Puerto Cortés

Puerto Cortés on the map of Honduras

Puerto Cortes is a Honduran town in the department of Cortés.

Geography

The town lies on the coast of the Caribbean Sea, north of San Pedro Sula and east of Omoa, 15.85 ° N; 87.94 ° W.

In Puerto Cortés is the largest seaport in Honduras and the main seaport Central America. In 2003, the population was in Puerto Cortés at 81,000.

History

Hernán Cortés founded in 1524 the town of La Natividad roughly where Puerto Cortés is today, and populated the place with 20 Spaniards, who had previously lived in the places Nito and Naco. In 1533, destroyed a local chief named Çiçumba the settlement; supposedly this was also a woman who came from the Spanish city of Seville, captured. After Çiçumba was defeated by Pedro de Alvarado in 1536, a new city called Puerto de Caballos was founded. Since she was attacked by pirates, she had only a few permanent residents in the 16th and 17th centuries. This changed with the construction of the fort in Omao by the Spaniards in the 18th century.

The name of Puerto de Caballos (Port of horses ) resulted in the fact that with the arrival of Hernán Cortés on the Honduran coast when unloading the ships were drowned a great many horses. In 1869 the name was changed to Puerto Caballos Puerto Cortés in honor of Hernán Cortés.

The city

In Puerto Cortés in Honduras the famous football club Club Deportivo Platense is located, the first Honduran national football champions in 1966. 2001, the club won for the second time the championship.

In August there is in Puerto Cortés a two-week celebration. The last day ( a Saturday) is as Venetian specialties Night ( Noche Veneciana ) known. On August 15, is a local public holiday in honor of the Virgen de la Asunción, the patron saint of Puerto Cortés.

In September 2001, the bridge was La Laguna ( The Lagoon) rebuilt and opened after the old bridge, a 50 year old building, was severely damaged by Hurricane Mitch in 1998 and eventually had to be demolished. A concrete wall was built to protect the coast near the bridge of La Laguna. This wall is known as El Malecón, the Spanish word for ' investor ' or ' land bridge '.

The first four-lane highway in Honduras was opened in 1996. It connects San Pedro Sula with Puerte Cortés.

Mayor of the City

1982, a new statute for the mayoral election was introduced before the mayor were determined by high-ranking government officials in Tegucigalpa.