Municipality of Cantarranas
It is a municipality in the department of Francisco Morazán, in the Republic of Honduras.
The town was founded in 1667 under the name Cantarranas. In the first population census of 1791, it appears as the head of the Curato, and in 1825, it is recorded as a parish in the Cedros district. The name «San Juan de Flores» was coincidentally given to the town on March 20, 1934, when it was granted city status under the government of Tiburcio Carias Andino.
In 2011, during an open town council session led by Mayor Francisco Gaitán Agüero, it was agreed to request the National Congress to restore the original name «Cantarranas» due to its indigenous nature and its significance as part of the municipality’s cultural heritage.
The National Congress, through Decree No. 94-2011 dated July 16, 2011, approved the restoration of the name Cantarranas as a strengthening of the town’s identity.
General Information about Cantarranas
Origin of its name: The name «San Juan de Flores» was recently restored to Cantarranas (due to the sound produced by frogs, «ranas» in Spanish).
- Territorial area: 391.67 km2
- Population: 14,041 inhabitants (2012)
- Date of creation: 1889
- Patron Saint Celebration: June 24th, in honor of Saint John the Baptist.
- Villages and hamlets: 19 villages and 83 hamlets.
- Elevation: 600 meters above sea level.
Main Economic Activity
Local tourism and cultivation of staple crops, coffee, vegetables, and sugarcane; raising of cattle, horses, sheep, and pigs; poultry farming.
Location
It is located in the Cantarranas Valley and is surrounded by the Grande or Choluteca River.
Limits
- North: municipalities of Talanga and Guaimaca;
- South: municipalities of Villa de San Francisco and Valle de Angeles;
- East: municipalities of Teupasenti and Morocelí (both in El Paraíso);
- West: municipality of the Central District.
