Honduras This Week Cultural

Santa Rosa de Copan has Cultural Center

June 19 marked the beginning of a new era in the cultural life of Santa Rosa de Copan. That day, President Carlos Roberto Reina inaugurated a new Casa de la Cultura.

During the ceremony, the members of the Copaneco Cultural Group were praised for their active support of the Ministry of Culture in western Honduras. Honorees included the Lazarus family, Banco de Occidente, Olga de Bueso, Noe Pineda, Exilda de Osorio, Margarita de Pineda, Concepcion Baide, Sandra de Medina, Alfredo Zepeda and Juan Ramón Trejo.

In the colonial era, as well as in the first decade of Honduras' independent life, Santa Rosa de Copan was knows as Los Llanos. Since its foundation it has been known as a flourishing city for its dynamic culture and economy.

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This Week's Trivia Question

Q: Due to an enormous surge in crime over the last few years, there has been talk of reinstating the death penalty. When did Honduras abolish the death penalty?

ANSWER TO LAST WEEK'S TRIVIA QUESTION

A: Poet Augusto Constancio Coello Estévez, born September 1, 1883 in Tegucigalpa, wrote the words to the Honduran national anthem. Carlos Harting, born September 2, 1869 in the German state of Thuringia, composed the music.

Honduran National Anthem

For official occasions, only the chorus and the seventh verse are sung.

CHORUS

Tu bandera es un lampo de cielo

por un bloque de nieve cruzado;

y se ven en su fondo sagrado

cinco estrellas de palido azul;

en tu emblema, que un mar rumoroso

con sus ondas bravias escuda,

de un volcan tras la cima desnuda,

hay un astro de nitida luz.

VERSE VII

Por guardar ese emblema divino

marcharemos ¡Oh Patria! a la muerte;

generosa sera nuestra suerte

si morimos pensando en tu amor.

Defendiendo tu santa bandera,

y en tus pliegues gloriosos cubiertos,

seran muchos, Honduras, tus muertos,

pero todos caeran con honor.

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Cafe Paradiso:
a place to meet friends and Honduran culture

By WENDY GRIFFIN

TEGUCIGALPA -- In olden days, all roads led to Rome. Now in Honduras, all roads lead to Tegucigalpa. Sooner or later you will probably run into everyone you know in the country in downtown Tegucigalpa. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a quiet, nicely decorated place to sit, drink tea and catch up on all your friends’ news?

Just such a place is Cafe Paradiso, which moved last year and is now located next to the Artesano handicraft store. This cafe is now one of several good but inexpensive restaurants that have sprung up around El Arbolito, one block over from Avenida La Paz in the Guanacaste district of Tegucigalpa.

Cafe Paradiso serves 11 different kinds of coffee, including one with Kahlua and another with cream and cognac. It is also one of the few places in Tegucigalpa where you can get hot tea, both regular and herbal.

You can also eat at the cafe. Because the place closes at 8 p.m. on weekdays and 6 p.m. on Saturdays, the menu is mostly geared toward lunch and snacks. Most visitors agree that Café Paradiso is the best place to get a tortilla espanola, a fluffy kind of omelet made with onions and potatoes. Unfortunately, they are almost always out of this dish.

The motto of Cafe Paradiso is "where you and culture meet." These words extend beyond the best collection of Lencan ceramics in town, the changing art displays and the Thursday night cultural events. It also includes the menu.

All over Honduras you can get an order of sanwich de jamon y queso, or a good old ham and cheese sandwich. But the name of this dish annoys many purists of the Spanish language, which has its own perfectly good word for "sandwich" without having to resort to the English. At Cafe Paradiso you'll find no sandwiches on the menu. But you will find a variety of emparedados, complete with bread, tomato, cheese and olive oil.

Prices are reasonable at about $2 for a light lunch, $3 if you have dessert (like strawberry cheesecake).

The decor is made for chatting. Honduras has been famous for its fine wood exports for more than two centuries. Here you can enjoy the wooden chairs, tables, woodwork, shelves and matching tablecloths. Art work is well interspersed with plants. Soft music facilitates conversation. The wait staff is courteous, even if they share the tendency of most Honduran restaurant workers to hide in the kitchen.

If you don’t bring someone to talk to, next door is Arte Sano, where you can pick up books about Honduras or the latest copy of Honduras This Week. Copies of hard-to-get University Press publications are left on the tables to add to the feeling that this is where Honduras’ intellectuals hang out.

Thursday nights is a good time to meet them. Music, student theater, book readings and homages to Honduras’ award winning painters are some of the activities featured on Cultural Night. The Cafe doesn't advertise its social calendar, so you just need to drop by to find out what's happening.

The Maya Calendar
A guide to the best in Honduran culture

PAINTING CONTEST -- THROUGH JULY 18 -- The San Pedro Sula Cultural Center is sponsoring its 7th annual Salon Nacional de Pintura painting contest featuring an array of original works by Honduran artists. More information at 53-3911.

MEXICAN PHOTOGRAPHY -- THROUGH JULY 4 -- Mexican photographer Mariana Yampolsky is presenting her latest works at the National Art Gallery in downtown Tegucigalpa. The exhibit, currently on tour throughout Latin America, includes 55 photographs featuring different aspects of Mexican culture. More information at 37-9884.

FLOWER DESIGN -- JULY 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 -- The Garden Club of the Honduran-Arab Women's Association (AFHA) is sponsoring a course on basic flower design at the Honduran-Arab Club of San Pedro Sula. The course is divided into six classes, one day per week. It is given by Alicia de Kattan. For more information, call 52-8116.

ART CLASSES -- The Dr. Ricardo Redondo Licona Fine Arts Academy is offering painting, music, theater, folkloric and popular dance, singing and ballet classes in Tegucigalpa. More information at 30-3880.

MACBETH -- JULY -- The Ministry of Culture, the National Theater Company, the Sin Fronteras Theater and the British Embassy are sponsoring performances of Shakespeare's Macbeth. More information at 36-9843.

THEATER FOR PEACE -- JULY 9-12 -- The Hibueras Cultural Center is sponsoring its 5th annual Theater Festival For Peace in the city of Santa Barbara. The event is held to honor Father Jose Trinidad Reyes, a pioneer of Honduran theater. More information at 36-9843.

DANCE -- JULY 16 -- The Grupo Independiente Danza Libre will be performing Las Siete Verguenzas at the Manuel Bonilla National Theater in Tegucigalpa. More information at 36-9843.

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 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 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

The Maya Calendar

A guide to the best in Honduran culture

PAINTING CONTEST -- JUNE 26 THROUGH JULY 18 -- The San Pedro Sula Cultural Center is sponsoring its 7th annual Salon Nacional de Pintura painting contest, featuring an array of original works by Honduran artists. More information at 53-3911.

MEXICAN PHOTOGRAPHY -- THROUGH JULY 4 -- Mexican photographer Mariana Yampolsky is presenting her latest works at the National Gallery of Art in downtown Tegucigalpa. The exhibit, which is being showed throughout Latin America, includes 55 photographs featuring different aspects of Mexican culture. More information at 37-9884.

JUNIANA FAIR -- THROUGH JUNE -- San Pedro Sula continues its Feria Juniana celebrations this week with a Garifuna painting exhibit titled Yarumei at the Hotel Copantl Sula. Garifuna handicrafts are also on sale at the MultiPlaza Mall. On the 26th, the Municipal Gymnasium will host the 3rd annual Student Song Festival from 2 p.m. and the San Pedro Sula Museum of History and Anthropology will sponsor a Cultural Night on the 28th, followed by a display of Garifuna food and art on 3rd Avenue. In addition, there is an ongoing art exhibit at the San Pedro Sula Cultural Center and plenty of parades, dances and traditional food have been planned throughout the celebration. More information at 52-3162.

DANCE -- JULY 16 -- The Grupo Independiente Danza Libre will be performing Las Siete Verguenzas at the Manuel Bonilla National Theater in Tegucigalpa. More information at 36-9843.

MUSEUMS AND GARDENS

TEGUCIGALPA

MUSEO DE HISTORIA REPUBLICANA

CENTRAL BANK MUSEUM

NATIONAL ART GALLERY

IGUANA FARM

YUSCARAN, EL PARAISO

YUSCARAN HOUSE OF CULTURE

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

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

TELA, ATLANTIDA

LANCETILLA BOTANICAL GARDENS

LA CEIBA, ATLANTIDA

BUTTERFLY AND INSECT MUSEUM

ROATAN, THE BAY ISLANDS

CARAMBOLA BOTANICAL GARDENS

Teatro La Fragua of El Progreso embarks on tour of Mexico

On June 18, Teatro La Fragua embarked on its fourth (and most extensive) tour of Mexico, which will include three weeks of performances in San Cristobal de las Casas, Oaxaca, Cholula, Puebla, Atlixco and a weekend at the Centro Nacional de las Artes in Mexico City.

The theater group will spend a week as "special guest" at the Annual Congress of the International Federation of Theater Research, which be held at the Universidad de las Americas in Cholula, Puebla. Teatro La Fragua director Jack Warner will present an academic paper and a practical demonstration on the work of the group. His audience will include experts from more than 30 countries. The Congress is held annually in a different country each year. Last year's was held in Israel. It is considered to be the world's most important meeting of academic theater experts.

"Considering that the practice and study of today's theater recognizes and incorporates cultural diversity, the subject of the conference will be theater and cultures in the world," said Warner.

The core material for the tour will be pieces already well-known to audiences in El Progreso and the rest of Honduras. These are Un Sueño Nuevo, a dance/theater piece developed by U.S. choreographer and director Anita Gonzalez and three of the popular Cuentos Hondureños: Los Motivos del Lobo (a dramatization of the poem by Ruben Dario), El Origen del Maiz (a legend of the Jicaque Indians of Yoro) and the ever-popular Tío Coyote Conejo.

The two days to be spent in San Cristóbal de las Casas will be an encounter with the Sna Itz 'Ibajom theater group, an indigenous Mayan group that performed twice as part of Teatro La Fragua's regular season. The weekend in Oaxaca, aside from two performances in the beautifully restored 19th century Teatro Macedonia Alcalá, will also include a reunion with old friends from Teatro La Fragua's first visit to Oaxaca in 1992. The weekend of performances in Mexico City's Centro Nacional de las Artes will mark Teatro La Fragua's debut in the Mexican capital.

Warner is a graduate of the Goodman School of Drama in Chicago. He arrived in Honduras in 1979 with the dream that theatre could help the people of this impoverished Central American country to discover their own identity and power.

"Art and religion spring from the same human roots," he says. "They spring from our need to be in touch with something beyond us, beyond the littleness we feel as human beings.

Teatro La Fragua -- the Forge Theatre -- was formed on a wing and a prayer. Although most Hondurans had no experience in the theatre, Warner discovered teenagers who had the potential to be actors. He found a home in a large wood building that once housed the golf club of the United Fruit company in the town of El Progreso. The fledgling company began the physical exercises and basic training that any actor needs, and they did them with a seriousness of purpose because Teatro La Fragua is a professional company whose actors work full-time in the company.

Over the years the group has created a variety of works in several categories: exploration of Honduran and Central American History and traditions; neo-medieval dramatizations of Biblical stories in a Honduran context; neo-moralities springing from contemporary problems; exploration of the classics of world theater; and over-laying all with an emphasis on theater for children.

The dream of a people finding its voice through theatre continues to spread. Teatro La Fragua conducts workshops in Nicaragua, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Cuba, Guatemala, and Belize as well as throughout Honduras, and the company has toured farther afield to the United States, Mexico and Colombia. The present tour is this year's contribution to that search.

This Week's Trivia Question

Q: On January 23, 1917, the National Congress approved Decree No. 34 establishing Tu Bandera (Thy flag) as the national anthem of Honduras. Who wrote the music and words to the anthem?

San Ped

ANSWER TO LAST WEEK'S TRIVIA QUESTION

A: ROSUCO - Roberto Suazo Cordova (president of Honduras from 1982-86); ROMA - Roberto Martinez (presidential canidate for National Party in 1996); RAVIBER - Ramon Villeda Bermudez (politician, cartoonist, presidential candidate for the Liberal Party in the 1996 primaries); DOUMONT - Douglas Montes (cartoonist for the San Pedro Sula daily El Tiempo)

Southern Honduras spawns tales of goats and spirit owners

By WENDY GRIFFIN

Goats have long been considered the poor man's cow. This is why goat raising has become a popular development project.

At Honduran agricultural schools like the one near Macuelizo in Santa Bárbara department, students learn to use goats to pull plows. Teachers say it is more economical to use goats when the plot of land is too small to make it worthwhile to invest in oxen.

Goat milk can also be used to make a popular Honduran cheese called cuajada and, when slaughtered, both the meat and the skin can be put to good use. Goat skin, in fact, is sought by traditional drum makers as a replacement for now scarce deer skins.

A good place to see goats in Honduras is the town of San Lorenzo in Valle department. When the town underwent a drought, people supplied their homes by using goat-drawn carts to haul water from nearby streams.

GOAT TALES

Because they play such an important role Southern Honduras, it is there that most legends involving goats have been collected. One such story, collected in Choluteca, tells the tale of a duende, or gnome, bothering a family in their house.

The duende had a horse and he used it to carry cuajada to the family as a gift. He explained that it was from his hacienda on Cerro de Las Cabras, or Mountain of the Goats, in Nicaragua.

"I am the owner of all of the goats and all of the deer in Nicaragua," the duende told the family.

The close relationship between duendes and goats is also seen near the former San Martin Mine of Choluteca. One of the entrances to the mine is called The Goat of Gold because legend has it that a huge, shining goat lives near the entrance. One man saw the goat as he was on his way to Pancho Centeno's house to sell some gold he had found. He tried to grab the goat, but it ran away into the mine. He followed it for awhile, but he finally gave up when the mine grew too dark for him to see.

Other animals of gold have been seen around the mine's other entrances. People have seen dogs of gold, cats, a bull, a cow, even a golden rooster. Many people have tried to capture these golden animals and take them from the mine, but they have not been successful because the animals and the mines have their own spirit guardian who cares for them.

PACT WITH THE DEVIL

Once there was a guiris, an independent foreign prospector who was looking at the mine entrances, preparing to work them. He, too, saw the goat of gold and followed it into the mine. He walked to the center of the mine, where he found the goat's spirit guardian. It looked like a duende, but it shone.

The guardian told the prospector that he would have to pay 100 souls to be able to work the mine. "Oh, that would be a lot of people," said the prospector. "Few people would be left to work the mine. It would be better if I just go and not work this mine, after all."

Not just anyone can find wealth in a mine. And even if they do find gold, they can't take it out without making an agreement with the guardian of the mine. Many people believe that when you pass the mines at night you can hear the sound of people crying. These are the souls of the people that were given to the guardian of the mine. This is why people die in the mines, they believe, because the mine owner made a pact to give their souls away.

These southern duendes thus combine the functions of two types of traditional spirits found all over Honduras. First, they are the spiritual owners of animals like goats and deer. Second, they are the spiritual owners of the land, and must be paid in order to use that land. According to another legend, the duendes need the gold in the mines they protect in order to give it to their girlfriends so they'll pay attention to them. "With gold in his pocket, who wouldn't pay attention?" asked one storyteller.

In addition to these pre-Columbian beliefs, these legends also explore the idea of becoming empactado, or making a pact -- usually with the devil -- to become rich. Many wealthy people are accused by their neighbors of having made an agreement with the devil, especially is their poorly paid servants die under mysterious circumstances. People believe the wealthy sold their servants' spirits.

FURTHER READING

These stories were taken from the books Por Cuentas, Aqui en El Corpus and Por Cuentas, Aqui en Choluteca, published last year by the Honduran Institute of Popular and Autochtonous Cultures (INCAP), a branch of the Ministry of Culture. The Organization of American States provided funding to collect stories for five books on Southern Honduran legends, but only two had been published by the time the INCAP was eliminated when the Ministry was reorganized in January.

For those who love legends, with or without goats, these books are available at Libreria Guaymuras in downtown Tegucigalpa. They give an idea of the richness of southern lore and suggest what a loss it was that only two of the originally planned five were ever published.

Advertise in the award winning Honduras This Week Online. Email stan@marrder.com for more information or visit http://www.marrder.com/htw/ads/

This Week's Trivia Question

Q: San Pedro Sula's airport is popularly known as La Mesa. What is the airport's official name?

ANSWER TO LAST WEEK'S TRIVIA QUESTION

A: Super Estrella of Danli finished the 1992-93 season with 0 wins, 5 ties and 21 losses in 26 regular season matches for just 5 points. The club's final match was cancelled. In addition, Super Estrella scored 14 goals and received a whopping 78. Relegated to the Second Division, the club continued its losing streak in the 1993-94 season, obtaining 1 win, 1 tie and 18 losses in 20 matches for just 3 points; scoring 12 goals and receiving 86.

OBITUARIES

Sports great Jorge Alberto "Furia" Solis died on Saturday, May 31. He was 62. Treasurer of the National Commission for Sports Facilities and Improvement (CONAPID) at the time of his death, Solís played soccer with Club Deportivo Olimpia during the mid- 1950s and 1960s, and played on the National Soccer Team in numerous regional and international competitions. He also played baseball, softball, basketball and bowling.

Monsignor Marcelo Gerin, Archbishop of Choluteca (1964-1984), on Sunday (June 1) died from natural causes at the El Carmen Health Center in Tegucigalpa. He was 84. Born in Coaticook, Quebec, Canada on May 7, 1913, Gerin came to Honduras in 1963 after serving 19 years in Cuba and two years with the Canadian Catholic Office for Latin America. He served as the first Archbishop of Choluteca from 1964 to 1984, and was archbishop emeritus until his death. He was buried in Choluteca on Thursday.

The Maya Calendar

A guide to the best in Honduran culture

SALVADORAN PAINTINGS -- THROUGH JUNE -- The National Art Gallery in downtown Tegucigalpa will be host to an exhibit of paintings by Salvadoran artist Jose David. More information at 37-9884.

TUNU HANDICRAFTS -- JUNE 12-19 -- The San Pedro Sula Museum of History and Anthropology will be host to an exhibit of handicrafts made with the rainforest fiber called tunu. More information at 57-1496.

NATIONAL PAINTING CONTEST -- JUNE 26 THROUGH JULY 18 -- The San Pedro Sula Cultural Center is sponsoring its 7th annual Salon Nacional de Pintura painting contest, featuring an array of original works by Honduran artists. More information at 53-3911.

JUNIANA FAIR -- THROUGH JUNE -- On June 12 the Fair's queen will be elected. She will be coronated June 19 at the MegaPlaza Mall. One June 14 there will be an International Night at the Francisco Morazan Stadium and on June 21 runners will compete in the International Marathon. An art exhibit will be on display through the end of the month at the San Pedro Sula Cultural Center and there will be colorful parades, traditional food, dances and more throughout the duration of the celebration. More information at 52-3162.

CUBAN FESTIVAL -- JUNE 10 - 14 -- The Hotel Honduras Maya in Tegucigalpa will be celebrating Cuban Festival Week with a variety of activities, including Cuban food, music, art and cigars. More information at 32-3191.

GARIFUNA DANCE -- JUNE 25-26 -- San Pedro Sula will be host to the presentation of the Danza de las Animas Garifuna dance at the Museum of History and Anthropology from 8 to 10 p.m. More information at 57-1496.

THEATER FOR PEACE -- JULY 9-12 -- The Hibueras Cultural Center will hold the fifth annual Theater Festival for Peace in the city of Santa Barbara, to honor the birth of Father Jose Trinidad Reyes, one of the pioneers of Honduran theater. More information at 36-9843.

DANCE PERFORMANCE -- JULY 16 -- The Grupo Independiente Danza Libre will be performing Las Siete Verguenzas at the Manuel Bonilla National Theater in Tegucigalpa. More information at 36-9843.

STAMP EXHIBIT -- THROUGH JUNE -- The San Pedro Sula Museum of History and Anthropology is celebrating the Juniana fair with an exhibit of more than 400 stamps issued in Honduras since 1870.

MUSEUMS AND GARDENS

TEGUCIGALPA

MUSEO DE HISTORIA REPUBLICANA

CENTRAL BANK MUSEUM

NATIONAL ART GALLERY

IGUANA FARM

YUSCARAN, EL PARAISO

YUSCARAN HOUSE OF CULTURE

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

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

TELA, ATLANTIDA

LANCETILLA BOTANICAL GARDENS

LA CEIBA, ATLANTIDA

BUTTERFLY AND INSECT MUSEUM

ROATAN, THE BAY ISLANDS

CARAMBOLA BOTANICAL GARDENS

Lice teach lessons of cooperation in stories and dance

By WENDY GRIFFIN

Nothing is too big or too small to tell something about a person. In stories told by Miskito Indians, even lice can teach us about people, as seen in this story of a prudent young girl, collected by the Miskito Cultural Center (MISKIWAT) and published by UNICEF.

Once there was a young girl who loved with her grandmother. One day the grandmother gave her a large gourd and asked her to go get some water. On her way back home, the girl slipped and dropped the gourd. It broke into many pieces. When the grandmother heard what had happened, she became furious and shouted at the girl, "I want you to bring me another gourd right this minute!"

With tears in her eyes, the young girl went out into the pine forests and swamp lands to look for another gourd, but she couldn't find one. Eventually she came across some zapote trees. "If only one zapote would fall from the tree," she said to herself," at least I would have something to eat." Just then, a huge ripe zapote fell to the ground. She ate it all, gave thanks and continued on her way.

Later she became hungry again. "If only there were some papayas," she thought to herself. "I would happily eat one." Just then a papaya tree appeared. She chose a ripe fruit, ate it, gave thanks and was on her way again.

But then night began to fell and she became frightened. Suddenly she saw a small house. An old woman came out and asked what the girl was looking for. When the girl told her the story of the broken gourd, the old woman answered, "that's okay, child. I'll get you a new one in the morning. Come on in and have some food. What are you used to eating?"

"Whatever I am offered," said the girl.

So the old woman told her to prepare some f the charter banana peels that were sitting on top of the clay stove. The girl did as she was told and when she was done, she took the lid off the pot and found some tapado stew. She served herself and ate well.

After dinner, the woman asked the young girl to look at her hair because she was feeling a lot of itching. The girls found the old woman's head full of lice and began to kill them. When the old woman asked what was making her itch, the girl said it was nothing, but she continued picking ut the lice until there were none.

The old woman asked the girl where she usually slept and she answered, " I usually sleep near the fire right on the floor." The woman told the girl she could sleep wherever she liked, but in the morning she woke up in a big comfortable bed. The girl said nothing.

When it was time for the girl to leave, the old woman gave her a new gourd and told her that it was a gift, that she didn't have to pay for it. The girl thanked her. Then the old woman gave her three eggs and told her she should break one if she had any problems.

As the girl walked home, she came across some mountains that were covered with brush so thick it was impossible to walk through. She broke one of the eggs and the brush disappeared. As she walked further, she found a great river that she knew she would not be able to cross on her own. So she broke a second egg and the river disappeared.

As she approached the town where she lived, she began to worry about her grandmother. So she broke the last egg and suddenly a beautiful house with fruit trees and birds appeared. Happily, she went home and brought the grandmother to live with her. The grandmother was sorry for all she had done to the girl and asked for her forgiveness.

Now, in the same town there was another young girl who was very proud and ambitious. When she heard of the poor girl's good fortune, she went to ask her what happened. After hearing the story, the ambitious girl broke one of her grandmother's gourds. The grandmother sent her out to get another. She became hungry.

When she saw the zapotes she thought, "I wish all these zapotes would fall so I could eat them." Many fell, but she could only eat one. She left the rest there and walked on without giving thanks. Later she was hungry again. She wished for a mountain of papayas. Many papayas appeared, but she could eat only one.

At night fall, she met the old woman, who promised to get the girl a gourd. Inside, the woman asked the girl to look at her head. The girl cried out, "Oh, there are so many lice! I wouldn't dare touch them!"

Then the old woman asked the girl where she slept. "In the finest beds," said the girl. Although she went to sleep in a bed, she woke up over the stove, full of ashes. The next morning, the woman gave the girl the gourd and three eggs, saying to crack them if she had any problems.

The ambitious girl came to a path full of thorns. She cracked one of the eggs. The path got worse and only with a lot of effort was she able to get through. Soon she came to a forest thick with trees. She cracked the second egg, and the path got worse. Only with great sacrifice could she get past this obstacle. When she was almost home, she cracked the third egg. Many snakes came out and bit her until she died. Thus ended the life of this proud and envious girl.

Picking lice out of another person's hair is also part of the introduction to the Miskito Indian dance called "Miskito Grandmothers". While the boys come in from work and get a bonfire ready, the girls pretend they are picking lice. Life in the rainforest is too difficult for anyone to go it alone. By helping others do what they can not do for themselves, people assure that they will get help themselves when they need it. Failing to cooperate leaves one vulnerable to face all of life's obstacle without anyone else's help, and in fact open to revenge.

This Week's Trivia, a Honduras This Week Online Exclusive

This Week's Trivia Question

Q: In the National Soccer League's 32-year history, Olimpia has the best record in First Division play, having won 12 championships and finishing runner-up on 6 occasions. Which club has the distinction of having the worst record in First Division play? What was its record?

Think you have an answer? Email hontweek@hondutel.hn or share your comments and read what others have said in the Forum.

ANSWER TO LAST WEEK'S TRIVIA QUESTION

A: The four bridges connecting Tegucigalpa with Comayaguela are Puente Molina (named after Honduran poet Juan Ramon Molina, 1875-1908), Puente Mallol (named after early 19th century Tegucigalpa Mayor Narciso Mallol, who died March 6, 1822), Puente Soberania, and Puente Carias (named after President Tiburcio Carias Andino, 1876-1969). The name of the river is Rio Chiquito or Rio Choluteca.

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Honduras 'constantly subject' to UFOs and paranormal phenomena

By SUYAPA CARIAS

TEGUCIGALPA -- With a firm belief that there is life on other planets, the Honduran Institute for Paranormal Studies has spent more than five years working in the research of supernatural phenomena and it will soon begin to spread the word about their findings.

The Institute, headquartered in Tegucigalpa, is maybe the country's top authority on paranormal matters. Its three major areas of emphasis are scientific planning, scientific research and technology and analysis.

"The idea of creating the Institute emerged in response to the country's need for a serious organization dedicated to the scientific study of paranormal phenomena, considering the large number of these kinds of events that were occurring at that time," says Edwin Gomez, one of the group's three directors.

About 75 percent of the Institute's work has centered around UFO phenomena, including sightings, alleged alien kidnappings and interviews with individuals who claim to have had contact with extraterrestrials.

Gomez and co-directors Omar Carias and Eduardo Vallecillo say the task they have undertaken is not an easy one. Studying a supernatural occurrence is even harder than studying a natural one because there is little science and technology to back up your findings, they say.

"We remain objective while trying to explain the origin of these happenings to the best extent of the possibilities provided by scientific methods," says Gomez. "But we are obviously convinced that there is life on other planets."

PEOPLE ANXIOUS TO KNOW MORE

The Institute's 30 members team has been working non-stop to compile as much information as they can through first-hand observations, documents, videos and other materials. Using computers, a digital telescope, video cameras, lighting equipment and other instruments, they have discovered that Honduras is constantly subject to paranormal phenomena.

UFO sightings have been reported at sites throughout Honduras, including Trujillo, Yoro, Olancho and even as close to the Institute as Tegucigalpa's El Hatillo mountain.

"We have reason to believe that the ancient Maya civilization, as well as the Incas and the Egyptians, had experiences with extraterrestrial beings," says Gomez. Archaeologists still can't explain some of the signs of development left behind by these ancient cultures.

Meanwhile, the Institute has discovered that modern Hondurans, as well, have a great interest in UFOs. They first realized this fact at a lecture on the topic at the Honduran Institute of Interamerican Culture (IHCI), where the audience was much larger than expected.

"The number and depth of the questions asked at the forum really surprised us," says Gomez, adding that people of all ages and backgrounds were in attendance. He believes that this larger-than-expected interest is based on the fact that local cultural, religious, economic and social issues are sometimes linked to UFOs.

After many years of gathering information, the Institute now plans to strengthen its educational role and has scheduled a series of lectures and debates for this July.

"We are interested in generating a national debate on the issue," says Gomez.

SUPPORT NEEDED

So far, the Institute's efforts have only been possible through the personal efforts of its staff members. A lack of support from scientific circles, coupled with a general lack of understanding about paranormal matters, has made it difficult for the Institute to obtain the community support that it would like, say its directors. Gomez says that in countries like the United States, Mexico and even Costa Rica the government places enough importance on UFO research to provide at least some money to finance it.

But the Institute needs more than financial assistance, say its directors, who would also like to have the attention of the authorities and the cooperation of other national organizations, like the physics and astronomy department of the National Autonomous University of Honduras. Support from international organizations, meanwhile, would help the Institute to improve its technology and render its efforts more productive.

The Honduran Institute for Paranormal Studies is currently formalizing links with similar groups in Mexico, Miami and Spain. It also plans to have its own site on the Internet soon.