Comayagua | |
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City | |
Comayagua Cathedral
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Coordinates: 14°27′36″N 87°39′0″W / 14.46000°N 87.65000°WCoordinates: 14°27′36″N 87°39′0″W / 14.46000°N 87.65000°W | |
Country | Honduras |
Department | Comayagua |
Foundation | 8 December 1537 |
Nearby Large Cities |
List
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Government | |
• Alcalde | Carlos Miranda |
Area | |
• Total | 834 km2 (322 sq mi) |
Elevation | 594 m (1,949 ft) |
Population (2015) | |
• Total | 152,051 |
• Density | 180/km2 (470/sq mi) |
Time zone | CST (UTC-6) |
Website | comayagua.hn |
Comayagua (Spanish pronunciation: [komaˈʝaɣwa]) is a city in Honduras, some 50 miles (80 km) northwest of Tegucigalpa on the highway to San Pedro Sula at an elevation of 1,949 feet (594 m) above sea level.
In 2015 the estimated population was 152,051 people. It is the capital of the Comayagua department of Honduras. The city is noted for its wealth of Spanish Colonial architecture. The central square has a cathedral with the oldest clock in the Americas.
Comayagua was founded with the name Santa María de la Nueva Valladolid by Conquistador Alonso de Cáceres under orders from Francisco de Montejo, Governor of Yucatán on 8 December 1537. From 1540 on Comayagua was the capital of the Honduras Province of the Captaincy General of Guatemala. The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, on the main square, was begun in 1563 and inaugurated in 1711. In 1786 (23 December) the Spanish Crown created the Intendencia of Comayagua, with Comayagua as its capital, which lasted until 1812. From 1812 to 1814 it was the capital of the Province of Comayagua when it again reverted to being the capital of the Intendencia of Comayagua until 1820. In 1820, Honduras was again called the Province of Comayagua or Honduras, with Comayagua as its capital. After independence from the Spanish it was the capital of the state of Honduras in the Federal Republic of Central America. After Honduras became an independent republic, the capital alternated between Comayagua and Tegucigalpa (Comayagua being preferred by Conservative administrations, and Tegucigalpa by Liberal ones) before being permanently established at Tegucigalpa in 1880.
In February 2012 a fire killed more than 350 people at Comayagua prison.