San Pedro Sula
Encyclopedia
San Pedro Sula is a city in Honduras
. It is located in the northwest corner of the country, in the Valle de Sula (Sula Valley), about 60 km south of Puerto Cortés
on the Caribbean. With an estimated population of 638,259 people in the main municipality, and 802,598 in its metro area (2010), it is the second largest city, after the capital Tegucigalpa
. It is considered the industrial center of Honduras. It is the capital of the Cortés Department. The city serves as a major transportation hub for the rest of the country, while economically maintaining its base in light industry and the commercial production of coffee, bananas, beef, sugar cane, tobacco, and forestry. According to the The Economist magazine, San Pedro Sula generates two-thirds of country's Gross domestic product (GDP).
San Pedro Sula has a museum of archeology and history, which includes both Pre-Columbian
artifacts and expositions detailing the evolution of the city. The cigar making business is important, as are garment assembly plants, known as maquiladoras. Ramon Villeda Morales International Airport (SAP) is one of the most important airports in Honduras due to its local and international connections. The first private university in Honduras was founded in San Pedro Sula in 1978, Universidad de San Pedro Sula (The accredited private university).
San Pedro Sula was founded on 27 June 1536, by Pedro de Alvarado
under the name Villa de San Pedro de Puerto Caballos, close to the town of Choloma
. There were around 18 towns populated by indigenous people in the Sula valley at the time. Early descriptions of the landscape indicate abundant swampland and dense tropical forests, with little land good for agriculture or cattle raising. The city's name became San Pedro Sula in the 18th century, after several changes. The "Sula" part of its name comes from the Minas de Sula, gold mines located to the west of the village of Naco.
For the first few years of its history, San Pedro was the colonial mint, where gold, found to the west in the Naco, Sula, and Quimistan valleys, had to be brought to smelt, and where the Spanish Crown collected a fifth of the value of the gold. The mint was moved to Gracias a Dios
, and ultimately Comayagua
in the 1550s.
French, English, and Dutch pirates raided and sacked the city, prompting the Spaniards to move the city to its current location along the Chamelecon River. San Pedro languished to a neglected backwater, with few Spanish settlers. New settlers were not attracted to the city, preferring the higher, drier valleys inland with more farmland and gold mines. At the same time, lax Spanish control spurred illicit trade in alcohol from the Caribbean islands, such as Cuba.
The city grew slowly from about 800 residents in 1590, to almost 10,000 by the 1890s, but most of this population growth took place in the 19th century. It benefited initially from the growth of bananas for export in the 1870s and 1880s and formed a close relationship with U.S. based shipper and railroad entrepreneur Samuel Zemurray's Cuyamel Fruit Company
, and the construction of the Interoceanic Railroad between 1869 and 1874 which connected the city to the coast at Puerto Cortés
. Zemurray worked closely with local elites who invested in subsidiary enterprises and thus shaped the way politically for Cuyamel to establish itself and, along the way to pay very few taxes.
In the mid 1920s, it grew from 10,000 to 100,000 people, following a boom in banana plantations in the region. Today, the city's metropolitan area has almost one million inhabitants and continues to expand. The building of a rail line between San Pedro and the coast, connecting the banana plantations to the ports of Tela
and Puerto Cortes
, as well as heavy investment from the local Palestinian
businessmen, spurred development of San Pedro as an industrial city.
San Pedro Sula was officially recognized as a city by the Congress of Honduras
on 8 October 1902.
(Koppen
Aw), with year-round high temperatures and moderately high rainfall.
San Pedro Sula, as most cities built under the Spanish colonial period, is divided in quadrants.
Avenues in the city run from North to South and Streets run from East to West. First Street and First Avenue mark the "center of the city" and effectively dividing it into four major quadrants NW, NE, SW and SE. The technical center of the city is located where both First Street and Avenue meet, but the Central Park on First Street and Third Avenue is considered the true center. Like most other Latin American cities, the Cathedral and City Hall are located in front of the Central Park.
Even though most of the population is located in the Eastern part of the city, or "debajo de la linea" as it is commonly referred to, most of the business and commercial areas as well as the modern structures are located on the West side. A lot of the wealth is located in the West part of the city. Many areas on the East side have been growing very rapidly in the past decades. The road to La Lima has become a major commercial area.
San Pedro Sula is divided into neighborhoods which are named by residential developments or subdivisions. There is a recent trend in San Pedro Sula of enclosing neighborhoods into gated communities. For a complete list of neighborhoods click on List of Neighborhoods in San Pedro Sula.
Ruins which are a three-hour drive away.
Other possibilities include Lake Yojoa and Pulhapanzak Waterfalls (a scenic one-day trip); Cusuco Cloud Forest (a four-wheel-drive outing to see birds orchids bromeliads and sometimes tapirs and armadillos); Tela (including visits to a banana plantation a mahogany-wood-carving factory the Lancetilla Botanical Gardens a swim at the beach at Villas Telemar and a tour of a Garifuna village); and Omoa Fortress (a tour of a 18th century outpost combined with a trip to a beach resort).
The Museo de Antropología e Historia is licensed by the Honduran Institute of Anthropology and History to house archaeological and historical collections, which by law belong to the people of Honduras. The ground floor of the museum is devoted to the history of Honduras, and San Pedro Sula in particular. The upper floor exhibits are about the prehistory of the valley where San Pedro is located. The Museum has a research library with information related to the history of Honduras. The museum director is Teresa de Pastor.
The second museum has to do with the flora and fauna surrounding the city. This museum houses several insects species, as well as books about the nature and the animals found in the Merendon mountains. This museum is directed by Gladys Fasquelle de Pastor.
The planetarium is an astronomy museum. It shows the night sky as seen from San Pedro Sula, while also providing information about the solar system, constellations, and a small space exhibit.
These all contain food courts that boast a varied selection of international cuisine as well as charming little cafés and a wide array of stores and kiosks. There is also a growing number of small convenience centers sprawled across the city.
Currently, cultural and musical events are held on weekends. The statue in the center depicts two women doing laundry on a river bank.
Centro Cultural Sampedrano,
Torre Universitaria Jorge Emilio Jaar
Due its influence in the industrial and commercial sectors of the Honduras, San Pedro Sula has been many higher education institutions that attract students from all over the country. Many people have migrated to the city to take advantage of the educational opportunities present in the city.
The following Universities are located in San Pedro Sula:
San Pedro Sula is the city with the most Bilingual Schools in Central America.
For a full list of school go to List of Primary and Secondary schools in San Pedro Sula
San Pedro Sula is the only city in the country to be home to two soccer stadiums. The Estadio Olimpico Metropolitano
is located in the Villa Olimpica and is the largest in the country with a capacity of 42,000. The Estadio Francisco Morazán
is located in the center of the city and holds 23,000 people. The stadiums are home to San Pedro Sula's most popular professional soccer teams Marathon
and Real España. Because of the stadiums, training facilities, and an almost religious supporting fan base, San Pedro Sula has become the home for the Honduras national football team
.
San Pedro Sula is also home to the Liga Georgina de Villegas
basketball league. The League is divided in two divisions with a promotion and relegation system. The league has a female counterpart as well that carries the same name. Many teams from neighboring cities also take part in the league at it is the highest form of competitive basketball in the area.
There are is a city softball (Óscar Saybe Softball League) and a baseball league that play an annual season and serves as a qualifier for the national tournaments in their respective sports. These leagues are a far less popular and attract fewer fans than the city soccer teams. Even though less supported than their soccer counterparts, the city teams enjoy much success on the national level. Azulejos, the city's baseball champion, has won the national tournament in the last two years.
The Delfines Sampedranos, a local swimming club, is the most successful club in the country and the Central American region. It has dominated Central American competitions for the past several years.
We also may include that it is the only city in Honduras were they have a highly developed center of Taekwondo. were the only World Gold medalist in Honduras trains there Andrea Erazo who is very well known in the world of Taekwondo. Some Centers we can mention there are:
CAR OSAE
Kumgang
Honduras Idols Taekwondo
This sport is one of the only sports in Honduras that give really good results not only in regionals or in nationals nut also on international events.
, as it is officially known, is more commonly known as just Marathón. It was founded on 25 November 1925 in San Pedro Sula by Eloy Montes and a group of his friends. The team's colors are red, white and green. It is the oldest team in the city. Team was a founding member of the Liga Nacional (Honduras's top soccer league). It plays its home games in the Estadio Olimpico Metropolitano.
.
. It is conveniently located about 15 minutes from the city's center and serves North-Western Honduras through several domestic and international air companies, such as: Continental
, American
, Delta
, COPA
, Spirit Airlines
, Aeroméxico
, Maya Island Air
, Air Italy
(January 2012) and TACA
which link the city with San Salvador
, Mexico City, San José
, Belize City
, Managua
, Atlanta, Fort Lauderdale, Houston, Newark
, New Orleans, Miami, Milan Interntional Airport(Starting January 2012), and New York City.
Ramón Villeda Morales Airport is the major and busiest airport in Honduras, handling about 600,000 passengers in 2007. Travelers using this airport are charged a departure tax of $34.04 to help with expansion of the airport.
Bus travel is an easy way to move around the country and this bus station has become the main hub for tourist and Hondurans alike who desire to travel cheaply by bus around the country.
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...
. It is located in the northwest corner of the country, in the Valle de Sula (Sula Valley), about 60 km south of Puerto Cortés
Puerto Cortés
-Geography:It is on the Caribbean Sea coast, north of San Pedro Sula and east of Omoa, at 15.85° N, 87.94° W. It has a natural bay.It is Honduras's main sea port and it is considered the most important seaport in Central America...
on the Caribbean. With an estimated population of 638,259 people in the main municipality, and 802,598 in its metro area (2010), it is the second largest city, after the capital Tegucigalpa
Tegucigalpa
Tegucigalpa , and commonly referred as Tegus , is the capital of Honduras and seat of government of the Republic, along with its twin sister Comayagüela. Founded on September 29, 1578 by the Spanish, it became the country's capital on October 30, 1880 under President Marco Aurelio Soto...
. It is considered the industrial center of Honduras. It is the capital of the Cortés Department. The city serves as a major transportation hub for the rest of the country, while economically maintaining its base in light industry and the commercial production of coffee, bananas, beef, sugar cane, tobacco, and forestry. According to the The Economist magazine, San Pedro Sula generates two-thirds of country's Gross domestic product (GDP).
San Pedro Sula has a museum of archeology and history, which includes both Pre-Columbian
Pre-Columbian
The pre-Columbian era incorporates all period subdivisions in the history and prehistory of the Americas before the appearance of significant European influences on the American continents, spanning the time of the original settlement in the Upper Paleolithic period to European colonization during...
artifacts and expositions detailing the evolution of the city. The cigar making business is important, as are garment assembly plants, known as maquiladoras. Ramon Villeda Morales International Airport (SAP) is one of the most important airports in Honduras due to its local and international connections. The first private university in Honduras was founded in San Pedro Sula in 1978, Universidad de San Pedro Sula (The accredited private university).
History
Pedro de Alvarado
Pedro de Alvarado y Contreras was a Spanish conquistador and governor of Guatemala. He participated in the conquest of Cuba, in Juan de Grijalva's exploration of the coasts of Yucatan and the Gulf of Mexico, and in the conquest of Mexico led by Hernan Cortes...
under the name Villa de San Pedro de Puerto Caballos, close to the town of Choloma
Choloma
Choloma is a municipality in the Honduran department of Cortés. The mayor is Polo Crivelli. It is now the third largest city in Honduras.Many factories are stationed in Choloma due to cheap labor which has helped the municipality's economy. As a result of this fast food joints like Pizza Hut,...
. There were around 18 towns populated by indigenous people in the Sula valley at the time. Early descriptions of the landscape indicate abundant swampland and dense tropical forests, with little land good for agriculture or cattle raising. The city's name became San Pedro Sula in the 18th century, after several changes. The "Sula" part of its name comes from the Minas de Sula, gold mines located to the west of the village of Naco.
For the first few years of its history, San Pedro was the colonial mint, where gold, found to the west in the Naco, Sula, and Quimistan valleys, had to be brought to smelt, and where the Spanish Crown collected a fifth of the value of the gold. The mint was moved to Gracias a Dios
Gracias a Dios
Gracias a Dios: Thanks to God, may refer to.*Gracias a Dios Department, a department of Honduras.*"Gracias a Dios", a song by Mexican singer Thalía...
, and ultimately Comayagua
Comayagua
Comayagua is a city in Honduras, some 80 km northwest of Tegucigalpa on the highway to San Pedro Sula at an elevation of 594 meters above sea level. In 2003 the estimated population was 60,000 people. It is the capital of the Comayagua department of Honduras. The city is noted for its wealth...
in the 1550s.
French, English, and Dutch pirates raided and sacked the city, prompting the Spaniards to move the city to its current location along the Chamelecon River. San Pedro languished to a neglected backwater, with few Spanish settlers. New settlers were not attracted to the city, preferring the higher, drier valleys inland with more farmland and gold mines. At the same time, lax Spanish control spurred illicit trade in alcohol from the Caribbean islands, such as Cuba.
Cuyamel Fruit Company
Cuyamel Fruit was a Honduran fruit company founded by Samuel Zemurray in 1910, to export fruit inland from Puerto Cortés, Honduras. Zemurray started as a banana retailer in Mobile, Alabama and moved to Honduras in order to participate in growing and exporting fruit...
, and the construction of the Interoceanic Railroad between 1869 and 1874 which connected the city to the coast at Puerto Cortés
Puerto Cortés
-Geography:It is on the Caribbean Sea coast, north of San Pedro Sula and east of Omoa, at 15.85° N, 87.94° W. It has a natural bay.It is Honduras's main sea port and it is considered the most important seaport in Central America...
. Zemurray worked closely with local elites who invested in subsidiary enterprises and thus shaped the way politically for Cuyamel to establish itself and, along the way to pay very few taxes.
In the mid 1920s, it grew from 10,000 to 100,000 people, following a boom in banana plantations in the region. Today, the city's metropolitan area has almost one million inhabitants and continues to expand. The building of a rail line between San Pedro and the coast, connecting the banana plantations to the ports of Tela
Tela
Tela is a town in Honduras on the northern Caribbean coast. It is located in the department of Atlantida.-History:Tela was founded by the Spanish conquistador Cristóbal de Olid on 3 May 1524 near an indigenous town named Tehuacán, ruled by a cacique named Cucumba which had a very good source of...
and Puerto Cortes
Puerto Cortés
-Geography:It is on the Caribbean Sea coast, north of San Pedro Sula and east of Omoa, at 15.85° N, 87.94° W. It has a natural bay.It is Honduras's main sea port and it is considered the most important seaport in Central America...
, as well as heavy investment from the local Palestinian
Palestinian people
The Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs , are an Arabic-speaking people with origins in Palestine. Despite various wars and exoduses, roughly one third of the world's Palestinian population continues to reside in the area encompassing the West Bank, the Gaza...
businessmen, spurred development of San Pedro as an industrial city.
San Pedro Sula was officially recognized as a city by the Congress of Honduras
National Congress of Honduras
The National Congress is the legislative branch of the government of Honduras.The Honduran Congress is a unicameral legislature. The current President of the National Congress of Honduras is Juan Orlando Hernández. Its members are 128 deputies, who are elected on a proportional representation...
on 8 October 1902.
Climate
San Pedro Sula features a tropical savanna climateTropical savanna climate
Tropical savanna climate or tropical wet and dry climate is a type of climate that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification categories "Aw" and '"As."...
(Koppen
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by Crimea German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen himself, notably in 1918 and 1936...
Aw), with year-round high temperatures and moderately high rainfall.
City Divisions and Layout
San Pedro Sula, as most cities built under the Spanish colonial period, is divided in quadrants.
Avenues in the city run from North to South and Streets run from East to West. First Street and First Avenue mark the "center of the city" and effectively dividing it into four major quadrants NW, NE, SW and SE. The technical center of the city is located where both First Street and Avenue meet, but the Central Park on First Street and Third Avenue is considered the true center. Like most other Latin American cities, the Cathedral and City Hall are located in front of the Central Park.
Even though most of the population is located in the Eastern part of the city, or "debajo de la linea" as it is commonly referred to, most of the business and commercial areas as well as the modern structures are located on the West side. A lot of the wealth is located in the West part of the city. Many areas on the East side have been growing very rapidly in the past decades. The road to La Lima has become a major commercial area.
San Pedro Sula is divided into neighborhoods which are named by residential developments or subdivisions. There is a recent trend in San Pedro Sula of enclosing neighborhoods into gated communities. For a complete list of neighborhoods click on List of Neighborhoods in San Pedro Sula.
Tourism and Places of Interest
San Pedro can serve as a base from which to visit many different destinations. While it is best to make arrangements for tours into the countryside before arriving in San Pedro Sula excellent local operators can be found through the major hotels. One favorite outing is to the CopánCopán
Copán is an archaeological site of the Maya civilization located in the Copán Department of western Honduras, not far from the border with Guatemala. It was the capital city of a major Classic period kingdom from the 5th to 9th centuries AD...
Ruins which are a three-hour drive away.
Other possibilities include Lake Yojoa and Pulhapanzak Waterfalls (a scenic one-day trip); Cusuco Cloud Forest (a four-wheel-drive outing to see birds orchids bromeliads and sometimes tapirs and armadillos); Tela (including visits to a banana plantation a mahogany-wood-carving factory the Lancetilla Botanical Gardens a swim at the beach at Villas Telemar and a tour of a Garifuna village); and Omoa Fortress (a tour of a 18th century outpost combined with a trip to a beach resort).
Museums
- Museo de Antropología y Historia
- Museo de la Naturaleza
- Planetario Infantil
The Museo de Antropología e Historia is licensed by the Honduran Institute of Anthropology and History to house archaeological and historical collections, which by law belong to the people of Honduras. The ground floor of the museum is devoted to the history of Honduras, and San Pedro Sula in particular. The upper floor exhibits are about the prehistory of the valley where San Pedro is located. The Museum has a research library with information related to the history of Honduras. The museum director is Teresa de Pastor.
The second museum has to do with the flora and fauna surrounding the city. This museum houses several insects species, as well as books about the nature and the animals found in the Merendon mountains. This museum is directed by Gladys Fasquelle de Pastor.
The planetarium is an astronomy museum. It shows the night sky as seen from San Pedro Sula, while also providing information about the solar system, constellations, and a small space exhibit.
Malls
There are many malls in the city of San Pedro Sula. Some of these include:- City Mall (the largest shopping mall in Central America)
- Galerías del Valle
- Mall Multiplaza
- Mall Megaplaza
- Mall Metroplaza
- Mall Los Castaños
- Plaza Pedregal
- Plaza Moderna
These all contain food courts that boast a varied selection of international cuisine as well as charming little cafés and a wide array of stores and kiosks. There is also a growing number of small convenience centers sprawled across the city.
Central Park
Although the downtown area officially begins at First Avenue, the commercial hub begins at Third. Central Park is located between these, and it contains a small gazebo in the center, marking the spot where the city was founded. This gazebo is the only piece of architecture that remains standing to this day from the date when it was built in 1901 by then governor Luis Alonso Barahona. This gazebo served as a provisional church at the turn of the 20th century while the cathedral was being built.Currently, cultural and musical events are held on weekends. The statue in the center depicts two women doing laundry on a river bank.
Zona de Armenta
The Zona de Armenta is a cold-water river that comes from mountain range Merendon. The park is located on the Northeastern part of the city and serves as a recreational area for many people in the city. The river has several areas that are open for swimming as well as place to purchase food.Theaters
The Francisco Saybe Theatre,Centro Cultural Sampedrano,
Torre Universitaria Jorge Emilio Jaar
Water parks
- Wonderland
- Zizima Eco Water Park which is located 3 km from San Pedro Sula Airport
Hotels
- Hotel San Juan Boutique which is located in Barrio Los Andes and is walking distance to many places of interest in San Pedro Sula.
Avenida Circunvalación
Avenida Circunvalación is the most popular zone to visit at night. There are many restaurants and its home of many events like the Feria Juniana that is celebrated in the month of June. This part of the city contains many hotels, the City Mall, many banks and automobile dealerships like Ford (Yude Canahuati). This part of the city also has the second McDonald's, the San Vicente de Paul church and if you continue up the avenue, you find the Occidental Bank, the Intercontinental Hotel, Mall Multiplaza and Copantl Hotel.Colleges and universities
San Pedro Sula is home to many colleges and Universities. It is the home of the first private university in the Country, the Universidad de San Pedro Sula(USPS).Due its influence in the industrial and commercial sectors of the Honduras, San Pedro Sula has been many higher education institutions that attract students from all over the country. Many people have migrated to the city to take advantage of the educational opportunities present in the city.
The following Universities are located in San Pedro Sula:
- Universidad de San Pedro Sula (USPS)
- Universidad Tecnologica Centroamericana (UNITEC)
- Universidad Tecnológica de Honduras
- Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Honduras del Valle de Sula (UNAH VS)
- Universidad Cristiana de Honduras
- Universidad Católica de HondurasUniversidad Católica de HondurasThe Universidad Católica de Honduras, officially named "Universidad Católica de Honduras Nuestra Señora Reina de la Paz" , or "UNICAH" as it is affectionately called among its students, is a private university in Honduras run by the Catholic Church...
- Universidad Pedagogica Francisco Morazán
Primary and secondary schools
There are many public and private schools in the city. The number of schools offering bilingual education has been in constant increase for the past several decades.San Pedro Sula is the city with the most Bilingual Schools in Central America.
For a full list of school go to List of Primary and Secondary schools in San Pedro Sula
Sports
San Pedro Sula is home to many sporting teams and events. In 1997, it became the first, and only to date, non capital city to host the Central American Games. The games, even though full of scandals, left the city with a modern sporting infrastructure. The Villa Olimpica is a multi-sporting complex that has facilities for most Olympic style games including soccer, boxing, swimming, baseball, cycling and multipurpose gymnasiums.San Pedro Sula is the only city in the country to be home to two soccer stadiums. The Estadio Olimpico Metropolitano
Estadio Olimpico Metropolitano
Estadio Olímpico Metropolitano is a multi-purpose stadium in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. It is currently used mostly for football matches and also has facilities for athletics...
is located in the Villa Olimpica and is the largest in the country with a capacity of 42,000. The Estadio Francisco Morazán
Estadio Francisco Morazan
Estadio Francisco Morazán is a stadium located in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. It's the home of C.D. Marathón and Real C.D. España. The stadium was the preferred venue for the Honduran national team before the construction of the Estadio Olímpico Metropolitano for the 1997 Central American...
is located in the center of the city and holds 23,000 people. The stadiums are home to San Pedro Sula's most popular professional soccer teams Marathon
Marathon
The marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres , that is usually run as a road race...
and Real España. Because of the stadiums, training facilities, and an almost religious supporting fan base, San Pedro Sula has become the home for the Honduras national football team
Honduras national football team
The Honduran national football team, nicknamed Los Catrachos, La Bicolor or La H, is the national team of Honduras and is controlled by the Federación Nacional Autónoma de Fútbol de Honduras...
.
Other Sports
The city has hosted many international tennis tournaments and serves as the home of the Honduran tennis team. The Club Arabe Hondureño provides great facilities for the sport.San Pedro Sula is also home to the Liga Georgina de Villegas
Liga Georgina de Villegas
Liga Georgina de Villegas is the top basketball league in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. Even though based in San Pedro Sula, it is referred to as the metropolitan league because it includes teams from La Lima, El Progreso and La Ceiba. It is considered the top league in the north and one of the most...
basketball league. The League is divided in two divisions with a promotion and relegation system. The league has a female counterpart as well that carries the same name. Many teams from neighboring cities also take part in the league at it is the highest form of competitive basketball in the area.
There are is a city softball (Óscar Saybe Softball League) and a baseball league that play an annual season and serves as a qualifier for the national tournaments in their respective sports. These leagues are a far less popular and attract fewer fans than the city soccer teams. Even though less supported than their soccer counterparts, the city teams enjoy much success on the national level. Azulejos, the city's baseball champion, has won the national tournament in the last two years.
The Delfines Sampedranos, a local swimming club, is the most successful club in the country and the Central American region. It has dominated Central American competitions for the past several years.
We also may include that it is the only city in Honduras were they have a highly developed center of Taekwondo. were the only World Gold medalist in Honduras trains there Andrea Erazo who is very well known in the world of Taekwondo. Some Centers we can mention there are:
CAR OSAE
Kumgang
Honduras Idols Taekwondo
This sport is one of the only sports in Honduras that give really good results not only in regionals or in nationals nut also on international events.
C.D. Marathón
Club Deportivo MarathónClub Deportivo Marathón
Club Deportivo Marathón is an Honduran football club which currently plays in the in the Liga Nacional de Fútbol de Honduras in San Pedro Sula.-History:...
, as it is officially known, is more commonly known as just Marathón. It was founded on 25 November 1925 in San Pedro Sula by Eloy Montes and a group of his friends. The team's colors are red, white and green. It is the oldest team in the city. Team was a founding member of the Liga Nacional (Honduras's top soccer league). It plays its home games in the Estadio Olimpico Metropolitano.
Real España
Real España was founded on 14 July 1929 at Escuela Ramón Rosa in San Pedro Sula. España's colors are black and yellow, a fact reflected in the club's nickname: "The Aurinegros" (a compound word meaning gold and black). It has won the national championship ten times. It was also a founding member of the Liga Nacional. It plays its home games in Estadio Francisco MorazánEstadio Francisco Morazan
Estadio Francisco Morazán is a stadium located in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. It's the home of C.D. Marathón and Real C.D. España. The stadium was the preferred venue for the Honduran national team before the construction of the Estadio Olímpico Metropolitano for the 1997 Central American...
.
Air travel
The city is served by Ramón Villeda Morales International AirportRamón Villeda Morales International Airport
Ramón Villeda Morales International Airport , also known as La Mesa International Airport, is located from the city of San Pedro Sula, in the Cortés Department in Honduras. The airport is named after Ramón Villeda Morales, who served as President of Honduras from 1957 to 1963.It is the major and...
. It is conveniently located about 15 minutes from the city's center and serves North-Western Honduras through several domestic and international air companies, such as: Continental
Continental Airlines
Continental Airlines was a major American airline now merged with United Airlines. On May 3, 2010, Continental Airlines, Inc. and UAL, Inc. announced a merger via a stock swap, and on October 1, 2010, the merger closed and UAL changed its name to United Continental Holdings, Inc...
, American
American Airlines
American Airlines, Inc. is the world's fourth-largest airline in passenger miles transported and operating revenues. American Airlines is a subsidiary of the AMR Corporation and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas adjacent to its largest hub at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport...
, Delta
Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines, Inc. is a major airline based in the United States and headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The airline operates an extensive domestic and international network serving all continents except Antarctica. Delta and its subsidiaries operate over 4,000 flights every day...
, COPA
Copa Airlines
Compañía Panameña de Aviación, S.A., operating as Copa Airlines ', is an airline based in Panama City, Panama, and serves as Panama's flag carrier...
, Spirit Airlines
Spirit Airlines
Spirit Airlines is a United States ultra low-cost carrier operating scheduled flights throughout the Americas. The airline is headquartered in Miramar, Florida, in the Miami metropolitan area. Spirit currently maintains a base in Fort Lauderdale, Florida...
, Aeroméxico
Aeroméxico
Airways of Mexico, SA de CV , operating as Aeroméxico, is the flag carrier airline of Mexico based in Colonia Cuauhtémoc, Cuauhtémoc, Mexico City. It operates scheduled domestic and international services to North America, South America, Central America and the Caribbean, Europe, and Asia...
, Maya Island Air
Maya Island Air
Maya Island Air is an airline based in Belize City, Belize. It operates regular scheduled services to 12 destinations in Belize, Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras. Its main base is Philip S. W. Goldson International Airport....
, Air Italy
Air Italy
Air Italy S.p.A. is an airline based in Gallarate, Italy, operating scheduled services for tour operators within Europe, to Brazil and Kenya, as well as independent short-haul flights...
(January 2012) and TACA
Grupo TACA
TACA is the trade name "brand" comprising a group of five independently IATA-coded and -owned Central American airlines, whose operations are combined to function as one and a number of other independently owned and IATA-coded regional airlines which code-share and feed the TACA brand system...
which link the city with San Salvador
San Salvador
The city of San Salvador the capital and largest city of El Salvador, which has been designated a Gamma World City. Its complete name is La Ciudad de Gran San Salvador...
, Mexico City, San José
San José, Costa Rica
San José is the capital and largest city of Costa Rica. Located in the Central Valley, San José is the seat of national government, the focal point of political and economic activity, and the major transportation hub of this Central American nation.Founded in 1738 by order of Cabildo de León, San...
, Belize City
Belize City
Belize City is the largest city in the Central American nation of Belize. Unofficial estimates place the population of Belize City at 70,000 or more. It is located at the mouth of the Belize River on the coast of the Caribbean. The city is the country's principal port and its financial and...
, Managua
Managua
Managua is the capital city of Nicaragua as well as the department and municipality by the same name. It is the largest city in Nicaragua in terms of population and geographic size. Located on the southwestern shore of Lake Xolotlán or Lake Managua, the city was declared the national capital in...
, Atlanta, Fort Lauderdale, Houston, Newark
Newark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
, New Orleans, Miami, Milan Interntional Airport(Starting January 2012), and New York City.
Ramón Villeda Morales Airport is the major and busiest airport in Honduras, handling about 600,000 passengers in 2007. Travelers using this airport are charged a departure tax of $34.04 to help with expansion of the airport.
Bus travel
San Pedro Sula has a central bus station that is used by most major Bus companies. The bus station, called the Gran Central Metropolitana de Autobuses de San Pedro Sula, is located a few kilometers south of the downtown area and provides visitors to bus routes to almost every destination in the country as well as several international destinations. It is not only the largest bus station in Central America, it also serves as a shopping center, food court, and many other services.Bus travel is an easy way to move around the country and this bus station has become the main hub for tourist and Hondurans alike who desire to travel cheaply by bus around the country.