Honduran citizens have culturally diverse histories
Honduras is home to a variety of ethnic groups related to ancient Maya civilizations, pirates and Spanish conquistadors.
The Pech, Tawahka and Miskito live in very remote areas of Honduras. The Pech and Tawahka are believed to be descendents of the Paya who, in turn, may have descended from a South American group called Chibchas. The Moskitia are thought to have come to live in the area of La Mosquitia long after the Pech and Tawahka first settled there nearly 3,000 ago.
The Moskito may be descendents of shipwrecked slaves from the many boats that sank off of Honduras’ northeastern coast.
The Spanish first discovered the area of La Mosquitia in the late 1500s.
By the mid-1600s the British established their first settlement in Cabo Gracias a Dios and fought many battles with the nearby Spanish settlements. During this time, the Moskito became well known for their warrior ways and their loyalty to the British who often recruited them for raids and battles with the Spanish.
In 1670, the British signed the American Treaty that designated them the rulers of the Caribbean, to the dismay of the Spanish who put up a fight in response. And so came the era of piracy. Many of these people were indentured servants from England who had been sold into slavery and had managed to buy back their freedom or escape.
Reports claim that authorities tried to maintain law and order but eventually fell to the violent life themselves. According to Destination Honduras 2000, a well-known pirate Sir Henry Morgan, as governor of Jamaica, “dabbled in raids and the smuggling of plundered goods.”
Pirate armadas carrying 500 to 1,500 men would lurk the seas. The Moskito recruits were fierce and became widely feared.
Pirates pillaged Granada, Nicaragua and Guatemala and seized valuables such as gold, indigo, livestock and steel.
By 1689, a British military presence calmed the waters and pirates retired to the islands where many became farmers.
In the 1800s settlers of Scottish and English descent immigrated to the Bay Islands from Grand Cayman.
In 1861, England appointed a 12-man legislature and annexed the Bay Islands. The United States opposed the expansion and convinced Great Britain to restore the Bay Islands to the Honduran government with the Wyke-Cruz Treaty.
The mainland government banned English from schools, so the Spanish language prospered there, but because the Bay islanders were secluded, English continues to be spoken there.
Nowadays, the Moskito still live in rural areas, so they spend much of their time tending to crops of yucca, beans, and corn. Many Moskito partake in the business of eco-tourism, offer their expertise as guides and sometimes offer lodging and food to visitors.
Another group of people who have settled in Honduras is the Garifuna. Ancestors of this group arrived in Honduras more than 200 years ago. A slave ship sank off the coast of St. Vincent. The Garifuna today are descendents of some of the slaves who made it to shore and the Carib indigenous people of the islands.
They eventually immigrated to the mainland and now occupy the Caribbean coast of Central America from Guatemala to Honduras. In Honduras, the Garifuna heavily populate the areas of El Triunfa, Roatan and Punta Gorda.
Various aspects of their culture and traditions still bear the influence of St. Vincent or Africa. Peter Centeno, a primitivist painter, earned much recognition for his works that depicted typical Garifuna activities. Some of his paintings are on display in art galleries in San Pedro Sula.
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