San Andrés is a municipality

Municipality

A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...

 in the Honduran

Honduras

Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...

 department of Lempira

Lempira (department)

Lempira is one of the 18 departments of Honduras Central America, located in the western part of the country with borders with El Salvador. It was named Gracias department until 1943, and the departmental capital is Gracias....

. It is notable as the principal site in Honduras for the mining of andesite

Andesite

Andesite is an extrusive igneous, volcanic rock, of intermediate composition, with aphanitic to porphyritic texture. In a general sense, it is the intermediate type between basalt and dacite. The mineral assemblage is typically dominated by plagioclase plus pyroxene and/or hornblende. Magnetite,...

 opal

Opal

Opal is an amorphous form of silica related to quartz, a mineraloid form, not a mineral. 3% to 21% of the total weight is water, but the content is usually between 6% to 10%. It is deposited at a relatively low temperature and may occur in the fissures of almost any kind of rock, being most...

s from Las Colinas deposit near Sosoal, which is in the municipality. This mining is largely performed by artisanal miners

Artisanal mining

An artisanal miner or small-scale miner is, in effect, a subsistence miner. They are not officially employed by a mining company, but rather work independently, mining or panning for gold using their own resources...

, rather than on an industrial scale.
It is approximately 120 km from Gracias

Gracias

Gracias is a small Honduran town/municipality that was founded in 1536, and has a population of approximately 25,000 people...

 city. It is about 1 hour away from Erandique

Erandique

Erandique is a municipality in the Honduran department of Lempira.Erandique, is one of the several municipalities of the Lempira department. One has to travel 65 km from the city of Gracias passing by San Juan . A second road that leads to Erandique is going by the town of "Dolores" in...

 city.

History

In the census of 1801 it was known as "Guaxinlaca" village, under the delegation of "Gracias a Dios". In the national division of 1889, it appeared as a municipality of Erandique district.

Geography

Since it is located on the mountains, the main forests are Pines and Oaks. Its elevation above sea level is the proper one for coffee plantations. Its mountains and hills are very high and steep. It has several water spring running down the steep hills. One curiosity is a huge rock monolith on the way to the departmental capital, which proves the volcanic origins of the rocks in this municipality and the rest of the department.

Boundaries

Its boundaries are:

• North : La Campa
  La Campa
  La Campa is a municipality and an aldea, or small town, in the Honduran Department of Lempira, located about by dirt road from Gracias, the largest town in the immediate region. The inhabitants of Gracias, La Campa, and other nearby aldeas, including San Manuel Colohete, are mainly of Lenca descent...
  
  , San Sebastián
  San Sebastian, Lempira
  San Sebastian is a municipality in the Honduran department of Lempira.San Sebastián is one of the farthest municipalities of the Lempira department. It is 13 km ahead of San Manuel Colohete. It is highly recommended to go on a 4 wheel drive vehicle when visiting this municipality.- History :In the...
  
   and Santa Cruz
  Santa Cruz, Lempira
  Santa Cruz is a municipality in the Honduran department of Lempira.Santa Cruz is one of the most hidden municipalities of the Lempira department. It is 70 km away from the city of Gracias, forced to pass by San Juan del Caite in Intibuca.- History :...
  
   municipalities.
• South : Gualcince
  Gualcince
  Gualcince is a municipality in the Honduran department of Lempira.Gualcince is one of the several municipalities of the Lempira department. It is located 78 km from Gracias city. It is necessary to pass by San Juan, Intibuca and through the municipalities of Santa Cruz and San Andrés. It has 2...
  
   municipality.
• East : Erandique
  Erandique
  Erandique is a municipality in the Honduran department of Lempira.Erandique, is one of the several municipalities of the Lempira department. One has to travel 65 km from the city of Gracias passing by San Juan . A second road that leads to Erandique is going by the town of "Dolores" in...
  
   municipality.
• West : Valladolid
  Valladolid, Lempira
  Valladolid is one of the municipalities of the Lempira department of Honduras. It takes about 2.5 hours to travel there and it must be via Santa Rosa de Copán–San Marcos de Ocotepeque–Cololaca–Tambla–Valladolid.- History :...
  
  , Tambla
  Tambla
  Tambla is a municipality in the Honduran department of Lempira.Tambla is one of the municipalities of the Lempira department. In order to arrive to its municipality capital is better to go via Santa Rosa de Copán-San Marcos de Ocotepeque-Cololaca-Tambla.- History :At the beginning it was located at...
  
   and Tomalá
  Tomalá
  Tomalá is a municipality in the Honduran department of Lempira.Tomalá is one of the smallest municipalities of the Lempira department in Honduras. It is situated 10 minutes away from Tambla municipality.- History :...
  
   municipalities.

• Surface Extents: 243 km²

Resources

The main product of this municipality is coffee, taking advantage of its elevation from sea level and soil conditions. Vegetables, Corn and Beans are second in importance, and then follows cattle raising and milk products. These last items are mostly for local consumption. The exploitation of the forest is rational yet. There is electricity, but they sometimes have problems with it, and the absence can last up to 3 days. There is also coverage of mobiles services. And in some houses, people sell gasoline and diesel fuel.

Population

In the particular case of this municipality, the descendants of Indians take the highest percent, mostly in the surrounding villages. The cross-breed of Spanish and Indians takes the rest.

• Population:The figure in 2001 was 10,472, and according to estimates by the INE Honduras, 12,167 is expected for 2008.
• Villages: 8
• Settlements: 144

Tourism

The deviation to San Andrés is better known as "El Guayabo"; from there, is 15 minutes left to the main town. In some sections the road narrows down to 1 lane and others it turns very slippery, so caution is advised. The best attraction it has are the forests, especially "Liquidambar" forest, because when they change their leaves depending on the season, the landscapes are just gorgeous. The coffee "Fincas" also provide amazing views. There are no hostels, or any places to stay, but since it close to Erandique

Erandique

Erandique is a municipality in the Honduran department of Lempira.Erandique, is one of the several municipalities of the Lempira department. One has to travel 65 km from the city of Gracias passing by San Juan . A second road that leads to Erandique is going by the town of "Dolores" in...

, that can be solved. It doesn't have a formal place to eat either, but there's an old lady, about half a block away from the Mayor's office, who cooks delicious typical meals. On the holidays, many people attend and some bring their products.

• Local Holidays: "San Andrés" day on 30 November.