Omoa
Encyclopedia
Omoa is a town
and a municipality
in the Department of Cortés of the Central American country of Honduras
. Omoa is located on a small bay of the same name 18 km. west of Puerto Cortés
on the Caribbean Sea
coast.
and a small town located along the Northwest Caribbean coast of Honduras. The town is about 18 km west of Puerto Cortes
. The municipio of Omoa is populated by about 30,000 people distributed within an area of 382.8 km².
Repeated pirate raids on coastal towns along the Caribbean coast of Central America led the Spanish Crown as early as 1590 to begin looking for a new defensible port for the Captaincy General of Guatemala
to export its goods to Spain. This initial study by Antonelli, and many subsequent ones, all pointed to the bay at Omoa as the most defensible location along the coast west of Trujillo
(which already had a fort).
Omoa was founded again in 1752 as a Spanish colonial town. The then governor of Honduras, Pantaleón Ibánez, described the town they planned would include a Hospital, a building for the royal treasury, a church, warehouses, barracks for soldiers, and houses for the officers. The town itself was to house the people who would build and occupy the two Spanish forts (El Real, and San Fernando de Omoa) which would gard the bay. Construction of El Real began in 1752 and was finished around 1756. El Real was used to defend the port town while the much larger fort of San Fernando de Omoa was built next to it. San Fernando de Omoa was finished around 1774. This historic place had as its main purpose to protect against the pirates; the silver cargos originating from the mines of San Miguel of Tegucigalpa
that often left from Omoa to Spain
. Ironically, the construction of the fortress did not end until piracy had significantly declined. After the independence of Honduras
in 1821, the fortress was used as a prison by the Honduran authorities for a while. Then it was abandoned for a long time.
The English briefly occupied the town
in 1779 and reportedly burned its 200 buildings.
In the late 18th century, Omoa had a diverse population of Spanish, Indians (mostly from central Honduras), enslaved Africans (the four contracts of royal slaves deployed to build and maintain the fort), mulattos, and free blacks (escaped English slaves, mostly from Belize).
For a very long time, Omoa was one of the most important ports in Honduras
. Nevertheless, that importance began to fade in the 1820s when the place was destroyed a couple of times by fires, the bay began to silt up, and nearby Puerto Cortes
was developed. Then the first railroad connecting Puerto Cortes
with San Pedro Sula
was developed in the 1880s, reducing Omoa to a simple backwater fishing village.
The economy of Omoa is kept active, based on the fishing of its settlers. About 600 native fishermen with 400 small boats bring home approximately 220,000 pounds of fish.
Many of the settlers of the municipality of Omoa are dedicated to the agriculture. They have mastered the cultivation of basic grains such as corn
, beans, and rice
. While other inhabitants earn their income as cattle raisers.
Other sources of income come from tourism of the natural beauty of Omoa and of the fortress of San Fernando, the largest of Central America
and one of the few surviving colonial fortresses in the Americas
. Today "The Castle" as it is often called is a national historic monument of Honduras and it is open to the general public.
Besides the fortress of San Fernando of Omoa, the tourist can enjoy the natural beauty that surrounds the place. On the one hand; the great mountain range of Merendon can be appreciated with its exotic variety of plants and animals.
On the other hand the tourist can enjoy Omoa with its warm and sandy beaches, complemented by its palm trees. On these beaches, many tourists have also the opportunity to learn or practice scuba diving
, as well as other water sports. For all the above Omoa has become, one of Honduras
' fastest growing tourist attractions.
Omoa's most striking feature is the Fortaleza de San Fernando de Omoa, an 18th century Spanish
fort, though there are actually two forts there. The earlier Real fort was started in 1752, and remodeled in 1759. Next to the Real fort, the fort of San Fernando de Omoa was constructed from 1756 through 1775.
On 15 October 1779 the Royal Navy
ships Lowestoffe and Charon
were with a small squadron which arrived off the Honduras coast. They were accompanied by Pomona, the Racehorse
, a schooner and other small craft, and were hoping to intercept some treasure ships in the bay of Dulce. They found two Spanish ships which took shelter under the guns of the fortress of San Fernando de Omoa, and an unsuccessful attempt was made to capture the town from the sea. They fell in with the Porcupine sloop and some troop transports returning from driving the Spaniards from St George’s. On 16 October this was followed by a landing some 9 miles away at Puerto Caballo by seamen and marines from the ships, a detachment of the Royal Irish Regiment and 250 Baymen to make an overland attempt on Omoa. They underestimated the difficulties of marching first through swamps, and then wild, mountainous country and only covered three miles during the night. However, when they reached the town the following afternoon it soon fell, but they were unable to take the fort because the Baymen had dropped the scaling ladders they were carrying. They were supported during the attack by fire from Charon and Lowestoffe, the latter being badly damaged when she grounded for a while as she tried to get closer.
The bombardment from the sea, supplemented by fire from some guns which had been landed from Pomona, continued on the night of the 19 October, occupying the garrison which did not notice storming parties of seamen, marines and soldiers infiltrating the fort. The surprise was complete and there were only six British casualties. The treasure found in the fort and on board two treasure ships was worth some two million dollars. Two hundred and fifty quintals of mercury were also found in the fort. The fort itself was abandoned by the British at the end of November, before a Spanish counterattack arrived. The craters from the British bombardment are still visible in the walls of the fort today.
Omoa was the last Spanish stronghold in Central America after the region declared its independence. The Spanish fort was captured by the Central American Republicans under Colonel Juan Galindo
.
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
and a municipality
Municipalities of Honduras
The 18 departments of Honduras are divided into 299 municipalities . Municipalities have elected mayors , as opposed to the appointed governors of departments. For statistical purposes, the municipalities are further subdivided into 3731 aldeas, and those into 27969 caserios...
in the Department of Cortés of the Central American country of Honduras
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...
. Omoa is located on a small bay of the same name 18 km. west of Puerto Cortés
Puerto Cortés
-Geography:It is on the Caribbean Sea coast, north of San Pedro Sula and east of Omoa, at 15.85° N, 87.94° W. It has a natural bay.It is Honduras's main sea port and it is considered the most important seaport in Central America...
on the Caribbean Sea
Caribbean Sea
The Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean located in the tropics of the Western hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico and Central America to the west and southwest, to the north by the Greater Antilles, and to the east by the Lesser Antilles....
coast.
Geography
Omoa is both a municipalityMunicipalities of Honduras
The 18 departments of Honduras are divided into 299 municipalities . Municipalities have elected mayors , as opposed to the appointed governors of departments. For statistical purposes, the municipalities are further subdivided into 3731 aldeas, and those into 27969 caserios...
and a small town located along the Northwest Caribbean coast of Honduras. The town is about 18 km west of Puerto Cortes
Puerto Cortés
-Geography:It is on the Caribbean Sea coast, north of San Pedro Sula and east of Omoa, at 15.85° N, 87.94° W. It has a natural bay.It is Honduras's main sea port and it is considered the most important seaport in Central America...
. The municipio of Omoa is populated by about 30,000 people distributed within an area of 382.8 km².
History
In 1536 Omoa was a small "pueblo de indios" allocated in repartimiento by Pedro de Alvarado to Luis del Puerto along with the nearby Indian town of Chachaguala. But by 1582 Omoa had ceased to exist as a viable community.Repeated pirate raids on coastal towns along the Caribbean coast of Central America led the Spanish Crown as early as 1590 to begin looking for a new defensible port for the Captaincy General of Guatemala
Captaincy General of Guatemala
The Captaincy General of Guatemala , also known as the Kingdom of Guatemala , was an administrative division in Spanish America which covered much of Central America, including what are now the nations of Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala, and the Mexican state of Chiapas...
to export its goods to Spain. This initial study by Antonelli, and many subsequent ones, all pointed to the bay at Omoa as the most defensible location along the coast west of Trujillo
Trujillo, Colón
Trujillo is a city and a municipality on the northern Caribbean coast of the Honduran department of Colón, of which the city is the capital. The municipality has a population of about 30,000 . The city is located on a bluff overlooking the Bay of Trujillo. Behind the city rise two prominent...
(which already had a fort).
Omoa was founded again in 1752 as a Spanish colonial town. The then governor of Honduras, Pantaleón Ibánez, described the town they planned would include a Hospital, a building for the royal treasury, a church, warehouses, barracks for soldiers, and houses for the officers. The town itself was to house the people who would build and occupy the two Spanish forts (El Real, and San Fernando de Omoa) which would gard the bay. Construction of El Real began in 1752 and was finished around 1756. El Real was used to defend the port town while the much larger fort of San Fernando de Omoa was built next to it. San Fernando de Omoa was finished around 1774. This historic place had as its main purpose to protect against the pirates; the silver cargos originating from the mines of San Miguel of Tegucigalpa
Tegucigalpa
Tegucigalpa , and commonly referred as Tegus , is the capital of Honduras and seat of government of the Republic, along with its twin sister Comayagüela. Founded on September 29, 1578 by the Spanish, it became the country's capital on October 30, 1880 under President Marco Aurelio Soto...
that often left from Omoa to Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. Ironically, the construction of the fortress did not end until piracy had significantly declined. After the independence of Honduras
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...
in 1821, the fortress was used as a prison by the Honduran authorities for a while. Then it was abandoned for a long time.
The English briefly occupied the town
Battle of San Fernando de Omoa
The Battle of San Fernando de Omoa was a short siege and battle between British and Spanish forces fought not long after Spain entered the American Revolutionary War on the American side...
in 1779 and reportedly burned its 200 buildings.
In the late 18th century, Omoa had a diverse population of Spanish, Indians (mostly from central Honduras), enslaved Africans (the four contracts of royal slaves deployed to build and maintain the fort), mulattos, and free blacks (escaped English slaves, mostly from Belize).
For a very long time, Omoa was one of the most important ports in Honduras
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...
. Nevertheless, that importance began to fade in the 1820s when the place was destroyed a couple of times by fires, the bay began to silt up, and nearby Puerto Cortes
Puerto Cortés
-Geography:It is on the Caribbean Sea coast, north of San Pedro Sula and east of Omoa, at 15.85° N, 87.94° W. It has a natural bay.It is Honduras's main sea port and it is considered the most important seaport in Central America...
was developed. Then the first railroad connecting Puerto Cortes
Puerto Cortés
-Geography:It is on the Caribbean Sea coast, north of San Pedro Sula and east of Omoa, at 15.85° N, 87.94° W. It has a natural bay.It is Honduras's main sea port and it is considered the most important seaport in Central America...
with San Pedro Sula
San Pedro Sula
San Pedro Sula is a city in Honduras. It is located in the northwest corner of the country, in the Valle de Sula , about 60 km south of Puerto Cortés on the Caribbean. With an estimated population of 638,259 people in the main municipality, and 802,598 in its metro area , it is the second...
was developed in the 1880s, reducing Omoa to a simple backwater fishing village.
Economy
Many of the settlers of the municipality of Omoa are dedicated to the agriculture. They have mastered the cultivation of basic grains such as corn
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
, beans, and rice
Rice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
. While other inhabitants earn their income as cattle raisers.
Other sources of income come from tourism of the natural beauty of Omoa and of the fortress of San Fernando, the largest of Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
and one of the few surviving colonial fortresses in the Americas
Americas
The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
. Today "The Castle" as it is often called is a national historic monument of Honduras and it is open to the general public.
Besides the fortress of San Fernando of Omoa, the tourist can enjoy the natural beauty that surrounds the place. On the one hand; the great mountain range of Merendon can be appreciated with its exotic variety of plants and animals.
On the other hand the tourist can enjoy Omoa with its warm and sandy beaches, complemented by its palm trees. On these beaches, many tourists have also the opportunity to learn or practice scuba diving
Scuba diving
Scuba diving is a form of underwater diving in which a diver uses a scuba set to breathe underwater....
, as well as other water sports. For all the above Omoa has become, one of Honduras
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...
' fastest growing tourist attractions.
San Fernando of Omoa
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
fort, though there are actually two forts there. The earlier Real fort was started in 1752, and remodeled in 1759. Next to the Real fort, the fort of San Fernando de Omoa was constructed from 1756 through 1775.
On 15 October 1779 the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
ships Lowestoffe and Charon
HMS Charon
Four ships of the Royal Navy have been named HMS Charon, after Charon, the boatman to Hades across the River Styx in Greek Mythology:* HMS Charon was a 44-gun fifth-rate launched in 1778 and destroyed at the Battle of Yorktown in 1781....
were with a small squadron which arrived off the Honduras coast. They were accompanied by Pomona, the Racehorse
HMS Racehorse
Ten ships of the Royal Navy have borne the name HMS Racehorse:*HMS Racehorse was an 8-gun privateer captured from the French in 1757. She was on Arctic discovery in 1773. Captured by the American Andrea Doria in 1776 and destroyed by the Royal Navy in 1777 at Delaware Bay.*HMS Racehorse was a...
, a schooner and other small craft, and were hoping to intercept some treasure ships in the bay of Dulce. They found two Spanish ships which took shelter under the guns of the fortress of San Fernando de Omoa, and an unsuccessful attempt was made to capture the town from the sea. They fell in with the Porcupine sloop and some troop transports returning from driving the Spaniards from St George’s. On 16 October this was followed by a landing some 9 miles away at Puerto Caballo by seamen and marines from the ships, a detachment of the Royal Irish Regiment and 250 Baymen to make an overland attempt on Omoa. They underestimated the difficulties of marching first through swamps, and then wild, mountainous country and only covered three miles during the night. However, when they reached the town the following afternoon it soon fell, but they were unable to take the fort because the Baymen had dropped the scaling ladders they were carrying. They were supported during the attack by fire from Charon and Lowestoffe, the latter being badly damaged when she grounded for a while as she tried to get closer.
The bombardment from the sea, supplemented by fire from some guns which had been landed from Pomona, continued on the night of the 19 October, occupying the garrison which did not notice storming parties of seamen, marines and soldiers infiltrating the fort. The surprise was complete and there were only six British casualties. The treasure found in the fort and on board two treasure ships was worth some two million dollars. Two hundred and fifty quintals of mercury were also found in the fort. The fort itself was abandoned by the British at the end of November, before a Spanish counterattack arrived. The craters from the British bombardment are still visible in the walls of the fort today.
Omoa was the last Spanish stronghold in Central America after the region declared its independence. The Spanish fort was captured by the Central American Republicans under Colonel Juan Galindo
Juan Galindo
Juan Galindo was a Central American explorer and army officer. He fought for Central American independence from Spain and led the charge that took the fortress at Omoa, the last Spanish stronghold in Central America....
.