Tegucigalpa represented in a 19th century lithograph of "The capitals of Latin America".

View of Tegucigalpa from the Picacho.

Most sources suggest that the origin and meaning of the word Tegucigalpa derives from the Nahuatl language. ​ its exact meaning is open to different interpretations, but the most widely shared version among popular belief is that it derives from the nahua Taguz-galpa word in which it means silver hills. Among historians such as the Honduran Jesús Aguilar Paz, this interpretation is uncertain as the indigenous population ignored the presence of mineral deposits in the region. It has been lost in history who or when silver hills were determined, one theory is that it was the Spanish, not the natives, who called the region this way after the discovery of their mineral wealth. ​

Mexican polygraph Antonio Peñafiel, in his book "Geographical Nomenclature of Mexico" (1897), defines the word Tegucigalpa as a corruption of Tecutli-cal-pa that means [sir] in the royal palaces. ​ Another belief between Mexican historians such as José Ignacio Dávila Garibi and Alfredo Bardo rera Vásquez, contemplates that Tegucigalpa is of the word Tecuztlicallipan that it translates as the place of residence of the nobles, or possibly possibly as the place of residence of the nobles, or possibly Tegucigalpameaning Tecuhtztcalpan on that means on the belated lords house. ​

Honduran philologist Alberto de Jesús Membreño, in his book "Indigenous Geographical Names of the Republic of Honduras" (1901) (republished in 1994 as "Indigenous Toponymies of Central America"), dismisses altogether the traditional silver hills and argues that Tegucigalpa derives from the Nahua word Teguycegalpa means that in the houses of pointed stones・. Membreño defends his interpretation by pointing out that Taguzgalpa was the old name of the eastern part of Honduras and whose word means in houses of yellow earth. ​

Austrian Americanist linguist Rodolfo R. Schuller proposes that the word Tegucigalpa means place where the house of the aurora is, ​ while Guatemalan researcher Flavio Rodas Noriega promoted a discussion on the etymological origin of Tegucigalpa and proposed that the term derives from Totogalpa, which is a reference to Tototi, a Nahua term meaning bird and/or a・toncontín・that is another term whose meaning is nahua naïas of mexican indians. On the other hand, Honduran writer Rafael Heliodoro Valle wrote that the name is Teguiazkalpa, whose etymology means the region of the hills of the venerable elderly.

Honduran author and historian Leticia de Oyuela, in her book "Minimum History of Tegucigalpa" (1989), contemplates the idea that the word Tegucigalpa derives from another language in which it means painted stones.​ Honduran anthropologist Gloria Lara Pinto, in her collaboration entitled "The Little Girl of the World" A city dichotomy: The indigenous roots of Tegucigalpa and Comayagüela" (2011) for Revista Paradigma of the National Pedagogical University Francisco Morazán, proposes that it is a derivation of Teguzigalpa or Tecuzincalpan and means in the land of little lord ​ Honduran historian Mario Felipe Martínez Castillo, in his pocket book "Reads from the Honduran Capital" (2012), emphasizes that Tegucigalpa can't mean silver hills for the reasons already explored by previous researchers, and for that he suggests that it comes from the Lenca language and means a place where the gentlemen meet. ​

Foundation, colony and independence

Photo from 1904 with a view of the central park of Tegucigalpa.

In its beginnings, it was populated by a group of Spaniards who were looking for silver veins in the place around 1560, and later with the growth of the mining town it was known as Real Villa de San Miguel de Tegucigalpa de Heredia on September 29, 1578 on an existing indigenous former village. At that time, the Tegucigalpa area was a center of mining activity where silver and gold were extracted in particular.

The first mayor of Tegucigalpa, Juan de la Cueva, never imagined that that charming picturesque city would later become the most important area of Honduras, operating the main state offices and the private sector. It was founded in 1578, as a mining center, and de la Cueva was appointed mayor in 1579. The town was named "Real Minas de Tegucigalpa", obtaining the title of Villa de San Miguel de Heredia. Throughout the colonial period, the village had a mining character, extracting minerals from El Picacho hill and the mountainous area of San Juancito. As the country became independent, the capitality of the Republic of Honduras changed from Tegucigalpa to Comayagua and vice versa on several occasions, until it was finally established in Tegucigalpa in 1880.

In 1817, at the initiative of Mayor Narciso Mallol, the construction of a bridge over the Choluteca River, made of masonry in seven arches, began. The play, completed four years later, united Tegucigalpa with the neighboring city of Comayagüela, on the opposite side of the river. ​ it is popularly known as the Mallol Bridge.

Independence

San Miguel Archangel Cathedral was built at the end of the 17th century and is one of the oldest buildings still on the best preserved in the city.

In 1821, it was elevated to the rank of city. In 1824, the first congress of the Republic of Honduras decreed that Tegucigalpa and Comayagua, the two main cities of the country, alternated as the capital of the State, until 30 October 1880 the seat of the Government was finally transferred to the city of Tegucigalpa as the capital of the State, it was ruled that civil authorities, except the Supreme Court, will reside there of Justice who will reside in Comayagua, immediately transferring the offices of the Supreme Government.

In 1847, the first university was founded in the country, under the name of The Society of Entrepreneurship and Good Taste, the priest José Trinidad Reyes being his first rector.

Old presidential palace of honduras in the city center

In 1875 during the presidency of Captain General José María Medina, a new Cemetery General of Tegucigalpa was ordered to be built in Comayagüela and completed in 1877, inaugurated during the presidency of Marco Aurelio Soto, in March 1995 the National Congress decreed the General Cemetery as "National Cultural Heritage" ceasing to sell batches and ordering their protection and care.

Since 1898 it has been established that Tegucigalpa and Comayagüela, the two neighboring cities, on both shores of the Choluteca, form the capital, but keeping separate names, with two municipal governments. At the time, they had about 40,000 inhabitants and the Central District, including neighboring towns, had more than 50,000 souls.

Tegucigalpa has been the cradle of illustrious Honduran patriots and statesmen, such as Dionisio de Herrera, Francisco Morazán, José Trinidad Cabañas, José Trinidad Reyes, General José Santos Guardiola, Doctor Marco Aurelio Soto, among others.

Contemporary era

Tegucigalpa has grown in the last 50 years, but has become a disorganized city due to the lack of planning for it. The migration of the countryside to the city has increased the population of the capital, especially in the neighboring lands located on the slopes of the numerous hills, many of them without urbanization.

The city of Tegucigalpa is constantly growing. Right now, the residential development poles are pointing south of the city, from Toncontín airport to the Los Laureles dam area, and as dormitory cities, we have in the northeastern area, to the municipalities of Santa Lucia and Valle de Angeles.

On 30 October 1998, the city suffered significant damage following the passage of Hurricane Mitch, which destroyed part of Comayagüela and the places bordered by the Grande River or Choluteca. The hurricane remained on Honduran territory for five days, causing the land not to absorb so much rain and, in addition to deforestation, causing severe flooding throughout the country, mainly in Tegucigalpa.

The flood of the tributaries of the Grande River or Choluteca caused it to rise above the height of Juan Ramón Molina Bridge, which was dragged by the current and rapidly replaced by a Bailey bridge.

The rains also caused landslides in the El Berrinche hill sector. These landslides swept away most of the Soto colony, whose debris fell over the river basin causing a dam to form near it, this dam stalled the waters of the Grande or Choluteca River and caused flooding in the lower parts of Comayagüela by destroying the old buildings near Calle Real. In other sectors, the current collapsed hills, hills and mountain slopes, taking with them whole neighborhoods, buildings, parks, cars, etc. The areas most affected were those located near rivers.

Panoramic of Tegucigalpa.

According to the results of the 2001 Census of Population and Housing of the National Institute of Statistics (INE), the population of the Central District, which comprises the cities of Tegucigalpa and Comayagüela, was 906,129 inhabitants.^{[citation required]} In 2010 the population of the Central District counted 1,12222222 6,534 inhabitants according to INE projections. ​

Satellite view of the urban area of Tegucigalpa

Map of Tegucigalpa and its districts

Location

Tegucigalpa, together with Comayagüela, are the capital of Honduras. Both cities are located within the municipality of the Central District, the constitutional headquarters of the national government and the Archdiocese of Tegucigalpa.

Tegucigalpa is located in a high mountain range of 935 meters (3,068 feet) at its lowest points and 1,463 meters (4,800 feet) at its highest level in suburban areas. As in most of the highlands in the interior of Honduras, most of the current surface of Tegucigalpa was occupied by open forests. The area surrounding the city remains support for open forests, pine forests mixed with some oak, bush and clear grass, as well as the perennial leaf needle and deciduous leaf forests.

The Choluteca River or the Grande River, which crosses the city from north to south, physically separates Tegucigalpa and Comayagüela. Tegucigalpa is on the right-hand side of the Choluteca and Comayagüela is in the western part of the river.

The city is made up of gentle hills, and the mountain ring surrounding the city tends to catch pollution. There is a reserve known as the Los Laureles Reservoir located west of the city that offers 30 percent of the city's water supply. To the south of the city, about 4 miles from the airport, there is a water treatment plant that is part of the Concepción Reservoir, located about 4 miles southwest of the water plant.

Municipalities bordering

Tegucigalpa borders on the north with the municipalities of Cedros and Talanga, on the south with the municipalities of Maraita, San Buenaventura, Santa Ana and Lepaterique, on the east with the municipalities of Santa Lucia, San Antonio de Oriente, Valle de Ángeles and San Juan de Flores and on the west with the municipalities of Ojojona, Lepaterique, Lamaní and San Antonio de Flores.

In the vicinity of Tegucigalpa there are many colonial towns of tourist interest, including Saint Lucia, Ojojona, San Juancito, Valle de Ángeles, Cantarranas, Yuscarán and Sabanagrande.

Ecology

La Tigra National Park, Honduras' first national park, has a wide variety of local flora and fauna.

La Tigra National Park

La Tigra National Park has a total area of 243.40 km² that includes the core area and its buffer zone, the park has limits with five municipalities that are: Central District, San Juan de Flores, St. Lucia, Valle de Angeles and Talanga. Of these, the most covered is the Central District, which has four ecosystems that are:

1. Agricultural system
2. Tropical forest always seasonal aciculifoliate montane lower
3. Tropical forest always seasonal mixed montane lower
4. Tropical forest always seasonally green upper montane lymph.

The sub-tropical dry forest is located in the northern part of the park and has the least amount of area. La Tigra has a great variety of flora and fauna, among the vegetation we can mention tree species such as Ocote pine, oak, oak, oak, liquidamber and avocado. There is also a diversity of ferns, six of which are endangered and protected by AMITIGRA.

Among the fauna are species of mammals, amphibians, reptiles and birds that are the most common groups and that we can observe inside the park, we know that animals like: tigrillos, guatusas, deer Cola Blanca, Micos de Noche, pumas and Yaguaroundis, as well as birds such as jilgueros, peacocks, quetzales, gavilans and tucans.

Metropolitan Zoo of Picacho

The Metropolitano del Picacho Zoo is located in El Picacho, with an extraordinary view of the city inside an oak and pine forest. The zoo offers an option to discover some of Honduras' native animals. It highlights a jaguar, the largest feline in America and native of Honduras, as well as a very complete collection of white-tailed deer and spider monkeys. With a total of 310 animals, with 20 different species of mammals, 23 of birds and 7 of reptiles. The total area of the zoo is about 22 apples.

Parks

El Picacho National Park, a popular viewpoint with panoramic views of the city.

View of the city center from La Leone Park.

Tegucigalpa has a variety of parks of different scales and designs, from colonial and more formal parks like Herrera Park in its historic center, to larger and more forest parks like El Picacho National Park. Given its mountainous topography, Tegucigalpa has several emblematic and popular public parks for its panoramic views of the city.

Some of the most emblematic parks in the city are:

• The park of La Leone, where you can enjoy a panoramic view of the city. Located in the center of the city, it is a good place to appreciate the most historic neighborhoods of the city.

• El Picacho National Park or the United Nations Park, with an impressive view from its viewpoints, is the ideal place to take excellent photos of the city. There is also a small zoo of native species of Honduras and the El Cristo del Picacho monument. This park was opened to the public on August 2, 1946.

• Cerro Juana Lainez Park has been an icon of civic and military history, and is now an unmistakable symbol of Tegucigalpa, with its monument to La Paz. It's one of the main viewers from which you can see the four cardinal points of the city, also an ecological lung worth conserving, and recently a forest fire base has been established here. Although it has not been exploited for tourist use as it should be, as there are no conditions of service and security, it remains very much visited; it is often used as a practice area prior to the country parades - and for other "quasi-student" practices. Various ceremonies are held, including the cannon blasts and the raising of the flag for the festivities of September and October.

• The Central Park, located across from the San Miguel Archangel Cathedral, is one of the most popular parks in the city. It is the site of several activities of great social and commercial interest because of its central location. At the center of the park passes Peatonal Street, one of the most important commercial centers of the center that connects many of the city's most important cultural centers, such as the Manuel Bonilla National Theater and the Honduran Man Museum.

• Parque España or Parque Alfonso XIII, is a park and viewpoint offering ample spaces for rest and recreation as well as unrivaled views of the area of the Boulevard Morazán and El Hatillo. In the center of the square in octagonal form is a statue of his majesty King Alfonso XIII of Spain.

• The Parque del Redondel de los Artesanos (Redondel of the Artisans Park), along with the Spanish Cultural Center in the Palmira Colony, has an open-air municipal auditorium, where concerts, plays and fairs take place, and is the starting point for the Recreías por la Paz on the third Sunday of each month. It was inaugurated on October 1st, 1973 with the traditional Artisans Fair that gives it its name. It also has a statue dedicated to the primitivist painter José Antonio Velásquez.

Tegucigalpa is the city that has the highest Human Development Index in Honduras, which is 0,859, much higher than in San Pedro Sula (0,720), although it remains lower than the other Central American capitals, surpassing only Managua, Nicaragua.

The city has a tropical savannah climate (Köppen's climatic rating: Aw), although with more threatening temperatures, due to altitude, which means less humid than the lower valleys and coastal regions. It has two seasons, the dry and cold season that starts in November and ends in March and the rainy and warm season that starts in April and ends in October.

The average hours of sunshine per month during the year is 211.2 and the average rainy days per month is 8.9. The average hours of sunshine during the dry season is 228 per month, while 182.5 millimeters (7.19 inches) is the average monthly precipitation during the wet season. The rainy months of the rainy season are May-June and September-October, with an average of 16.2 rainy days during those periods. In Tegucigalpa, the rainy season is wet and cloudy, the dry season is mostly clear and hot all year round. Over the course of the year, the temperature usually ranges from 15 °C to 30 °C and rarely drops to less than 12 °C or rises to more than 31 °C.

Average climate parameters of Tegucigalpa (Tegucigalpa Airport)
Month	Jan.	Feb.	Sea.	Apr.	May.	Jun.	July.	Aug.	Sep.	Oct.	Nov.	Dec.	Annual
Temp. max. Aps. (°C)	33.0	34.5	35.5	36.6	36.9	34.5	35.9	36.9	34.2	34.8	32.8	31.4	36.9
Temp. max. mean (°C)	25.7	27.4	29.5	30.2	30.2	28.6	27.8	28.5	28.5	27.3	26.0	25.4	27.9
Temp. mean (°C)	19.5	20.4	22.1	23.4	23.6	22.6	22.1	22.4	22.2	21.5	20.4	19.7	21.7
Temp. min. mean (°C)	14.3	14.5	15.5	17.1	18.2	18.2	18.0	18.0	17.9	17.6	16.3	15.0	16.7
Temp. min. Aps. (°C)	4.5	7.2	4.7	8.9	11.1	12.4	12.6	12.2	11.0	10.0	7.7	6.8	4.5
Total precipitation (mm)	5.3	4.7	9.9	42.9	143.5	158.7	82.3	88.5	177.2	108.9	39.9	9.9	871.7
Rainy days (≥ 1.0 mm)	3	3	3	2	9	12	9	9	13	10	4	2	73
Sun Hours	220.1	231.7	269.7	246.0	217.0	171.0	192.2	204.6	183.0	201.5	198.0	210.8	2,545.6
Relative humidity (%)	71	66	62	60	67	75	74	73	76	78	77	75	71.2
Source No. 1: World Meteorological Organization ​
Source No. 2: Hong Kong Observatory. ​

Pollution

Pollution along with violence is one of the main problems affecting the city, since some decades ago. For a few months of the year, the city is covered by a vast layer of smog, which can be produced by burning toxic wastes or forests near the city, as well as smoke driven away by the large number of vehicles circulating in the metropolis. But it can also be caused by burning coal, wood, or biomass.

In May 2014, a study revealed that Tegucigalpa is the most polluted city in Central America, and one of the most polluted capitals in Latin America (along with Mexico City, Lima, Buenos Aires, Bogotá, Santiago de Chile, and Guatemala City, among others). Urban pollution in Tegucigalpa also causes economic decline, as the country suffers losses of up to one billion lempiras each year.

As the capital of Honduras, as a departmental head and as a municipality, the Central District is the headquarters of three governments: ​ Prior to 1991, the central government exercised greater jurisdiction over the execution of municipal management throughout the country, resulting in disparate administrative representation and inadequate distribution of resources and governance. ​ As a result, at the end of 1990, under Decree No. 134-90, the National Congress of Honduras passed the Municipalities Act, giving a clearer definition to municipal and departmental institutions, their representatives and their functions in order to empower local governments and decentralize them from the national government. ​

Although autonomous, the Central District is influenced by the national government and the territory is the seat of the republic's government. Significant changes in the political structure of the municipality and the financing of large projects must be presented to the Presidential Office and approved by the National Congress before being implemented by the local government. ​

Central District

Church of La Immaculada Concepción in Comayagüela.

The Municipality of the Central District is constitutionally the capital of Honduras, while Tegucigalpa and Comayagüela are two entities within the municipality, which were once its own cities and municipalities until they were incorporated into a single municipality and a single city, due to the need to establish government offices on both sides of the Choluteca River Basin.

The current Constitution of Honduras, in its Title I, Chapter I, Article 8 states:

The cities of Tegucigalpa and Comayagüela together constitute the capital of the Republic.

In addition, Title V, Chapter XI, Article 295 states:

The Central District is formed in a single municipality by the ancient municipalities of Tegucigalpa and Comayagüela.

Tegucigalpa is popularly identified as the capital, and it was Tegucigalpa that occupied the title before sharing it with Comayagüela. Although legally and politically speaking they are one city, traditionally they are still identified as two twin or sister cities, given the history behind their beginnings.

Today, it is correct to say that Tegucigalpa is the capital of Honduras, it is also correct to say that Tegucigalpa and Comayagüela, together, are the capital of Honduras; and finally, since its formation on 30 january 1937 under Decree No. 53 of the amended Article 179 of the 1936 Constitution of Honduras, it is correct to say that the Central District is the capital.

It should be noted that municipalities in Honduras are defined as administrative divisions of departments and not necessarily as a single city, so that a municipality can contain more than one city or town, including its municipal headquarter, which in the case of Honduras tends to be the homonymous and most populated city of the municipality; although for administrative and legal purposes, the municipal mayor is the authority within the main city and the rest of the municipality.

One example, the Municipality of the Central District is the most populated municipality of Honduras and the metropolitan area of Tegucigalpa and Comayagüela form the largest and most populated city in the country, yet the Central District is not the largest municipality of Honduras when in terms of administrative area is spoken (territory). Although it is the largest municipality in Francisco Morazán, it is only the fourteenth largest in Honduras, with 13 larger municipalities in terms of administrative area but not in population. The two largest municipalities in Honduras are Puerto Lempira and Catacamas in the departments of "Thanks a Dios" and "Olancho", respectively. ​ another example is seen in the city of La Ceiba, the municipality of the same name, one of the eight municipalities in the Department of Atlantida. La Ceiba is the largest city in Atlantida and the third largest city in Honduras, in terms of population and urban area, but the Municipality of La Ceiba is only the second largest municipality in Atlantida, being the Municipality of Tela the largest, but less populated, that is why the city of Tela is not considered the largest city in Atlantida. ​

In addition to the city of Tegucigalpa and Comayagüela, the Central District also has 41 villages and 293 farmhouses, these are small villages in the rural areas of the municipality whose populations range from a few dozen in the smallest farmhouses to a few thousand, in the most populated villages. For administrative purposes, the municipal law allows them to be assigned to assistant mayors and/or employers to act as local representatives.

Central and departmental government

Central offices of the National Institute of Statistics (INE) and the Public Prosecutor's Office (MP), located in Residencial Lomas del Guijarro.

The United States Embassy on La Paz Avenue in Colonia San Carlos.

The Central District is the political and administrative center of Honduras. It is home to the three branches of the national government and its branches, including most of the public agencies and state-owned enterprises. The capital is the headquarters of all diplomatic missions that maintain a presence in Honduras, with the exception of the Philippines, whose consulate in the country is located in San Pedro Sula. There are currently 23 embassies and 16 consulates in Tegucigalpa, representing all Central American countries, most of South Americans, 14 European countries including Russia, three Caribbean countries, two Asian countries, Canada, the United States, Mexico and South Africa.

The official residence and office of the Executive, the Presidential House, is located on the Boulevard Juan Pablo II in the Colonia Los Profesonales, the National Congress is located in the Historical Center of Tegucigalpa on Bolívar Street in La Merced neighborhood and the Supreme Court of Justice is located in the Government Civic Center located on the side of the road distributor of the Boulevard Armed Forces and Kuwait Boulevard, south of Mall Las Cascadas. The capital is also home to the National Police, the Armed Forces and most of the country's financial institutions, both public and private.

The Central District is also the seat of the government of the Francisco Morazán department headed by the departmental political governor. The governor is appointed by the president of the republic and in turn is the representative of the national executive at the departmental level. Historically, the departmental political governor has played a less visible role in the country's political and administrative framework at the departmental and municipal levels to the extent that his incumbents have stated that the governor needs more obvious autonomy and authority as is the case in other countries such as Mexico and the United States. The current political governor is Rigoberto Herrera of the National Party during the 2010-2014 period and earns a monthly base salary of 35,000 lempiras (US$1,725). ​

At the national level, the department of Francisco Morazán is represented by 23 of the 128 deputies that make up the National Congress. Similarly, the Central District, like the rest of the municipalities, is a member of the Association of Municipalities of Honduras (AMHON), which observes municipal interests within the country's civil and political framework and acts as a national liaison.

Local Government

The local government takes shape within a system where the powers of the executive and the legislature are representative (elected by popular vote) and shared (mayor and councilors), governed by the Municipalities Act that came into force on 1 January 1991. The Municipal Mayor of the Central District (AMDC) is the governmental authority of the city and municipality whose seat of government is located in the Historical Center of Tegucicia galpa in front of Central Park. As stipulated by the Municipalities Act, the AMDC is structured in a Municipal Corporation, which is the deliberative body of the municipality, elected by the people and the highest authority within the municipal term. ​

The Municipal Corporation is composed of a mayor who acts as executive chief, general administrator and legal representative of the ​ municipality and a vice mayor who assumes the post of mayor upon being requested and supervises functions within the AMDC as directed by the mayor. ​ The mayor and vice mayor earn a monthly base salary of L.61,000 (US$3,000) and L. 55,000 (US$2,700), respectively. ​

The Municipal Corporation is also composed of 10 councilors who constitute the legislative and deliberative power within the municipality and together with the mayor implement their duties delegated by the Municipalities Act, including the administration of the municipality, its budgetary rules and the legislation of laws and ordinances at the municipal level. The councilors earn a monthly base salary of L.55,000 (US$2,700). ​

A general manager, appointed by the mayor, acts as audit chief responsible for managing, collecting and distributing funds from the municipal commune. A municipal secretary, also appointed by the mayor, acts as a legal officer responsible for the official registration of all legal proceedings. The Municipal Corporation also has a Municipal Development Council which acts as an advisory cabinet in all areas of the city's focus, such as social development, security, public services, etc.

The Government Civic Center, the premises of the Supreme Court of Justice and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Current Administration

The current mayor of the Central District is Nasry Juan Asfura Zablahz who belongs to the National Party (PNH) after winning the election in November 2013. Asfura is the eighth person elected to the post of Mayor of the Central District since local elections were re-established in 1986. Prior to 1986, the local government of the Central District, known as the Metropolitan Council, he was appointed by the President of the Republic. This is the ninth election since then.

Of the ten current councilors, seven are men and three are women. Five belong to the National Party while two belong to the Freedom and Refoundation Party (Free), two belong to the Liberal Party (PLH) and one belongs to the Anti-Corruption Party (PAC).

Both the mayor and the councilors are elected within four years by voters in the Central District. The dismissal of the mayor or any councilor for any cause is reserved to the Secretariat of the Interior and Population (formerly the Secretariat of the Interior and Justice).

Mayor of Tegucigalpa

• Mayors of Tegucigalpa

The Mayor of Tegucigalpa is Engineer Nasry Asfura, was elected to administer the capital's government in 2014-2018 (current).

Municipal Corporation 2014-2018

This administration has the following organization:

Budget

The mayoral budget for 2016 is 4.2 billion lempiras. GDP per capita is one hundred and fifty thousand Lempiras. ​ ​

Law and Order

The Honduran National Police through the National Preventive Police is the uniformed authority responsible for the preservation of public order and law enforcement. The National Police maintains its headquarters in the Central District in the Colonia Casamata. Metropolitan Headquarters No. 1 is the appointment to the police department of the municipality. The district has seven police districts within the metropolitan area.

In 2011, the Secretary of Security appointed Lempiras (Lempiras) two billion (US $114 million) for public security and criminal investigation in the Central District.

According to the Police and Social Coexistence Act, municipalities can finance their own municipal police, and the Central District currently operates a Municipal Police consisting of approximately 160 officers, some of whom are assigned to the tourist areas of the city. There is also the Transit Police, a unit of the National Police, responsible for enforcing the laws of the road. The Municipal Department of Justice through the Municipal Police Court processes local violations.

The Honduran Public Prosecutor's Office, which is based in the Central District and has jurisdiction at the national level through its regional prosecutors' offices, is responsible for the investigation of crimes and the exercise of public criminal action, representing Honduran society. The Attorney General's Office, also with the same domicile, exercises the legal representation of the State in defense of its interests.

The church of Santa María de los Dolores is one of the oldest Catholic temples in the city, built between 1732 and 1815 during the colonial period of New Spain.

Colonial style fountain and staircase towards the historic district of La Leone.

18th and 19th centuries

The historic center of Tegucigalpa retains some interesting exponents of the colonial architecture of the times of New Spain, dating back to the 18th and 19th centuries. Some of the most important religious buildings are:

• San Miguel Cathedral is located in the center of the city.
• San Francisco Convent (now a military museum in Honduras)
• Suyapa virgin sanctuary in Suyapa Basilica on the eastern outskirts.
• Plaza and Iglesia de Los Dolores, Barrio Abajo in Tegucigalpa.
• House of Francisco Morazán

20th century

Some of the buildings of the early 20th century include:

• Medina Planas building.
• Former presidential palace.
• Telecommunications Palace.
• Museum for National Identity.
• National Mail
• Sierra Leone Park
• Fountain and staircase towards La leona neighborhood.
• Manuel Bonilla National Theater.
• Legislative Palace of the National Congress.
• Honduran School of Fine Arts.
• Central Bank of Honduras.
• The Banking Room.
• Villa Roy Republican History Museum.
• Municipal Palace
• National Stadium Tiburcio Carias Andino

The Cultural Center of Spain in Tegucigalpa, center for artists and creators in visual arts and film.

Juan Ramón Molina National Library, the country's national library.

Tegucigalpa is characterized by its varied and interesting cultural character. The city has a great cultural value that has been attracting many people in the last decades, is characterized by its beautiful colonial and modern style while making it a very special place.

Files and Libraries

Tegucigalpa has some libraries, present in only some areas of the capital, with most of the capital and school areas without access to public libraries. In Tegucigalpa, several "book fairs" have also been held. The city has a network of libraries and public archives, among them:

• National Archive of Honduras, national archive of the country
• Juan Ramón Molina National Library
• Reina Sofia Library, specialized in art and art history
• Roberto Ramírez Library, specialized in banking, economics and finance

The Juan Ramón Molina National Library is a public utility institution and contains more than 40,000 volumes. The library is under the Ministry of Culture, Arts and Sports. It is located in the old house where General Francisco Morazán was born. The Reina Sofia Library offers a collection and library of more than 4,000 artistic books.

In addition to the libraries already mentioned, the Library of the National Autonomous University of Honduras is also located in the city to support the development of research, teaching and study, providing access to the necessary information resources, either university or non-university.

Ferias

The city celebrates several fairs, such as the Anniversary Fair of Tegucigalpa on September 29th, this festivity aims to get the best of the capital and it is a time of year that always fills with great satisfaction to meet. Other fairs are also held, such as AGAFAM (Francisco Morazán Farmers and Livestock Association Fair), the Horse Fair and the Entrepreneur Fair.

Museums

National Art Gallery, one of the city's main art museums

The city has several museums with different themes, most of which are located in the historic center, including:

• Chiminike, Children's Museum
• Cultural Center of Spain in Tegucigalpa, Center for Artists and Creators in Visual Arts and Cinema
• San Francisco Headquarters, Military Museum
• National Art Gallery
• Honduran Air Museum, Aeronautical Museum and Aviation History in Honduras
• Republican History Museum Villa Roy, Republican Era History Museum
• Honduran Man's Museum, Museum of Honduran Culture and Identity
• Museum for National Identity (MIN)
• Rigoberto Borjas Numismatic Museum
• Telecommunications Museum
• Pinacoteca Arturo H. Medrano

The Museum for National Identity (MIN) is one of the most visited museums in Tegucigalpa and is considered one of the best museums in Central America. ​ The museum is dedicated to the conservation, research, communication and exhibition with the purpose of studying, educating and enjoying the material and immaterial evidence of the inhabitants of Honduras. One of their most popular exhibitions is the Virtual Copan Hall, a virtual version of the main Mayan city in Honduras. ​

The Honduran Man's Museum, along with the Reina Sofia Library, offers the visiting public three rooms of pictorial exhibitions of artists from the Honduran paintbrush. The Miguel Ángel Gómez Restoration Workshop also operates, where more than 400 works, religious heritage, have been recovered. The museum is housed in the historic 19th-century Casa Ramón Rosa, the former headquarters of the Honduran Supreme Court of Justice.

Theaters, dance and music

Manuel Bonilla National Theater is the main theater in the city and the country.

The Manuel Bonilla National Theater is one of the most prestigious institutions in the city. Opened in 1905, its halls are dedicated to first level musical and theatrical events. More than 10,000 musical, theatrical and opera performances have been held in the theater, with performances during the day and at night. Other special events are held all year round. The theater promotes the organization and promotion of the different high quality performing shows (theater, dance and music), both national and international.

Other theaters and artistic spaces of dance and music stand out:

• Renaissance Theater.
• National Dance School "Mercedes Agurcia Membreño" (MAM).
• Free Dance School.
• National Music School.
• Paraninfo of the National Autonomous University of Honduras.

Tegucigalpa has many sports centers in each colony, neighborhood or center, as well as many stadiums, and sports complexes.

Football

Tegucigalpa is home to the two largest clubs of the Honduran National Football League: the Club Deportivo Olimpia and the Club Deportivo Motagua. Both teams have been champions of Central America and both have more than 40 league titles. The Olympia CD, is the most popular and has the most league championships, followed by its arch rival Motagua.

The city has a training complex for youth teams called GOAL Project, which was funded by FIFA and built on the grounds of the National Autonomous University of Honduras (UNAH).^{[Appointment Required]}

Team	Sport	League	Foundation
Olympian	Football	National League of Honduras	1,912
Motagua	Football	National League of Honduras	1,928
Gymnastic	Football	League of Honduras	1,949
Lobos UPNFM	Football	National League of Honduras	2,010
Real de Minas	Football	National League of Honduras	2,012

Pelota Lempira Reina Park

Pelota Lempira Reina Park is a stadium for baseball games, located across from the Metropolitan Tiburcio Carias Andino Stadium. It is the second major stadium for baseball in Honduras after the stadium located on the premises of the Tegucigalpa Olympic Village created in 1951.

Olympic Village of Tegucigalpa

The largest recreational and sports center in Tegucigalpa is the Olympic Village. It offers free access, an Olympic stadium, baseball park, swimming pools, several gyms, basketball courts, tennis courts, large car parks and green areas for relaxation. It is easily accessible from the city's peripheral ring.

Campus of the National Autonomous University of Honduras.

Universities

Some of the city's most important private hospitals are:

Of public category:

• Honduran Social Security Institute (IHSS)
• Hospital Escuela
• Hospital San Felipe
• Hospital de Torrax

Terrestrial

Central America Avenue on a Day of Traffic Congestion.

The fastest way to move around the city is through the ring peripheral "Fifth Centenary". This ring, covers the eastern side of the city of Tegucigalpa and is also connected to the national road, where the national branches are to the north of the country, (to San Pedro Sula), to the south (to Nicaragua) and other exits to nearby towns. Tegucigalpa is connected to the rest of the country and abroad by various paved roads. The main one is headed north of the country, another is headed south, connecting with the Inter-American Highway, and a third is headed east.

The city was under construction for a public transport project called Metrobús Tegucigalpa, which started in 2010 and opened its doors on January 24, 2014.

Air

Airplane at Toncontín International Airport

The main airport of Tegucigalpa is the Toncontín International Airport, located in the south of the city. This airport is considered one of the most dangerous in the world due to its proximity to a sierra and a relatively short runway; ​ for several years it has been replaced by Palmerola airport in Comayagua, where a United States airbase currently operates. ​

Toncontín has been significantly improved through works by the Tegucigalpa Airport Corporation and Interairports, a private company contracted by the government to manage the four international airports in the country. Previously, Toncontín only had a runway of 1863 meters in length. In 2009 it was expanded with 300 meters, of which 150 meters of useful track, 60 meters of track safety strip, and 90 meters of level safety area at the end of the runway. ​ The altitude of the runway is 1033 meters.

Toncontín also has migration, customs, meteorology and air traffic control services. It is operated by international airlines such as American Airlines, Avianca, Continental Airlines, Copa Airlines, DELTA and several local airlines, connecting it to the rest of the country, El Salvador and the United States.