Municipality of Aramecina
Aramecina is the municipal seat of the municipality of San Sebastián de Aramecina, which is one of the 9 municipalities in the Department of Valle, located in the southern zone of the Republic of Honduras.
History
In 1578, rich minerals were discovered in Cerro Potosí, in the sub-basin of the Apasapo River. The village of Santa Lucía was built there, belonging to the municipality of Goascorán. In 1740, the municipality of Apasapo was created, and Mr. Crisostomo Cuevas became its first Mayor. On July 14, 1893, Apasapo became part of the Valle department.
In 1907, Mayor José Calistro Díaz decided to relocate the municipal seat from Santa Lucía to a valley further down, between the Apasapo River and Loma Colorada. This new location would be called San Sebastián de Aramecina, which in the Mexican language means «River of Small Magüey Plants.»
On July 14, 1969, most of the municipality’s inhabitants, except for a few who stayed to defend their properties, had to abandon it, fleeing from the bombings by the Salvadoran Air Force during the Soccer War between El Salvador and Honduras. The majority of the population headed east, crossing the «Montaña del Caballito,» which has an elevation of 1004 meters above sea level, towards the departments of Francisco Morazán and Valle, far from the Salvadoran-Honduran border where the military action was taking place.
Colonel Fernando Soto Henríquez of the Honduran Air Force flew over this border, and it was in this sky where he would shoot down the bomber planes. However, the invasion by El Salvador had not reached the municipality of San Sebastián de Aramecina. The soldiers entered by land, crossing the Goascorán River, located 1 kilometer from the town, and looted it as they passed through.
Aramecina has a population of approximately 10,457 inhabitants.
Legend of Aramecina
It is an oral tale about the founding of the town of San Sebastián de Aramecina, regarding the pseudonym of Aramecina, which comes from a local legend that goes: When Mr. José Calistro Díaz was looking for a strategic location to design his new municipal seat, he came across this valley and saw a farmer shouting «ARAMECINA.» He asked him why he was shouting this word, and the tired peasant replied that he had two bulls and a cow. The cow was named Mecina (in honor of the Italian city of Messina). One of his bulls, which was already old and unable to plow, had to be yoked with Mecina. But after a while of plowing, even Mecina got tired, hence the expression ARA-MECINA.
Municipal Boundaries
To the north, divided by the Solubre stream, lies the municipality of Caridad; to the south, divided by the Flor stream, is the municipality of Goascorán; to the east are the municipalities of Langue and Curaren in Francisco Morazán; and to the west, divided by the Goascoran River, is the Republic of El Salvador.
Aldeas
- Las Pozas
- El Tablon
- Macuelizo
- El Cantil
- Tierra Blanca
- El Nance
- El Pedregal
- Los Terreros
- Sampito
- Santa Lucia
- Solubre
Division of the city of Aramecina
The urban area is divided into four neighborhoods and a Colonia.
- Barrio: El Centro.
- Barrio: Arriba, Zona 1.
- Barrio: Arriba, Zona 2.
- Barrio: Abajo.
- Barrio: El Calvario.
- Colonia: Juan Barahona.
City Name
The municipality has seven streets and eight main avenues:
- 1era Calle Poniente (Calle: Crisostomo Cuevas)
- 2.ª Calle Poniente (Calle: San Sebastían)
Among the municipal avenues we have:
- 1era Avenida Norte (Avenida U.S.A.)
- 4.ª Avenida Norte (Avenida Lempira)
- 1era Avenida Sur (Avenida Cabañas)
- 2.ª Avenida Sur (Avenida José Calistro Díaz).
In addition to these there are some alleys only for pedestrian passage, among them it is worth mentioning: Chachunga alley, El Calvario Alley, etc.
Land Roads and Transportation
Aramecina, has a main road, which is the so-called «Dry Canal» between the Republic of Honduras and the Republic of El Salvador, this crosses it from north to south, starting with the village of Solubre, going through the urban area, and leaving through the village of Sampito, towards the neighboring municipality of Goascorán in the department of Valle. It also has tertiary roads to all its villages including the most distant (El Cantil).
The transportation system is divided into the following levels and has:
Municipal level: Bus (with the route: Las posas- El Cantil), Motorcycle taxis (within the city and to all its villages)
Departmental Level: Bus (to Nacaome), Coronelas (to El Amatillo and Caridad)
National Level: Buses (To Choluteca, Comayagua and Comayaguela), Executive Buses (To Comayaguela)
Public Offices
- Alcaldía Municipal
- Registro Nacional de las Personas (RNP)
Main Educational Centers
- Jardin de Niños Domitila Arias
- Escuela Urbana Mixta Dionicio de Herrera
- Instituto Privado Tecnológico del Sur
- Instituto Angel G. Hernández
Religions
- Iglesia Centroamericana Belen
- Iglesia Catolica
- Iglesia Sala Evangelica Sana Doctrina
- Iglesia de Dios
Media
Community Radio Voices
Private Health Services
- Clinica Medica Aramecina
- Farmacia La Amistad
- Farmacia Del Pueblo
- Clinica y Farmacia El Buen Pastor
- Clinica Odontologica My Dentis
Tourism
Aramecina, like most municipalities in southern Honduras, has a lot of tourism potential. Here are some options to enjoy your stay:
- Hiking in the Potosí and El Caballito hills, faithful guardians of this municipality, where you can enjoy a beautiful view of the Gulf of Fonseca and the neighboring countries of El Salvador and Nicaragua.
- The town also offers a guided tour along the ancient mining route of this municipality, which reached its peak with the Apasapo Mine.
- The locality also has swimming areas and the «El Aguacate» waterfalls.
