Honduran Culture and History

Students are beginning to receive copies of Enrique’s Journey, and it’s a great time to get started reading, discussing, and thinking about the issues in the book. Enrique is born in Honduras, and while Sonia Nazario indirectly discusses Honduran culture and history in some instances, she primarily focuses on Enrique’s journey to the United States. Readers may be interested in further information about the country Enrique is born in and ultimately leaves.

Wondering where to start looking for information about Honduras? Global Road Warrior is a database subscribed to by the UW Madison Libraries. Primarily designed for international business travelers, this database contains practical cultural information regarding currency, holidays, travel, and food, as well as a variety of maps. It also contains cultural and historical summaries for hundreds of different countries. Click here to visit the Global Road Warrior Honduras profile page.

A bit of Honduran History
According to Global Road Warrior, Honduras was named by Columbus in 1502. The nation has been in a state of unrest since gold and silver were discovered in 1570 near Tegucigalpa, the city where Enrique grew up. Over the centuries, both the Spanish and British have laid claims to Honduran lands, but the Honduran Republic was established in 1838, and the Spanish and British left the area in 1821 and 1859, respectively. However, since its independence, the country has experienced military coups, dictatorships, rebellions, and civil war.

This is merely a small glimpse of the history that has made Honduras the country it is today. While Enrique’s Journey can stand on its own, we encourage you to look further and explore these current and past events even more.

Looking for something else? Visit the Enrique’s Journey Research Guide for suggested databases, books, data sources, and more!