Department of Cortes

Cortés is one of the 18 departments that comprise the Republic of Honduras. Their administrative code is 05.

View Map of the Department of Cortés

General Information

Origin of its name: The department received its name in honor of the Spanish conquistador Don Hernán Cortés, who arrived in the territory of Honduras in 1525 and was the one who originally organized the conquest of the region.
Its departmental capital is the city of San Pedro Sula, the second most populous city in the country, also known as the «industrial capital of Honduras.» Origin of its name: In the Mesoamerican language, Xolometl maguey means «water of maguey.»

Date of creation: July 4, 1893
Departmental capital: San Pedro Sula
Territorial area: 3,911 km2
Administrative code: 05
Municipalities: 12
Aldeas: 284
Total population (2018): 1,718,881
Population in rural areas: 306,049
Population in urban areas: 1,412,832
Population density: 414.66 people/km2
Life expectancy in years: 76.5
Infant mortality rate: 12.8

History of Cortés

The first inhabitants of the Sula Valley and the territory of the current department of Cortés left archaeological evidence, including sites such as Naco, Playa de los Muertos, Cuyamel, and Cerro Palenque, belonging to the Lenca, Tolupan, Maya, and other cultures.
The arrival of the Spanish in the region dates back to 1524 with the explorer Gil Gonzáles Dávila, who founded the town of San Juan de Puerto de Caballos. It was the conquistador Pedro de Alvarado, along with his indigenous troops from the Achí tribe, who subdued the groups in the Sula Valley led by Cicumba in 1536, leading to the foundation of the town of San Pedro on June 27, 1536.

Colonial Era

During the colonial era, the city was attacked and burned by pirates seeking Spanish territories, limiting its development to commercial port activity between the interior and Puerto de Caballos.
It was a subdelegation under the province of Comayagua, with San Pedro Sula as its seat.

Creation of Cortés

The department was created on July 4, 1893, under the administration of Domingo Vásquez. This new department was created through a division from the department of Santa Bárbara.
It was formed by the districts of San Pedro Sula and Santa Crúz, which belonged to Santa Bárbara, and the districts of Tela and El Negrito, which belonged to Yoro. However, the latter two were annexed back to Yoro in 1894.
Cortés experienced economic growth with the arrival of North American fruit companies, as banana cultivation brought the installation of railways and shipping ports for the fruit. The department of Cortés is home to the country’s largest industrial development, and its capital, San Pedro Sula, is the second most important city, generating the highest fiscal revenues for the state.

Geography of Cortés

Location: It is situated in the northwestern part of the country.
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Boundaries:

North: Caribbean Sea
South: Department of Comayagua
East: Departments of Atlántida and Yoro
West: Department of Santa Bárbara and the Republic of Guatemala

Municipalities of Cortés

See List of Municipalities in Honduras

Climate of Cortés

The Department of Cortés has a warm and humid climate with temperatures ranging from 27°C to 30°C, and rainfall throughout the year, which maintains high humidity and stifling heat in the area.
The climate of Cortés is mild and humid, with a dry winter and a tropical rainy season. It has two distinct climatic zones: the Sula Valley and the surrounding mountainous areas. Precipitation varies as you move inland and along the shores of Lake Yojoa.

Topography of Cortés

Rivers of Cortés

Ulúa, Chamelecón, Jimerito, Cuyamelito, Santo Tomás, Ildefonso, Chiquito.

Lakes of Cortés

Laguna de Alvarado, Ticamaya, Jucutuma, and Lake Yojoa.

Protected Areas of Cortés

Cusuco National Park; multiple-use areas, Lake Yojoa; biological reserves, Motagua River Bar, and Zapatillos Keys.

Wildlife of Cortés

Mammals

Shrew, squirrel, coatimundi, agouti, skunk, raccoon, deer, paca, tapir, peccary, coyote, foxes, wildcat, puma, ocelot, and jaguar.

Birds

Woodpecker, dove, roadrunner, great-tailed grackle, seagull, pelican, mourning dove, parakeet, turquoise-browed motmot, thrush, heron, hawk, bearded vulture, owl, and fish eagle.

Marine Species

Crab, lobster, dolphin, shark, shrimp, crab, stingray, and a variety of fish.

Flora of Cortés

Coniferous forests in the mountains and mixed forests with broad-leaved trees in the coastal plain.

Economy of Cortés

Maquiladoras

San Pedro Sula, Puerto Cortés, Choloma, La Lima, Villanueva, Potrerillos, and Santa Cruz de Yojoa.

Compañías operadoras de la zona industrial Río S.A. (SPS)
Inversiones las Flores (Choloma)
Parque industrial Real (Choloma)
Parque industrial Triple A Ticamaya S.A. de C.V (Choloma)
Villanueva Industrial Park (Villanueva)
Zip Buena Vista (Villanueva)
Zip Calpules (SPS)
Zip Choloma (Choloma)
Zip San Miguel (Choloma)
Zona Libre América (SPS)
Zona Libre Continental (La Lima)
Zona Libre Honduras S.A. (Choloma)
Zona Libre INHDELVA (Choloma)
Zona Libre Zip San José (SPS)

Agricultural, Livestock, and Other Productions

Cultivation of bananas, plantains, sugarcane, African palm, oranges, cocoa, pineapple, cassava, corn, and rice; raising of cattle, sheep, and pigs; poultry farming; industries: textiles, food products, paper, beverages, tobacco, printing and publishing, chemicals, petroleum derivatives, basic metals, and manufacturing industries.

Mines

Gold, zinc, silver, antimony.

Emigration

The presence of maquiladoras stimulates internal migration to the department. This internal migration is often followed by emigration to Mexico and/or the United States of America.

Culture

Foods

Grilled beef
Grilled sausage
Fried sausage
Grilled pork
Pressed meat
Shredded beef
Salpicón (finely chopped beef, condiments, spices, salt, and lime)
Potato soup
Bean soup with beef
Bean soup with egg
Chicken soup
Conch soup
Seafood soup
Capirotada soup
Mondongo soup
Meatball soup
Crab soup
Clam soup
Fresh fish soup
Dried fish patty soup
Tapado (stew) with pork and braised beef, with plantains, or boiled cassava, with coconut milk
Yaguazo gumbo (wild duck)
Ground beef patties
Deer leg
Stewed fish with camuleño plantains
Stewed pork
Casabe (cassava bread)
Baleadas
Montucas
Fresh fish tapado
Iguana or garrobo soup
Fried mazapán
Stuffed mazapán
Paella rice
Shrimp rice
Fried beans
Stewed beans
Beans with rice
Moronga or blood sausage
Pork nacatamales
Chicken nacatamales
Meat pastries
Stewed fish
Fried fish with plantain slices
Fried chicken with green banana slices
Pork rinds and cheese pupusas
Dried fish tapado
Coconut beef tapado
Ground beef patties
Corn cakes
Fish cakes
Yucca with pork rinds

Beverages

Corn atol
Poleada (cornmeal pudding)
Chilate
Horchata (rice drink)
Tamarind fresco
Nance fresco
Melon fresco
Watermelon fresco
Lemonade
Punch
Rompopo (eggnog)

Desserts

Corn tamalitos
Rice pudding
Sweetened squash
Sweetened plantains
Torrejas (French toast)
Plantain pudding

Tourism in Cortés

San Fernando de Omoa Fortress
Beaches of Puerto Cortés and Omoa
Zapatillos Keys
Historical museums

References

Source: INE, Population Projections 2018. National Population and Housing Census 2013.