Catrachos, the men of Xatruch
Catracho is a nickname used colloquially to refer to Hondurans, and it means «the men of Xatruch» in honor of the bravery demonstrated by the army of Hondurans under the command of General Florencio Xatruch against the North American filibusters.
Origin of the Term Catracho
In the mid-19th century, American adventurers known as filibusters sought to turn Nicaragua into a state of the United States, following the same path as the annexation of Texas and California, but without the intervention of their government. The purpose of this was to gain favor from the pro-slavery supporters in the southern part of the United States, who were on the verge of the Civil War against the northern states.
One of the goals of the filibusters was to restore slavery in the central part of the American continent, starting with Nicaragua. Once Nicaragua was taken, these adventurers, led by William Walker, would continue their domination over the rest of the Central American countries.
The filibusters took control of parts of Nicaragua, but their control over the country was disorganized. The other Central American countries then organized themselves to fight against the invaders: Guatemala, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Honduras, and Costa Rica set aside their political differences and united for the common good of the region.
The Men of Xatruch
Honduras contributed over three hundred men under the command of General Florencio Xatruch. Upon arriving in the city of Granada in December 1856, Xatruch was appointed by the other Central American commanders as the supreme general of the armed forces composed of the allied countries of Central America.
During the bloody battles fought in this armed conflict, the Hondurans, alongside their Central American brothers, demonstrated great courage, defeating the filibusters and reclaiming a significant portion of the Nicaraguan territory that had been seized.
Upon their return from the battlefield, the men of General Xatruch were welcomed by the Nicaraguan people as heroes, with phrases like: «Here come the catrachos», a word mispronounced due to the difficulty of pronouncing General Xatruch’s name.
Otherwise, the pronunciation of this word would have been «xatruchos» (shatruchos).
