Municipality of San Antonio
San Antonio is a municipality in the department of Copán in Honduras.
It is believed to have been founded as «San Antonio del Descanso» in the year 1782. In the Population Census of 1887, it was listed as the Municipality of San Antonio, part of the District of Trinidad. On April 12, 1923, the residents of the Santa Elena de San Antonio Village requested the segregation of the village and its annexation to the Municipality of San Jerónimo.
Previously known as San Antonio del Descanso, there are two theories about the origin of the name. One theory suggests that in the past, the roads in this area were only suitable for horseshoe travel, and people would stop and rest in this municipality on their way to San Pedro Sula. Another theory is that people from other places would come to die in this municipality. Previously, the municipality of San Antonio was part of the Gracias department, which now includes the departments of Ocotepeque, Copán, Lempira, and part of La Paz.
San Antonio was officially established as a municipality on August 9, 1837. Its current territorial extension is 112.125 square kilometers, and it consists of 16 villages and 7 hamlets. The municipality has 6 churches, with the most important one located in the urban area, which was built by the Spanish in the 18th century.
Its first elected mayor was Mr. Tito Leiva Cabrera.
Location
The municipality borders Florida to the north and east, San Jerónimo to the south, and El Paraíso to the west. It is located in the northern part of the department, and its municipal seat is situated on the eastern slope of the foothills of the Sierra del Espíritu Santo, in a small plain near the left bank of the Tiste River.
