Municipality of Santa Rita of Yoro
Santa Rita of Yoro is a municipality in the Department of Yoro in Honduras. It is known for the tourist attraction of the Humuya River in Comayagua.
History
The oldest signs of human occupation in the territory of Santa Rita, Yoro, date back to 1675 when it was part of the municipality of Sulaco, Yoro. It was known by the few Spanish settlers as «El valle de los Loros» (The Valley of the Parrots) due to its vast vegetation, at that time a splendid virgin forest inhabited by a small Tolupan family residing precisely on the banks of what is now the Humuya or Comayagua River, known in modern times as «La Arenera» jurisdiction of the community of Campo Llano, Santa Cruz de Yojoa, Cortés.
On July 23, 1844, «El valle de los Loros» became part of El Negrito, Cortés, although it was always administered by the Municipal Government of Sulaco until it was officially transferred to El Negrito in 1898.
«El Valle de los Loros» ceased to exist and became simply known as «Aldea de los Venques, El Negrito, Cortés.» The few Tolupans who still resided in the same area as their ancestors decided to completely abandon the banks of the Humuya or Comayagua River and join their other families in the mountains of Sulaco, Yoro. The name «Aldea de los Venques» changed on November 8, 1915, to «Venques de las lagunetas, El Negrito, Yoro,» according to a document owned by the Molina Family.
In 1684, it was a small settlement called Benque de La Laguneta. Later, it became the village of Santa Rita de El Negrito, and finally, in 1959, it was established as a municipality. The first inhabitants were tribes composed of Xicaques and Tolupanes, who engaged in fishing, hunting, and pottery making. Over time, due to diseases and migration, these tribes died out or settled in new places, leaving these lands abandoned.
Subsequently, new settlers arrived in this area attracted by the waters of the Humuya River and settled along its banks, engaging in fishing and trade. The Spanish priest Manuel de Jesús Subirana arrived in these lands and catechized the inhabitants. He also approached the Honduran government to obtain land for them to cultivate. The government granted them the lands under the name of Benque de Lagunetas. Eventually, this settlement became a village called Santa Rita, in honor of the Virgin of Santa Rita de Casia, which belonged to the municipality of El Negrito, Yoro. With the arrival of banana plantations, the village experienced economic growth, but all tributes were collected by the municipal headquarters without any return to the village of Santa Rita.
As a result, a group of prominent individuals organized and approached the departmental political governor to request that the village be elevated to the status of a municipality. After a reasonable period of time and with Dr. Ramón Villeda Morales serving as the President of the Republic, on April 16, 1959, the new municipality called Santa Rita was created, belonging to the department of Yoro. Mr. Oscar Lara Erazo became its first mayor. Since then, the municipality has grown and undergone various transformations.
