Honduras History

History
Honduras was home to several important Mesoamerican cultures, most notably the Maya, before the Spanish invaded in the sixteenth century. The Spanish introduced Roman Catholicism and the now predominant Spanish language, along with numerous customs that have blended with the indigenous culture.

Honduras became independent in 1821 and has since been a republic. In 1960, the northern part of what was the Mosquito Coast was transferred from Nicaragua to Honduras by the International Court of Justice.

Honduran society is predominantly Mestizo; however, American Indian, black and white individuals also live in Honduras. The nation had a relatively high political stability until its 2009 coup and again with the 2017 presidential election.

Honduras is known for its rich natural resources, including minerals, coffee, tropical fruit, and sugar cane, as well as for its growing textiles industry, which serves the international market. 

Timeline
1502 - Christopher Columbus landed near the modern town of Trujillo, near Guaimoreto Lagoon, becoming the first European to visit the Bay Islands 1524 - Honduras was organized as a province of the Kingdom of Guatemala 1821 - Honduras gained independence from Spain and was a part of the First Mexican Empire until 1823, when it became part of the United Provinces of Central America 1838 - Honduras has been an independent republic and has held regular elections 1939 - The fruit companies encouraged immigration of workers from the English-speaking Caribbean, notably Jamaica and Belize, which introduced an African-descended, English-speaking and largely Protestant population into the country, although many of these workers left following changes to immigration law 1969 - There were of thousands of Salvadorans living in Honduras illegally and as many as 130,000 Salvadoran immigrants were expelled

Country Study
Text online by countrystudies.us
 * Honduran History, by This is Honduras
 * Princeton University’s History of Honduras
 * “Honduras: General Descriptive Data,” a Google eBook, published in 1921