CULTURAL

Monday, May 31, 1999 Online Edition 159

Newspaper archives in bad shape but still worth a visit

Space and time are quickly running out for the preservation of many Honduran newspapers and journals. (Photo by Jorge Flores McClellan.)

By JORGE FLORES MCCLELLAN

TEGUCIGALPA -- From the outside, one would never guess that more than half a century of newspapers are kept inside, trying to be preserved for posterity. The building is a 50-year-old, nondescript house, the only distinctions being the lettering painted above its entrance and the fact that it is located across from the former Presidential Palace and the Central Bank in downtown Tegucigalpa.

The "Hemeroteca Nacional Ramon Rosa" houses more than 120,000 publications. "We have [most] newspapers published in this country since around 1946," says Jose Adan Castelar Sr., the archives' director. "We also have a collection of earlier weekly newspapers and newsletters ranging from about 1903 to the 1940s," he adds.

Visitors to the national newspaper archives (Hemeroteca Nacional Ramon Rosa) look at some of the papers on display at this month's exhibit of weeklies dating from the early part of this century. (Photo by Jorge Flores McClellan.)

Castelar admits to not having a detailed inventory or a complete collection since some papers have disappeared over time due to careless hands or simple negligence. "What people most complain about is the lack of technology. We just do not have microfilm, computers or even a photocopier. But we do have very friendly and knowledgeable personnel and people appreciate that," he says.

The methods used to preserve paper are rudimentary. Without going into much detail, Castelar says a special chemical is sprayed to protect them. Another method is to take the old, deteriorating papers and photocopy them.

Rats, mice and other pests are kept under control by exterminators. "At this moment, we do not have rats inside the archives but you can hear them between the ceiling and the roof. With our very limited resources we try to do our best. Our biggest problem, I would say, are the leaks in the roof. During the rainy season I come here at night and on weekends to check for myself that there is no water dripping through leaks on the newspapers. If I don't do it, nobody else will. I must say that since I took this job in 1995, to my knowledge no papers have been lost," he says.

There are about 200 visitors daily to the Hemeroteca, mostly students and teachers.

Navigating through the archives and reading the papers is to take a nostalgic trip to discover what appears to have been, at least in writing, a quite different Honduras. Back then literacy was a privilege and information slow and scarce, so most issues were limited in scope, perhaps biased. One can sense that the target audience was composed of intellectuals of the highest order who would not accept sensationalism or politically incorrect articles from their papers. Of course, this changed from paper to paper and from government to government.

Chronologically, the transformation of Honduras can be seen in these papers up until today. The fibers of society have extended to embrace all issues in every social strata. One cannot help but be amazed at the rich and insightful phraseology and complete lexicon of journalists, especially during the first half of the century, in comparison with the majority of today's writers.

This month, Castelar organized a small exposition of about 20 weeklies of the first years of this century, especially those written and edited by then eminent writer and poet, Froylan Turcios, among other literary figures.

Space and time are running out in the archives. A generous donation of infrastructure, equipment and specialized labor is obviously and painfully needed. Castelar adds, "I defend what I was given with responsibility, respect and love to these Hondurans that left us this cultural treasure. Sadly, everything depends on money and we have no budget. Most of the employees earn minimum wages. It is too bad because here we have the written history of this country."

Spirits warn destructive Hondurans to shape up or face consequences

By WENDY GRIFFIN

Don Felipe Fuentes, a citizen of the community of Santa Ana, Atlantida but originally from Santa Cruz de Yojoa, tells that a long time ago in the place where Lake Yojoa now is, there used to be a small village. But these people had disobeyed the commandments written in the Bible and had cursed the name of God.

A man whose name was Lauriano Boden always prayed to God, asking for peace and love in his village. One day when Don Lauriano was walking along a hill near the village, he heard a voice tell him that everything would be lost. If he heard something, he should not look back.

The next day it began to rain a lot, in such a way that there was a land-slide and all the people in the town were buried under the mountain.

Boden quickly left that place which was supposedly punished by the powerful forces that do justice on earth. He was the only survivor of that community. Two years later when he returned, he found the whole town gone, converted into Lake Yojoa.

The strangest thing was that in the lake there was only one species of fish, and nobody could catch them. With time, many people tried to mix them with different kinds of fish, but they never could.

Boden's conclusion was that the inhabitants of the town were changed into fish as a punishment for being disobedient to God. Given problems of modern pollution around Lake Yojoa, this ought to give some modern people food for thought as to possible consequences of their actions.

Even now some spirits still speak out. One example is an Uraga or traditional story told by the Garifuna, particularly at wakes.

"Tono was going to fish in canoe in the Laguna de Micos, near Tela. He was fishing at night in a place called Marion.

One night he heard a sound and saw an object that was coming toward him like a large candle and then heard a voice speak to him. The spirit asked him to tell the people who lived around the lagoon not to throw garbage in his home.

So Tono asked, "Who is speaking to me?" The spirit answered, "I am he who takes care of all these waters," the spirit answered.

Tono became afraid and returned to his village to tell them everything that had happened to him.

The Garifuna still use the Yoruba name for the spirit who protects the fish estuaries and lagoons, considering him one of the mafia, a word than can refer to bush or water spirits.

When the highway from Juticalpa through San Esteban to Bonito Oriental near the North Coast was built, Ladino workers used bulldozers to knock down some of the large trees that were either logged or burned. One day opposite the village of El Carbon where the Pech live, a duende or forest spirit appeared to a bulldozer driver.

"Why are you bothering my home? I have not bothered yours. If you continue to destroy my home, I will have to destroy you," said the duende. On hearing the duende, the driver stopped his bulldozer and ran away, refusing to do that kind of work.

Some people see these kinds of ecological messages as luxuries that Honduras cannot afford. But Hurricane Mitch showed the importance of protecting natural resources.

After the crops were ruined, the Garifunas immediately began to fish to feed their families. The Miskito and Tawahka hunters went fishing. When aid workers arrived in some villages along the Patuca where no aid had reached, the people were not in the villages, but rather in the forest, digging up edible roots.

Wild resources are an important supplement to agriculture among the poor, and their preservation helps people during times of agricultural failure.

This coming month the Mobil House of Culture will travel to San Pedro Sula to provide artistic performances during the Feria Juniana.

Well equipped with light and sound equipment, this fully mobil theater has performed at seven different festivals since it came to the country in the first week of August 1998. Its first performance was on the grounds of the National Professional Training Institute (INFOP) and was inaugurated with excellent artistic presentations.

Performances were given by the National Symphony Orchestra, the National Garífuna Ballet Troupe, Guillermo Anderson, and the National Folkloric Dance Group.

The Mobil House of Culture travels throughout the country with a professional team of technicians. Their first performance outside the capital was in Valle de Angeles, and performances have also been given in Comayagua, San Pedro Sula, Olancho, Santa Rosa de Copán, Taulabé and La Ceiba.

A donation of the government of Sweden, the mobile theater is valued at Lps. 2.5 million. In all of Latin America there are only three such theaters: one each in Paraguay, Uruguay, and right here in Honduras.

ADULT COMEDY -- JUNE 3,4,5,11,12,17,18,19 -- Producciones Artisticas Siglo XXI presents its 5th production titled Cosas de Papa y Mama at the Renacimiento Theater in Tegucigalpa's Plaza Millennium mall. Admission is Lps. 50; senior citizens and students pay only Lps. 30. More information at 225-5517.

SAN PEDRO THEATER CIRCLE -- JUNE -- The San Pedro Sula Theater Circle is presenting "La Fiaca," a comedy written by Argentine Ricardo Talesnik and directed by Oscar Barahona. Performances are Thursdays through Sundays at 8 p.m. at the San Pedro Cultural Center. Admission is Lps. 30. For more information, call 557-2575.

INDIGENOUS DRAMA -- JUNE 6 -- Come and enjoy the artistic talent of the Grupo Misquito theater group at the Manuel Bonilla National Theater in downtown Tegucigalpa at 7 p.m.

DRAMA -- JUNE 8 -- The Teatro Taller Tegucigalpa will present its own dramatic display at the Manuel Bonilla National Theater in downtown Tegucigalpa at 7 p.m.

BOOK EXPO -- JUNE 1-20 -- The National Art Gallery in downtown Tegucigalpa will present an exhibit of books titled "Los Libros Construyen Puentes" (The books build bridges), sponsored by the Royal Swedish Library. The gallery is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

ART CLASSES -- JUNE -- Sarah Morris Swetcharnik will offer art classes for children and teenagers beginning June 5, Saturday mornings from 10-11:30 a.m. at the Union Church in Lomas de Guijarro. For more information, call 211-8369.

PAINTING CLASSES -- JUNE -- William Swetcharnik will be offering figure painting for serious students and professionals Saturday mornings from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the National Art Gallery of Art. Limited enrollment. For more information, call 211-8369.

NATIONAL ART GALLERY -- The Pro-Art and Culture Foundation and the National Gallery of Art have space available for cultural exhibits for the benefit of the victims of Hurricane Mitch. For more information, call 237-9884, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

FOLKLORIC BALLET -- JUNE 10 -- A colorful performance of folkloric ballet will be held at 7 p.m. at the Manuel Bonilla National Theater in downtown Tegucigalpa.

CLASSIC BALLET -- JUNE 1-5 -- Students of the Mercedes Agurcia Membreno Ballet school will offer a ballet show at 7 p.m. at the Manuel Bonilla National Theater in Tegucigalpa.

MARIMBA MUSIC -- JUNE 10 -- The Manuel Bonilla National Theater continues its cultural offerings with a presentation of the "Alma de Honduras" marimba troupe.

STRING QUINTET -- JUNE 9 -- The Manuel Bonilla National Theater in downtown Tegucigalpa will be host to a concert by a Honduran string quintet at 10 a.m.

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.

AL-ANON FAMILY GROUPS -- Al-Anon helps the relatives and friends of problem drinkers. Groups met weekly in Colonia Alameda (Saturday afternoons) and Colonia Loarque (Sunday evenings). For more information, contact Amanda at 239-2698 (Spanish) or Margaret at 226-6576 (English).

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 ESWC invites all English-speaking women to attend its teas held the second Thursday of each month at 2:30 p.m. at the Restaurante La Hacienda on Blvd. Morazan. For more information, call Sara at 211-8369.

MASONIC LODGE MEETINGS -- The Masonic Lodge of Scottish Rite, Francisco Morazan #11 meets every Monday night at 7 p.m. in their lodge building in the Barrio Abajo. For information call Yoel Muchnik at 222-3323.

CHILDREN’S THEATER CLASSES -- The National Theater School has opened the Children’s Theater School for children ages 5 to 18. Enrollment will be open until June. For more information, call 222-5487.

MUSIC CLASSES - The "Amadeus" Music Conservatory offers individual music classes for all ages. For more information, call 232-2859.

NATIONAL PUBLIC LIBRARY CLOSED -- The National Public Library has moved to the old Tipografia Building on Avenida Cervantes, two blocks from the Central Park Cathedral. The Library is closed until further notice due to installation activities. The new facilities will feature a modern interior including an audio-visual department, a children's room and Internet connections with 12 other Honduran public libraries.

ART, LEARNING & 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.

BINGO -- JUNE 10 -- The Asociacion de Damas Nicaraguenses will sponsor a bingo competition to finance charity projects. The activity will take place at Los Arcos Shopping Center on Tegucigalpa's Boulevard Morazan.

HURRICANE MITCH PRESENTATION -- Biocentro in San Pedro Sula is currently giving a presentation about Hurricane Mitch.

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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.

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.

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

SPS MUSEUM OF ANTHROPOLOGY AND HISTORY

The Museo de Antropología e Historia de San Pedro Sula features exhibits on the development of Sula Valley, from 1500 B.C. to the middle of this century. The museum is open 10 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sundays. Admission is Lps. 10 for adults, Lps. 5 for students and children under 12, and Lps. 2 for senior citizens. For more information, call 557-1496/557-1798 or fax 557-1874.

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.

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.

OLANCHO

PECH CULTURAL CENTER

The Pech have built a small house in El Carbon, Olancho to display their modern handicrafts. An exhibit of archaeological finds in the area is planned. You can ask to see the collection and/or get a tour of a Post Classic era fortified site. The Pech Cultural Center also offers medicinal plant tours, nature hikes, Pech dinners, etc. There is no admission fee to the cultural center. Hours: If you ask, they will open it.

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.

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.

GARIFUNA MUSEUM

This Garifuna-run museum in Tela, Atlantida has an almost complete collection of the different handicrafts made by the Garifunas. If you ask, they have a written guide in English available. The museum also houses the Garifuna handicraft shop and part of the Tela Artist Association's Art Gallery. The rest of the Gallery and the Garifuna restaurant have moved to the Garifuna Plaza on the beach next to the Bahia Azul Hotel. Tours of the Garifuna Museum to home/studios of Garifuna artists, medicinal plant tours, dance presentations, and tours/overnight stays in local Garifuna villages can be arranged at either the Museum or Garifuna Plaza. The museum is open 9 to 5 while Garifuna Plaza is open 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Admission is Lps. 5. The museum is located next to the river, one block up from the bridge that goes to Telamar and the local churches.

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

TRUJILLO

TRUJILLO RUFINO GALAN MUSEUM

A private museum which has a memorabilia section, old chairs, anchors, silverware, beds of famous people locally. There is an industrial archaeology section on how lights, axes, stoves, sewing machines, typewriters have changed over time. They have a good collection of Garífuna handicrafts and the best collection

of NE Honduras archaeological pieces -- all unmarked. A written guide to the museum is available at the Trujillo Tourism Office in English and Spanish. The museum is open 8 to 4, closing for lunch. Adults Lps. 20, children Lps. 10. Located on Calle 18 de Mayo, next to the Crystales River and the famous "piscina" or pool, about a 15-minute walk out of town.

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.

BAY ISLANDS MUSEUM

A private museum at Anthony's Key Resort, Sandy Bay, Roatan, Bay Islands, it mostly includes archaeological pieces, but there is a small section on the modern Bay Islanders. Museum admission is included in the cost of the dolphin show at Anthony Key's Institute of Marine Sciences. Small buses or taxis will take you to Sandy Bay from most Roatán towns.

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

Monday, May 10, 1999 Online Edition 156 Special Edition

Documentary on Mosquitia to be produced for A&E Channel

Indians pole up the Rio Platano in a dugout canoe or pipante, as it is called in the Mosquitia. Last month a film crew out of Chicago visited the Rio Platano Biosphere Reserve to shoot a documentary on the Mosquitia and the legendary White City. (Photo by Ricardo Madrid.)

By RICARDO MADRID

Special to Honduras This Week

La Mosquitia of northeastern Honduras is one of the last true adventure regions left on the planet. This biodiverse area is made up of virgin tropical rain forest, mangrove swamps and pine savannas. These ecosystems are populated with exotic fauna, such as the jaguar, ocelot, puma, giant anteater, harpy eagle, macaw and many more too numerous to list. There are also several culturally distinct indigenous groups that inhabit the Mosquitia: the Miskitos, Pech, Tawahka and Garifunas.

Hidden within the rain forests are some 80 known unexcavated archaeological sites belonging to a yet undetermined culture that existed there long before the discovery and colonization of Honduras. This mystery fuels the legend of the lost White City or "Ciudad Blanca" as it is called in Spanish.

All this serves as the backdrop for a new documentary currently being produced by Towers Productions of Chicago, which in April sent a film crew to Honduras to get footage of the Mosquitia. Prior to filming in Honduras, the team -- headed by Neil Laird, the documentary's producer -- had shot footage of a Mayan city being unearthed in neighboring Belize.

After hiring a local outfitter, the group -- Laird; Laurens Grant, associate producer; Oral User, cameraman; Richard Pooler, sound engineer -- traveled to the frontier town of Palacios, the "gateway" to the Rio Platano Biosphere Reserve since most tours and expeditions begin next to the community's 2,500-foot grass runway.

Once in Palacios, the film crew boarded a 33-foot motorized dugout canoe for the long trip up the Rio Platano to the Las Marias village base camp. At the village, several Pech were interviewed about the White City, a legend that has been handed down from generation to generation.

Pipantes, a type of dugout canoe for shallow waters, were used to go further up river to an archaeological site famous for its petroglyphs. Here the crew shot footage of the figure of a monkey straddling a branch, moving from left to right, that is etched on the large rock. Some people believe that this petroglyph represents the monkey god that according to legend was worshipped in the White City.

After four days of filming the crew returned to the United States to begin editing and other post production work, which is expected to be completed by the end of July.

It seems the mystery surrounding a legend that has endured for centuries will soon make a great television documentary that will air later this year on the Arts and Entertainment Channel.

Ricardo Madrid is a biologist, explorer and the owner of Adventure Expeditions.

Monday, May 3, 1999 Online Edition 155 Special Edition

Sotillo: The only flying ace south of the Rio Grande

By JORGE FLORES MCCLELLAN

War is hell and it will not be glorified here. Those who have been in a war say it brings out the worst in man and the mere echoes of these words serve as a deterrent. But it is also said that war may also bring out the best in man. Virtues like patriotism, integrity, comradeship, compassion and valor, among others, can flourish and are the central theme here, especially when they apply to a Honduran man.

According to the dictionary, an ace is a fighter pilot who has destroyed five or more enemy aircraft. Since the invention of the airplane and in the course of several wars, dozens of men in every major continent have reached this mark and several have even surpassed the required number tenfold or more. But south of the Rio Grande, the border between the U.S and Mexico, where hundreds of millions of people live, only one man, in a relatively small war (if such a thing can be said), has achieved this feat.

The book "Air Aces" (Christopher Shores, Presidio Press, 1983), among other publications, classifies Col. Fernando Soto Henriquez of the Honduran Air Force (FAH) as an ace for destroying with his F4-U5 Corsair, two F4-U Corsairs and one P-51 Mustang in dogfights in the 1969 "100 Hour War" between Honduras and El Salvador. The minimum required by the dictionary was not reached, but it is considered an achievement in the continent because in no other theater of war, including the Falklands War, has anyone achieved this feat, since the opportunity has not arisen.

At first glance, one can distinguish Col. Soto as a gallant gentleman, a fact that is proven when one speaks with him. He is polite, courteous, attentive, looks straight in the eye and has a ready smile for the smart humorous quip. He has the demeanor of the mature pilot, exuding the confidence that is acquired by flying tons of metal at hundreds of kilometers per hour, sometimes with hundreds of passengers, for thousands of hours.

GOOD PILOTS

"You want to know why we are such good pilots?" he says with a smile, sitting on a couch in the living room of his house near the Toncontin airport in Tegucigalpa. "Do you know what it was like to fly in Honduras in the 50s, 60s and 70s? Honduras is all mountains and there were no roads. You name the town and I will tell you how to approach it in a DC-3 or any other plane.

"Everyday it was a different village, hopping over a mountain to the next city or town, flying below high ridges looking at the pine trees above, to land on an uphill dirt strip, delivering everything from guaro (liquor) to pigs. Passengers got on here and would get off five or six stops later, then others would take their place and so on.

"Every Saturday we logged 17 landings and takeoffs including San Salvador and Guatemala City ending in Guanaja and on Sundays the whole thing would start all over again coming back to Tegus. We had to know every trick in the book and then write some tricks of our own to fly, land and takeoff safely in treacherous airways, to bring common necessities anywhere they were needed.

"Today," he added, "90 percent of those airstrips have disappeared because there are roads now. El Salvador's topography is not as contorted and it is a smaller country, so much less was demanded of their pilots".

Col. Fernando "Sotillo" Soto was born in Tegucigalpa on June 24, 1939. He attended the Federico Froebel Elementary School, the San Francisco Junior High School in Tegucigalpa and the St. Francis High School in Pasadena, California, graduating in 1956. In 1957 he was an air force cadet in the FAH training in AT-6's and other planes. In 1958 he graduated with the rank of 2nd. Lieutenant and the next year became an instructor himself.

He says he got plenty of instruction and experiences. "Shortly after takeoff on a routine training flight with Oscar Servellon, who later would command the FAH, I ordered the apprentice to lift the landing gear. I, as the instructor who flew in the back seat, could only lower the gear for landing but only the man in front can lift it. The student tried so hard to find the lever that he ended up breaking off the right one. He showed it to me and I said "yes, that's the one, let's land now."

On another occasion, flying a C-47, he had to land on a grass field because he had complete engine failure. "I looked out the window for a place to land and planed to it, just like that. Luckily, it wasn't much different than the strips we used normally."

THE SOCCER WAR

The experienced instructor pilot has a prodigious memory and clearly remembers the day the war started. "July 14, 1969: All of us pilots had just checked out for the day and headed for the Officers Club in Toncontin. At 6 p.m. the first bomb fell about 300 meters south of the runway. The air raid alarm went off and we ran to our fighter planes. More bombs fell but none near the airport.

"As we took off after the raider, a C-47, dusk closed in so we couldn't find it. It was the first time we flew at night and we had no lights in the cockpit! We turned back to find out other cities like Choluteca, Ocotepeque, Catacamas and Santa Rosa de Copan had been bombed and strafed."

Then Soto described the his and the San Pedro Sula Squadrons missions the following day: "At 5:40 a.m., armed with one 500 lb. bomb, four 2.75 inch rockets and 800 rounds for a 20 mm. cannon, we headed for Ilopango Base in San Salvador. The anti-aircraft guns spitted out so many tracer bullets that we dropped our bombs, fired our rockets and got out of there fast. Our next missions were ground troop support and on the fourth one we silenced the Howitzers and anti-aircraft guns on Los Chichos mountain in El Salvador.

He said that on July 15, the San Pedro Sula squadron, made up of four Corsairs, went directly to bomb and strafe the oil refinery of Cutuco in La Union and the power plant in the port city of Acajutla. "Both facilities were completely destroyed. As we attacked, the Salvadoran pilots did the same on the cities. Our Tegucigalpa Squadron concentrated on ground troop support. We attacked enemy positions and convoys using napalm with great success. We came in to reload after about two hours or so. The ground crews were very efficient."

DOGFIGHTS

"After three days of non-stop activity, on my tenth mission while strafing enemy positions near El Amatillo, we were attacked by two P-51 Mustangs. The cannon of Capt. Zepeda, my wingman, jammed so he called for support. I was the first to arrive. After maneuvering, I got behind one of the P-51s, fired a couple of volleys and it caught on fire, lost control and spun to earth.

"The same day, the 17th, Capt. Acosta and I were heading toward the border when we spotted two Corsairs. They were in an open, combat formation. I signaled Acosta with my hand that I would take the one on the left. He nodded. I fired and the plane caught on fire. I saw it go down and a parachute open."

Meanwhile, he added, "Acosta had seen two other Corsairs and had to leave me. While he went for the others, the second Corsair was already behind me and shot two holes in my right wing. Luckily, I had no fuel there. I maneuvered the way I knew and finally got behind him. After two volleys, it exploded. I had to dodge the debris.

"I turned back to join Acosta who said the other two Corsairs had not participated. Probably they were out of ammo. When we were flying level and straight home, that's when my knees started shaking", he said.

After Col. Soto downed these three planes, no more Salvadoran aircraft flew for the remainder of the war. The next day, a kind of cease fire was accorded and by July 19 all action stopped.

"The role of the FAH was decisive," said Soto. Without our planes the invasion would have done much more damage."

Col. Soto continues to fly. For years, he was a pilot for SAHSA airlines, flying thousands of passengers in 727s and 737s, including Pope John Paul II with co-pilot Harry Jackobsen. "By special request of then President Roberto Suazo Cordoba, we overflew La Paz, his hometown near Comayagua, while the Pope blessed it," he said.

GATHERING OF EAGLES

Thanks to his friend and mentor, Col. Keith Fernell, Military Attache to the U.S. Embassy, last year he attended a meeting called "Gathering of Eagles" at the Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama where he mingled with Connie Bowlin, space shuttle astronaut Gen. Michael Ryan, Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force, and Chuck Yeager, the man who broke the sound barrier, among other living legends.

As a farewell to Col. Fernell, who will leave Honduras in May, on April 22 Col. Soto, Col. Caceres and Col. Raudales all met in La Ceiba and took to the skies in two F-5s of the FAH. "It was a dream come true," said Soto about the one-hour flight over Honduras. "We rolled and looped in those sleek jets, feeling the speed and the Gs grip you like in no other machine."

Col. Soto is the father of eight children and grandfather to 12. One of his sons, also a pilot, died in a plane crash. Another son flies the Airbus 300 for TACA Airlines.

As he looks back over 30 years of peace, which will be commemorated this year, Col. Soto obviously swells with well-deserved pride for his participation and extraordinary achievements, and as the gentleman he is, holds no grudges and keeps an open, magnanimous mind about those dark days when approximately 5,000 lives were lost.

In 1997, when he was director of Civil Aeronautics, Soto attended a meeting of Central American aeronautics directors in Guatemala City. As he returned via El Salvador on a commercial flight, with his friend Maj. Jose Corleto Andrade, who is the director of El Salvador's civil aeronautics, something special happened.

Shortly after beginning their 25-minute flight, Corleto Andrade left him a moment to go to the cockpit. A minute later he called Soto into the cockpit. "Have you met our captain?" Corleto asked. "No, I haven't had the pleasure," Soto replied. "This is Capt. Sesena, the man who parachuted from the plane you shot down."

Soto said they chatted like two old friends about the big jet airliner and modern instruments before returning to his seat as the plane prepared for landing.

As the passengers were deboarding, Soto saw Sesena at the door. Sesena shook his hand cordially. Soto said he looked him straight in the eye and smiled too with his farewell. Soto looked back into the cabin and "there was Corleto, smiling, trying not to burst into laughter. There was no more tension in the air."