Municipality of San Lorenzo
San Lorenzo is the most important port city in the department of Valle in Honduras.
Foundation History
San Lorenzo is a relatively young city. Although the Spanish founded the village of San Lorenzo in 1522, it was not until January 1, 1912, that the municipality of San Lorenzo was created.
Henecan Port
The port of Henecan, which is adjacent to the city and is part of the same municipality, is the most important port in southern Honduras. It imports all goods originating from the Pacific Ocean basin and has significant trade generated by the export of agricultural products such as melons and seafood products like shrimp. This makes the port a significant driver for the development of San Lorenzo.
San Lorenzo is characterized by the friendliness of its people, their hospitality, and the entrepreneurial spirit of its citizens. The city has grown so much that an urban reordering is currently underway. It is worth noting that the city has the cleanest, most modern, and functional municipal market in Honduras. Some even refer to it as the «Mall of the South» due to not only its construction but also the cleanliness and orderliness within.
Patron Saint Festivals
The city is named after the patron saint, San Lorenzo.
San Lorenzo also has an excellent house of culture where you can observe murals that depict the history of the municipality. San Lorenzo is famous for its carnival, which takes place during the patron saint festival in honor of San Lorenzo and is celebrated in August every year. Without a doubt, nationally this carnival is second only to the international carnival of the Pacific, second to the grand carnival of friendship in La Ceiba, which is celebrated in May.
Geography
The Municipality of San Lorenzo is the most well-known place in the southern zone and the city where a large number of national and foreign tourists arrive. It is located on a plain, in one of the estuaries of the Gulf of Fonseca in the southern part of the Valle Department. It borders Nacaome to the north and west, the waters of the Gulf of Fonseca to the south, and the Choluteca Department to the east.
Topography
San Lorenzo lacks mountains but does have medium-height hills with permanent vegetation among them, such as Cerro la Castaña, Peñoncito, El Tanque, Agua Tibia, Peñón, Las Labas, Peña del Carnicero, Avilés, La Bandera, El Peñal del Comercio, Rincón de Arenales, and La Maroma. The latter provided all the materials for the construction of the Henecan Port pier and road. It also has historical significance, as tradition tells that it was an enchanted area.
Villages and Hamlets
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La Cuesta
- Centro Náutico
- El Desvío la Bomba
- La Caucara
- La Maroma
- La Visitada
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El Caimito
- Alto de la Cruz
- El Campo Corinto
- El Rincón del Embarcadero
- La Puente
- La Zarza
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El Comercio
- Hacienda la Flor
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El Matearal
- Los Piches
- Los Socios
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Guanacastales
- El Chaguite
- Los Socios
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La Criba
- El Rincón de las Piletas
- El Rincón del Limonal
- El Uvillal
- Los Chorros
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Laure Abajo
- Cerro Ariles
- Agua Zarca
- Hacienda la Botania
- La Cañada
- La Chinga
- Portillo de la Gloria
- Playas de la Botania
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Laure Arriba
- Agua Tibia
- El Cenicero
- El Cerro
- La Bandera
- El Marañon
- Hacienda el Laure Arriba
- La Danta
- El Coyolito
- Hacienda la Finca
- La Finca
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San Gerónimo
- El Chagüite
- Las Lomas
- Las Pilas
- Volcancitos
Natural Environment
The city of San Lorenzo is mostly characterized by a flat topography, except for the northeastern extremity where the port is located, which comprises several hills ranging in height from 300 to 430 meters above sea level. It has different types of soil, including loamy clay soils in the high zone of the municipality, alluvial soils in the central part, and coastal soils with suitable fertility for promising crops for the export agro-industry.
The temperature is high throughout the year, with an average value of around 34°C. It has two well-defined seasons: a rainy or winter season that starts in May and ends in October, and a dry or summer season from November to April, with the latter month recording the highest temperatures.
The municipality is located among the most environmentally vulnerable areas, accentuated by climate change. It is situated in a geographical area: a) with a high incidence of tropical storms that will become more intense as the sea temperature rises. Flooding of most of the city is expected by 2050; and b) prolonged periods of drought have been consolidated, mainly from June to August, with a shortened rainy season that causes crop loss and income reduction, including nutritional risks for farmers producing for subsistence.
Its location in the Gulf of Fonseca and the common environmental, economic, and social characteristics and issues are shared with other municipalities and countries that share the gulf. San Lorenzo participates in:
In the integrated system of ten protected areas connected by extensive wetlands and mangrove ecosystems, and in the management system established in early 2006 through the signing of the Co-management Agreement for the Ten Protected Areas of the Gulf of Fonseca, signed by the Committee for the Defense and Development of the Flora and Fauna of the Gulf of Fonseca (CODDEFFAGOLF), the State Forestry Administration-Honduran Forestry Development Corporation (AFE-COHDEFOR), and thirteen Municipalities of the Departments of Valle and Choluteca, with the central office located in San Lorenzo.
In the transboundary integrated management project of the Gulf of Fonseca ecosystems, financed by the Global Environment Facility, with funding from the Inter-American Development Bank.
Economic Activities
The productive structure of the municipality is characterized by the coexistence of export-oriented industry with artisanal activities, often in a conflicting state. In this context, the most significant activities focus on the shrimp cultivation industry, alongside artisanal fishing; export-oriented intensive agriculture with basic grain cultivation for consumption; and the industrial activity of salt processing, with its artisanal collection. The port and its collateral activities generate employment as well as a source of income through transfers made by the National Government to the municipality, sharing in the revenue from port and customs activities. The characteristics of each of these activities are briefly described below:
Shrimp Farming
The wetlands of the Gulf of Fonseca with dense mangrove forests create the suitable environment for the development of economically significant activities such as fishing and the shrimp industry, which was established in the early 1970s. The industry of cultivated shrimp subsequently spread with the central government’s incentives and massive capital investment and concentration in technologically advanced companies. The activity ranks third in importance among the country’s exported goods and positions Honduras as the main producer and exporter in Central America. The industry is of great importance for local employment and operates in two annual cycles. During the high season, which coincides with the rainy season, there is a shortage of packing services due to the increase in shrimp harvests, while during the dry season, some packing companies remain idle and are forced to cut jobs. This coexists with subsistence and commercial artisanal fishing, which traditionally has been carried out by the population without regulation by the State.
Agriculture
The cotton plantations and extensive livestock farming were progressively displaced, and starting from the 1990s, the National Government created incentives to diversify agriculture. Through exemptions and subsidies, non-traditional high-yielding products oriented towards export are promoted, leading to the boom of certain crops, some of which already existed in the area, such as melon and watermelon. Melon production, in particular, is concentrated in companies that have a high vertical integration from product cultivation to commercialization, and generally have some connection with destination market companies under different alliance modalities. The job opportunities in agriculture are seasonal, concentrated in the dry season and decrease from April to September, with lower wages compared to other activities. This activity coexists with subsistence agriculture, where crops prevail during the rainy season and largely serve as a complementary activity for subsistence.
Salt Industry
Similar to other activities, there is an artisanal collection activity in the coastal area, which is then sold to the processing factories in San Lorenzo, who also have their own collectors. The work is carried out in two seasons during the year: the collection of salt in the coastal zones from the last days of January to May, and the industrialization process in the factory from May to December.
Port Activity
The construction of the Henecan port in 1980 has driven the development of port activities and related industries. It is the national port through which all goods from the Pacific basin (such as oil, automobiles, wood, etc.) are imported, and agricultural, livestock, and commercial production from the southern, central, and eastern regions of the country are exported. The municipality also receives transfers from the National Government, which should, according to the law, be equivalent to 4% of the revenue generated by port and customs activities. Although this percentage is not met, the received amount is still highly significant for local administration (Government transfers represented 50%, 45%, and 34% of municipal revenues in the period from 2004 to 2006). Within the premises of the National Port Company of Honduras, the owner and administrator, there are two large hydrocarbon storage depots.
Tourism
Tourism is incipient but constitutes an activity with potential, integrating the set of points of interest in the southern region, especially San Lorenzo, Amapala, Coyolito, and Nacaome, which have a developing basic infrastructure of tourist services. The local competitive advantage comes from the port as a starting point for a tour of the Gulf of Fonseca. The Honduran Institute of Tourism (IHT) and the Committee for the Defense and Development of the Flora and Fauna of the Gulf of Fonseca (CODDEFFAGOLF) offer ecotourism packages to domestic and foreign visitors.
Tourist Attractions
Perhaps the biggest tourist attraction in the department is very close to San Lorenzo, on the Tigre Island and the port of Amapala. This island, whose name was derived from the «tigers» that used to roam the island, has a small and picturesque port: Amapala, the former main port of the country that operated solely in the Pacific for many years.
A significant number of important individuals arrived in Honduras through this beautiful port. Amapala lost its momentum when the central government relocated the port to San Lorenzo, considering it more convenient to have it directly on the coast rather than on an island, where all the goods had to be reloaded to reach the mainland. What was once a bustling and lively population, with a thriving commercial industry, has now become a small and quiet town that struggles to thrive.
Currently, there is a project to promote tourism development in Amapala through guesthouses. The project, known as the VASS Project, has identified community members interested in promoting tourism and has supported them with training to convert some rooms in their houses into accommodations for tourists. In addition to promoting this economic activity, the project has helped preserve the city’s architectural character by not demolishing old houses to build new buildings without respect for the city’s vernacular architecture.
It is relatively easy to reach the island. To do so, you must take the turnoff to Coyolito, which is on the Pan-American Highway. Once in Coyolito, a small fishing village on the shores of the Gulf of Fonseca, you can take a boat to the Tigre Island, an 8 to 10-minute ride through the calm waters of the bay. During the journey, you can observe some of the houses of the «rich and famous» in Honduras, many of whom have built their beach houses in the Coyolito area.
For those willing to go for a walk under the sun, there is a path that leads to the top of the island, where you can enjoy a spectacular view that includes Honduran, Salvadoran, and Nicaraguan territory.
Most of the Gulf of Fonseca coast is made up of mangroves, forming exotic channels and an ideal environment for seabirds. The Bahía De Chismuyo Wildlife Refuge, located west of Coyolito, is a unique protected area in Honduras. It is easily accessible from Coyolito. From San Lorenzo, you can arrange a boat tour through the mangrove channels to visit various points of interest, such as the beach of love. In addition, there is a significant shrimp industry that is cultivated within marine farms, as well as large areas for artisanal salt exploitation. Furthermore, this region produces a significant amount of watermelons and melons, many of which are for export.
The sunsets in the Gulf of Fonseca are spectacular, so we recommend that if you have the opportunity to visit the southern beaches, take the chance to stay and enjoy the sunset. You will undoubtedly appreciate the spectacle offered by nature!
In the western part of the Valle department, very close to San Lorenzo, you will find the colonial zone of the department. Notable communities include Nacaome, the departmental capital, the city of Langue, which has one of the most beautiful colonial churches in Honduras, which is well-maintained, and the city of Pespire, a true colonial gem in Honduras. This area also produces high-quality handicrafts, including the large and colorful roosters that can be seen along the roadsides and the two-tone natural Lenca pottery that offers new and improved designs every day.
Although San Lorenzo is relatively close to Tegucigalpa, allowing for a round trip on the same day, it is advisable to stay overnight in the city to discover its multiple facets, meet its friendly population, and enjoy the many tourist services available in the area.
