Protección
Encyclopedia
Protección is a municipality
in the Honduran
department of Santa Bárbara.
The village grew rapidly, so residents began meeting with the municipality of Naranjito in 1883 to rename the community and give it official stature. After several meetings, the residents decided to name their town Protección. Traders often passed through this area and found that the community was a safe places in which to rest and feed their livestock. These traders therefore referred to the community as "protection," which the residents decided was a suitable name. Some also argue that the name was because the community was protected in every way by providence. After the name change, the community grew more rapidly. People came from San Luis and Naranjito, Santa Bárbara, as well as the Republics of Guatemala and El Salvador. In 1890, the first school was established in a house built by Florencio Martinez. Mr. Martinez was the first Master of Education from the municipality of San Marcos, Santa Barbara.
In land title dated December 26, 1898, the area is referred to as communal land. Starting in 1910, the village started negotiations with the Government Policy Department in the capital of Santa Bárbara (also called Santa Bárbara) to become a municipality. After many efforts and trips by community leaders to Santa Bárbara, the community was given the title of Municipality on May 15, 1927, initially encompassing the communities of Las Vueltas, La Reina, El Encanto, Las Loras, Zambrano and El Triunfo. The founding fathers were Don Florencio Martínez, Bartolomé Reyes and Julio Madrid, who were worked enthusiastically for the progress of the community, despite many difficulties that were characteristic of those times.
A road extends four 12 miles between Protección and Chalmeca, which is connected to the International Highway running between San Pedro Sula and El Salvador. The road to Protección ballasted and passable at all times. There is also a small network of more than 61 miles of access roads to communities around Protección. These are passable primarily during the summer. The rains often make the surrounding roads impassible during the winter.
The topography of Protección is quite irregular. The average elevation is 980 meters above sea level. The municipality is surrounded by hills.
The population density of the Municipality of protection equivalent to 90 people per square km (13.661 Inhabitants / sq km 151.6). The Municipality consists of 27 villages, 16 hamlets and 6 Barrios.
The economy is primarily agriculture based. The geology is primarily limestone. The agriculture soils tend to be thin, with no more than a foot of loam over soft clay. The primary agricultural products are coffee (30%), corn and beans (65%), and livestock grazing. Coffee is sold to the national market. Corn and bean production is often sufficient to produce a surplus for sale to larger communities nearby the entrance of the access road in Copan or to the national market. On average, 85% percent of the corn and beans are consumed locally or by the producers, while 15% are exported from the community. Small amounts of vegetables and fruits are grown primarily for local consumption. Fruits include bananas and plantains, avocados, mangos and papaya. There are also wage and trade activities, as well as vocational income by workers and craftsmen.
Sources of income for work women are few. They participate primarily in family activities. They help with agricultural tasks, particularly in picking or tending coffee production. Women receive some income from breeding poultry and egg sales, sewing, cutting coffee, fish farming, pig growing, micro-business, vegetable processing, and running small groceries and eateries.
, Chamelecon
, and Ulúa
watersheds. Protección is within the sub-Chiquila project, which is focused on protecting water sources in the region.
above 1300 m. The understory is composed of smaller species, such as oaks, nance, oak bush, grasses, ferns and squat. There has been extensive deforestation by individuals moving into the region and up the hillsides in search of a plot of land on which to support a family. Traditional slash and burn agricultural methods contribute to the problem of deforestation along with cattle pasture seeding, and clearing land for coffee production. Within the past few decades there has been extensive deforestation in this region and throughout Central America due to introduction of higher-producing coffee that does not require shade.
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 Santa Bárbara.
History
Protección was founded in 1880, with the name of El Ocotal. The name was due to the abundance of pine trees that were in the area ("ocotal" is used colloquially in Honduras to refer a stand of pine trees). The first settlers came to graze livestock from the communities of Santiago and San Juan Posta, which belonged to the municipality of Naranjito, Santa Bárbara. The first houses, called "toros," were built of grass. Because the workers had to travel some distance to graze their livestock, they decided to start building their homes in the area. The more permanent residences gave shape to the new settlement.The village grew rapidly, so residents began meeting with the municipality of Naranjito in 1883 to rename the community and give it official stature. After several meetings, the residents decided to name their town Protección. Traders often passed through this area and found that the community was a safe places in which to rest and feed their livestock. These traders therefore referred to the community as "protection," which the residents decided was a suitable name. Some also argue that the name was because the community was protected in every way by providence. After the name change, the community grew more rapidly. People came from San Luis and Naranjito, Santa Bárbara, as well as the Republics of Guatemala and El Salvador. In 1890, the first school was established in a house built by Florencio Martinez. Mr. Martinez was the first Master of Education from the municipality of San Marcos, Santa Barbara.
In land title dated December 26, 1898, the area is referred to as communal land. Starting in 1910, the village started negotiations with the Government Policy Department in the capital of Santa Bárbara (also called Santa Bárbara) to become a municipality. After many efforts and trips by community leaders to Santa Bárbara, the community was given the title of Municipality on May 15, 1927, initially encompassing the communities of Las Vueltas, La Reina, El Encanto, Las Loras, Zambrano and El Triunfo. The founding fathers were Don Florencio Martínez, Bartolomé Reyes and Julio Madrid, who were worked enthusiastically for the progress of the community, despite many difficulties that were characteristic of those times.
Geography
The municipality of Protección has an area of 151.6 km2. Protección is located located in the l5.0l parallel north latitude and 248.39 west longitude. Protección is on the west side of the Honduran department of Santa Bárbara, and delimited to the north by the municipality of Macuelizo, to the south by the municipality of Naranjito, to the east by the municipality of San Luís, and to the west by the department of Copán.A road extends four 12 miles between Protección and Chalmeca, which is connected to the International Highway running between San Pedro Sula and El Salvador. The road to Protección ballasted and passable at all times. There is also a small network of more than 61 miles of access roads to communities around Protección. These are passable primarily during the summer. The rains often make the surrounding roads impassible during the winter.
The topography of Protección is quite irregular. The average elevation is 980 meters above sea level. The municipality is surrounded by hills.
Population
The core of the population is settled in the lowest area in the surrounding hills. The major population growth occurs from west to east and currently has a rate of increase of 3.2% per year.The population density of the Municipality of protection equivalent to 90 people per square km (13.661 Inhabitants / sq km 151.6). The Municipality consists of 27 villages, 16 hamlets and 6 Barrios.
Economy
The productive activity of the municipality of Protection, has been based traditionally on the cultivation of coffee on a larger scale, corn and beans for subsistence. Corn and beans sometimes achieves a surplus for marketing in the urban grain or market and in the larger communities near the access road to Protección. The municipality has a rich natural color of wood and cedar eat cannelloni are animals like agouti, agouti, squirrels and rabbits. There is also cattle on a smaller scale, at the village there is the biggest trade of goods and services. The other is where they are concentrated offices of the various public bodies that have coverage throughout the municipality. In some communities are growing bananas, pineapples and vegetables.The economy is primarily agriculture based. The geology is primarily limestone. The agriculture soils tend to be thin, with no more than a foot of loam over soft clay. The primary agricultural products are coffee (30%), corn and beans (65%), and livestock grazing. Coffee is sold to the national market. Corn and bean production is often sufficient to produce a surplus for sale to larger communities nearby the entrance of the access road in Copan or to the national market. On average, 85% percent of the corn and beans are consumed locally or by the producers, while 15% are exported from the community. Small amounts of vegetables and fruits are grown primarily for local consumption. Fruits include bananas and plantains, avocados, mangos and papaya. There are also wage and trade activities, as well as vocational income by workers and craftsmen.
Sources of income for work women are few. They participate primarily in family activities. They help with agricultural tasks, particularly in picking or tending coffee production. Women receive some income from breeding poultry and egg sales, sewing, cutting coffee, fish farming, pig growing, micro-business, vegetable processing, and running small groceries and eateries.
Climate
The average annual precipitation is 1,300 mm per year. Honduras has two seasons. The rainy season is referred to as winter and the dry season as summer. The major portion the rain received by Protección falls during between June and November. The only river running near Protección is the White River.Land Tenure
Land tenure is always a problem. Thirty-five percent of the population of Protección have no land, while 65% of the population have land, but ownership tends to be in hands of wealthy individuals or corporate entities. There are a few community lands that resulted from land redistribution efforts, such as the community of La Ruidosa, where the farmers work plots of the land but do not have ownership. It should be noted that communities such as La Laguna, El Corozal among others are on private land that have not been authenticated by the inhabitants.Water Resources
Among some major water sources are the following. La Angostura, Cerro Redondo, Copo Helado, and Las Moras, which drain into watersheds of major importance for the country. These are the JicatuyoJicatuyo River
-References:*Rand McNally, The New International Atlas, 1993.*CIA map: :Image:Honduras rel 1985.jpg*UN map: :Image:Un-honduras.png*...
, Chamelecon
Chamelecon River
-References:*Rand McNally, The New International Atlas, 1993.*CIA map: :Image:Honduras rel 1985.jpg*UN map: :Image:Un-honduras.png*...
, and Ulúa
Ulúa River
The Ulua River is a river in western Honduras. It rises in the central mountainous area of the country close to La Paz and runs 150 miles approximately due northwards to the east end of the Gulf of Honduras at . En route, it is joined by the Sulaco River, the Otoro River and the Chamelecon River....
watersheds. Protección is within the sub-Chiquila project, which is focused on protecting water sources in the region.
Forest resources
The area is covered with pine forests. Pinus caribaea is more common at lower elevations while you are more likely to encounter Pinus maximinoiPinus maximinoi
Pinus maximinoi, commonly known as Thinleaf Pine, is a species of conifer in the Pinaceae family.It is found in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Mexico at elevations of . P. maximinoi reaches a height of and has smooth bark when young....
above 1300 m. The understory is composed of smaller species, such as oaks, nance, oak bush, grasses, ferns and squat. There has been extensive deforestation by individuals moving into the region and up the hillsides in search of a plot of land on which to support a family. Traditional slash and burn agricultural methods contribute to the problem of deforestation along with cattle pasture seeding, and clearing land for coffee production. Within the past few decades there has been extensive deforestation in this region and throughout Central America due to introduction of higher-producing coffee that does not require shade.