Municipality of El Rosario
El Rosario is a municipality in the department of Comayagua in Honduras.
The origin of the municipality’s first name, San Antonio Opoteca, meant a place of great roads. This comes from the suffix «teca» in Opoteca, which is derived from Opolla, meaning the aforementioned.
The municipality of El Rosario was primarily presented in Las Minas de Opoteca by Don Francisco de Montejo, who presented it to His Majesty Carlos I, the King of Spain, as such. Although the statistical yearbook of Honduras states that this municipality was founded in 1724, its history dates back to its possible foundation in 1539. This municipality was called San Antonio Opoteca, and the name change took place in 1915.
The municipal head was baptized with the name San Antonio de Opoteca in 1689. In the same year, the main church was erected by Spanish architects, mainly built with minerals. During the Territorial Political Division of Honduras in 1889, it was one of the Districts of Comayagua, formed by the municipalities of El Rosario and San Jerónimo del Esquino. It obtained city status in 1915, changing its name from San Antonio de Opoteca to El Rosario.
Location
The municipality is located on the slope of a high hill in Comayagua. The Humuya River, a river that flows mostly through the Comayagua department, passes to the north. It is situated at the foot of Cerro Grande, in the center of the Comayagua department. It is surrounded by the following mountains: La Palma, La Granadilla, El Cacho, and La Viuda.
Limits
- To the north, it borders the municipality of Meámbar and La Trinidad.
- To the south, it borders the municipality of Comayagua (including the villages of Las Anonas, Los Empates, Agua Salada, and Carboneras).
- To the east, it borders the municipality of San Jerónimo.
- To the west, it borders the municipality of Siguatepeque.
The territorial extension is 281.13 km2, ranking ninth in size within the department.
Localities
El Rosario has exactly 12 villages and 69 hamlets as of 2009. The municipal head, El Rosario, is located northwest of the center of the municipality. This municipality is also located to the left of the center of the Comayagua department.
