Municipality of Santa María del Real

Santa María del Real is a municipality in the department of Olancho in Honduras.

Before 1526, this land was inhabited by indigenous people who settled near the caves of Pueblo Viejo at the foot of the Agalta Mountain near the Los Naranjos mountain. Evidence of this includes human remains, clay vessels, and various utensils.

All of this has been found in the Jaw Cave near the current urban center. With the arrival of the Spanish to our territory during the colonization process, they began to discover areas suitable for the exploitation of various minerals. They established concentrations of population near the areas that had these riches. Hernán Cortés ordered Francisco de Celada to establish human settlements in a place called Escamilpa for the purpose of collecting the minerals in the region. But by May 12, 1526, these settlers changed the name of Escamilpa to Real de Minas, which means «place where gold is concentrated.»

Its current name dates back to 1786. This originated because all towns founded by the Spanish were assigned a priest to instill Catholicism in the population. Thus, Juan Santa María, a priest, arrived at Real de Minas and served for many years before passing away. In honor of his memory, the town was renamed Santa María, and the word «viejo» (old) was added, making it Santa María del Real. The town was elevated to the status of municipality in 1885, with Mr. Amado Tejada serving as mayor. The remains of Juan Santa María were buried in the sacristy of the current Inmaculada Candelaria church, which was built between 1713 and 1735.

Location

The municipality borders the municipalities of Gualaco and San Francisco de la Paz to the north, Juticalpa and San Francisco de Becerra to the south, Catacamas to the east, and San Francisco de la Paz, Juticalpa, and San Francisco de Becerra to the west. The city is located in the El Guayape Valley at the foot of the Agalta Mountain, on the southern bank of the Cuyamapa River. The municipality of Santa María del Real is home to a population of 14,979 inhabitants.