Mapulaca
Encyclopedia
Mapulaca is a municipality
in the Honduran
department of Lempira.
Mapulaca is one of the smallest municipalities in the south of Lempira department. It is hard to get there and the traveler can take any road, however, the suggested option is via Santa Rosa de Copán
-San Marcos de Ocotepeque-Cololaca-Valladolid-La Virtud-Mapulaca. On the other hand if the traveler is coming from La Esperanza, Intibuca obviously the road to take is via Santa Cruz
-San Andrés
-Candelaria
-Mapulaca, and this dirt road is repaired more often along the year. Either way it takes about 5 or 6 hours to get there. There is a well known point on the border, "El Puente Colgante" (The Hanging Bridge), which leads to Sonsonate municipality in El Salvador
.
on March 10, 1817. Subscribed by his majesty King Felipe IV. In 1889 it was a municipality of Candelaria district.
. It is necessary to cross the hanging bridge to make it to Chalatenango municupality in El Salvador. This bridge is an adventure itself, it was built by a Swiss man also known as "Tony El Suizo", who built more hanging bridges after hurricane Mitch back in 1998. The "Lempa" river is a good place for swimming, but its currents are very strong and dangerous, so extreme care is advised. There are several tributary rivers to Lempa river, which are also nice places to cool off. There is only one hostel in Mapulaca with the only one "restaurant", which is quite small.
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
in the Honduran
Honduras
Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
department of Lempira.
Mapulaca is one of the smallest municipalities in the south of Lempira department. It is hard to get there and the traveler can take any road, however, the suggested option is via Santa Rosa de Copán
Santa Rosa de Copán
Santa Rosa de Copán is the departmental capital of the Honduran department of Copán. It is set at an elevation of approximately above mean sea level....
-San Marcos de Ocotepeque-Cololaca-Valladolid-La Virtud-Mapulaca. On the other hand if the traveler is coming from La Esperanza, Intibuca obviously the road to take is via Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz, Lempira
Santa Cruz is a municipality in the Honduran department of Lempira.Santa Cruz is one of the most hidden municipalities of the Lempira department. It is 70 km away from the city of Gracias, forced to pass by San Juan del Caite in Intibuca.- History :...
-San Andrés
San Andrés, Lempira
San Andrés is a municipality in the Honduran department of Lempira. It is notable as the principal site in Honduras for the mining of andesite opals from Las Colinas deposit near Sosoal, which is in the municipality. This mining is largely performed by artisanal miners, rather than on an industrial...
-Candelaria
Candelaria, Lempira
Candelaria is a municipality in the Honduran department of Lempira.Candelaria is one of the municipalities of the Lempira department. It is located 96 km away from Gracias city, and passing by San Juan del Caite...
-Mapulaca, and this dirt road is repaired more often along the year. Either way it takes about 5 or 6 hours to get there. There is a well known point on the border, "El Puente Colgante" (The Hanging Bridge), which leads to Sonsonate municipality in El Salvador
El Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
.
History
Founded on October 30, 1692. In the census of 1791, it was part of "Curato de Cerquin". It has real state titles granted by the "Convent" of GraciasGracias
Gracias is a small Honduran town/municipality that was founded in 1536, and has a population of approximately 25,000 people...
on March 10, 1817. Subscribed by his majesty King Felipe IV. In 1889 it was a municipality of Candelaria district.
Geography
It is located approximately at 300 mts above sea level, and after coming down "Congolón" mountain. It is surrounded by some high hills and by dry sub tropical forrests, and it applies for the rest of the municipality. It also has some flat lands for sowing and more recently for people settlement.Boundaries
Its boundaries are:- North : GualcinceGualcinceGualcince is a municipality in the Honduran department of Lempira.Gualcince is one of the several municipalities of the Lempira department. It is located 78 km from Gracias city. It is necessary to pass by San Juan, Intibuca and through the municipalities of Santa Cruz and San Andrés. It has 2...
municipality. - South : El SalvadorEl SalvadorEl Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
. - East : CandelariaCandelaria, LempiraCandelaria is a municipality in the Honduran department of Lempira.Candelaria is one of the municipalities of the Lempira department. It is located 96 km away from Gracias city, and passing by San Juan del Caite...
and VirginiaVirginia, LempiraVirginia is a municipality in the Honduran department of Lempira.Virginia is located in Lempira Honduras and shares a border with El Salvador. Many Virginians travel to El Salvador to do their shopping, because the Honduran cities are far away from Virginia....
municipalities. - West : La VirtudLa VirtudLa Virtud is a municipality in the Honduran department of Lempira.La Virtud is one of the municipalities of the Lempira department. It is also one of the furthest from the big cities in Honduras but near to El Salvador border. It takes up to 4 hours to get there taking either way of Gracias or...
municipality.
- Surface Extents: 32 km²
Resources
The main economical activity is commerce, and especially since the border is only 3 km away from the departmental capital. The next activity is corn and beans crops and in a smaller scale is cattle and milk products, these last are mostly for local consumption. It has had electricity for 4 years now and also mobile communication services. The water is obtained from wells, but it is not enough for the local demand. It has 2 hardware stores and several groceries stores. In some houses, people sell gasoline or diesel fuels.Population
The cross-breed of Spanish and Indians is the majority, but the traits of Indians are more common to see.- Population:The population in 2001 was 3,866, and according to estimates by the INE Honduras, 4,276 is expected for 2008.
- Villages: 5
- Settlements: 35
Tourism
Due to its geography and location, Mapulaca is only a place to pass by. The "Puente Colgante" is the place of the border to go to El SalvadorEl Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
. It is necessary to cross the hanging bridge to make it to Chalatenango municupality in El Salvador. This bridge is an adventure itself, it was built by a Swiss man also known as "Tony El Suizo", who built more hanging bridges after hurricane Mitch back in 1998. The "Lempa" river is a good place for swimming, but its currents are very strong and dangerous, so extreme care is advised. There are several tributary rivers to Lempa river, which are also nice places to cool off. There is only one hostel in Mapulaca with the only one "restaurant", which is quite small.
- Local Holidays: "San Juan de Dios' day, on March 8.