La Esperanza | |
---|---|
Nickname: La Esperansita | |
Coordinates: 14°18′23.90″N 88°10′43.21″W / 14.3066389°N 88.1786694°W | |
Country | Honduras |
Department | Intibucá |
Founded | 22 September 1848 |
City and Municipality | 1883 |
Government | |
• Type | Democratic Municipality |
• Mayor | Miguel Antonio Fajardo Mejía (PNH)[2] |
Area | |
• Total | 157.2 km2 (60.7 sq mi) |
Elevation | 1,700 m (5,600 ft) |
Population (2016) | |
• Total | 12,955[1] |
Time zone | UTC-6 (Central America) |
Postal code | 14101 |
Municipality number | 1001 |
Website | Official web page (possibly abandoned) |
La Esperanza (Spanish pronunciation: [la espeˈɾansa]) is the capital city and a municipality of the same name of the department of Intibucá, Honduras. La Esperanza is famous for having the coolest climate in Honduras. It is considered the heart of the Ruta Lenca (Lenca Trail), a region of Lenca ethnic influence that spans Honduras from Santa Rosa de Copan to Choluteca. Sites on the Lenca Trail have been designated by the government and United Nations development in order to encourage more cultural tourism, and help create new markets for the traditional crafts, such as pottery, practiced by the Lenca, in order to preserve their culture.
The city of La Esperanza is merged indistinguishably with the city of Intibucá, the head of the neighboring municipality of Intibucá. Intibucá is the older of the twin cities and was originally an indigenous Lenca community, while La Esperanza is the newer ladino community.[3] Although the two cities have separate municipal governments, they are often referred to jointly as La Esperanza as they are only separated by a city street that crosses the city. Residents of La Esperanza are traditionally referred to as esperanzanos and residents of Intibucá as intibucanos.