Comayagua

Comayagua is a town in Honduras, some 80km northwest of Tegucigalpa on the highway to San Pedro Sula at 14.46°N, 87.65°W at an elevation of 594 meters above sea level. In 2003 the estimated population was 74,000 people. It is the capital of Honduras's Comayagua District.

History

Comayagua was founded with the name Santa María de la Nueva Valladolid by Conquistador Alonso de Cáceres under orders from Francisco de Montejo, Governor of Yucatan on December 8, 1537. From 1540 on Comayagua was the capital of the Honduras district of New Spain. After independence from Spain it was the capital of the state of Honduras in the United States of Central America. After Honduras became an independent republic, the capital alternated between Comayagua and Tegucigalpa (Comayagua being preferred by Conservative administrations, and Tegucigalpa by Liberal ones) before being permanently established at Tegucigalpa in 1880.

The town is noted for its wealth of Spanish Colonial architecture. The national School of Fine Arts is located here.