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Tegucigalpa - courtesy alex-s - CC-BY

Tegucigalpa is the capital city of Honduras and is the country’s largest city.

Tegucigalpa was founded as “Real Villa de San Miguel de Heredia de Tegucigalpa” in 1578 and finally became capital in 1880. Tegucigalpa, got its name from the Nahuatl language, and translated means “silver mountain”. Hurricane Mitch destroyed much of Tegucigalpa in 1998, especially the poorer and more dangerous sector known as Comayaguela. Tegucigalpa has a new face now with new buildings, new roads, and a new commercial importance.

Most of the city’s outskirts are shantytowns that house the poorest elements of Honduran society. The wealthy of the country live in upscale neighborhoods and the economic divide is striking.

There are a handful of history and art museums in the city. The center of shopping in Tegucigalpa is Multiplaza, a multi-level indoor shopping mall that houses many retail shops among other amenities. You will also find the old historical center of town interesting. Within this district you will find old buildings, such as the Cathedral, dedicated to the patron saint of the city. One of the most recent monuments is the massive image of Christ that overlooks the city. Known as the “Christ of the Picacho,” it was built in 1997, but has rapidly become a favorite image to depict the city. You can travel up the mountain to the image located in Picacho Park, where a series of other monuments, a small zoo, and an impressive view of the city are all available. There are some good restaurants serving up local specialties but be wary of sanitation practices. But the city is swamped by a variety of American fast-food restaurants, McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s, Subway, etc. All follow “home office” food preparation methods and visitors can eat at them without fear of getting sick.

Average temperatures in Tegucigalpa are from 4 to 27 C (39 to 81 F) in February to 12 to 33 C (54 to 91 F) in May.

Tegucigalpa is served by Toncontin International Airport. Public transportation is by bus and taxi.

Tegucigalpa population is 894,000 (2006).

+504 is the international calling code for Honduras, all points.

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