was the mountain strong-hold of Lempira. Meanwhile, Comayagua still has a great presence. The past is tangible. Around every corner it presents itself, and there are a thousand things to be learned and imagined. From this place, more than any other, arose the dreams, aspirations, and deeds that created a nation. From here was established those policies and principals, and here the decisions were made, for good or ill, from which the country we know today was formed. The Rio Chiquita still flows peacefully through the city as it did in colonial times. The bad fortune of Comayagua is the good fortune of this stream, which has been spared becoming an open sewer like the Rio Choluteca in the capital. "Tegucigalpa piensa." (Tegucigalpa thinks). Perhaps, but the capital of Honduras is not a place that easily yields itself to gaining perspective. There is too much of a daily and yearly struggle for space, too little transcendence. Where in Tegucigalpa does one go for quiet and long thoughts; where are its quiet parks, its shrines, its sense of connection with the lives and dreams of past generations? The answer to that question is that these were left behind...in Comayagua. |
"Tegucigalpa thinks, San Pedro Sula works, and La Ceiba has fun." Completely different from any of these is the small city of Comayagua. Perhaps we could say of it, "Comayagua remembers."
There is money in this country, but only small portions are designated to preserve and honor the past. Comayagua should be a shrine for all Honduras, and not the city which time forgot.
|
|
|||||||
LEGAL FORUM
