San Pedro Sula

San Pedro Sula is a city in the nation of Honduras. It is in the northwest of the country, some 60 km south of Puerto Cortes on the Caribbean Sea. With a population of about 486,000 people (2002 estimate), it is the second largest city in the country behind the Honduran capital Tegucigalpa. It is the capital of Honduras's Cortés Department.

History

San Pedro Sula was founded on June 27, 1536, by Pedro de Alvarado with the name Villa de San Pedro de Puerto Caballos. It came to be referred to as "San Pedro Sula" within 5 years after its location in the Sula valley. It was a small provincial city with a population of 1,714 until the arrival of the railroad to the Caribbean Sea in 1888. After this the city grew rapidly to become Honduras's main business and industrial center.

The city has a museum of archeology and history, which includes Pre-Columbian artifacts. The cigar making business is important here. The airport is San Pedro Sula International Airport.