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The population of Honduras is predominantly of Mestizo descent and Roman Catholic faith, but there are also several Evangelical denominations. Along the northern coast are communities of English speakers who have maintained a separate culture, as some islands and sections along the Caribbean coast were occupied by pirates and by the British at one time or another. This includes Roatan, a former British slave colony island to the North of La Ceiba. Groups of Garífuna live along the north coast and islands, where there are also many Afro-Latin Americans. In the 20th century, Garífunas became part of Honduras' projected identity through theatrical presentations such as Louvavagu, in order to help boost tourism. Asians in Honduras are mostly of Chinese and Japanese descent. Hundreds of families can find their roots in the Middle East, specifically Lebanon or Palestine. These Arab-Hondurans are sometimes called "turcos", because they arrived in Honduras using Turkish travel documents, as their homelands were then under the control of the Turkish Ottoman Empire. The so-called "turcos", along with the Jewish minority population, exert considerable influence on Honduran economics and politics through large industrial and financial interests . Many other Hondurans have connections to Spain, the United States (especially New Orleans, Florida and California) and the Cayman Islands. In spite of the tide of immigrants, the indigenous peoples of Honduras cling to survival throughout the country. Tribes like the Chortí (Mayan descent), Pech or Paya, Tolupan or Xicaque, Lenca, Sumo or Tawahka, and Miskito still exist, and most still keep their language, Lenca being an exception. For the most part, these tribes live in extreme poverty due to their remote locations and, some say, governmental negligence. Interestingly, there is a distinct shibboleth through Honduras that separates major ethnic groups from others. Honduras is not only located in the heart of Central America, it also straddles two major cultural areas. Thus, there is the Mesoamerican area to the west, where the Lenca and Maya Chorti tribes reside. Both groups belong to the same linguistical family as the Olmec, Aztecs and the extinct Maya. The other zone is the "Area Inter media", a dissimilar assemblage of tribes like Pech, Tawahka, Miskito, and Tolupan in Honduras, as well as the Yanomami indigenous people of South America, to name one. The Garífuna are the newest ethnic addition to the country. Unlike other people from African descent who came to the Americas, these were never slaves. Related in culture to other Caribbean people of African descent such as those in Jamaica, the Garífuna primarily live on the Caribbean shore and in the Bay Islands such as Roatán. |
Honduras Information: Inside
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