Honduras
Honduras, 1841 to today. Draft, not yet reviewed
Honduras gained independence from Spain in 1821 and was a part of the First Mexican Empire until 1823, when it became part of the United Provinces of Central America. It has been an independent republic and has held regular elections since 1838. In 2009 a constitutional crisis resulted when power was transferred in a coup from the president to the head of Congress. On 27 January 2026, Nasry Asfura was sworn in as president.
Seat of power: Tegucigalpa
Rulers
Juan Lindo y Zelaya
President of Honduras, 1847–1852
He was President of the Republic of Honduras from 1847 to 1852. He had earlier been the 1st President of El Salvador, from 1841 to 1842.
Portrait of Juan Lindo y Zelaya: LProfesor, Public domain, file
José Santos Guardiola
President of Honduras, 1856–1862
He was elected president by Congress from 17 February 1856 to 7 February 1860 after the overthrow of Trinidad Cabañas. His government granted freedom of press, suffrage and movement. He is the only President of Honduras to be assassinated while in office in a crime committed by his personal guard.
Portrait of José Santos Guardiola: Unknown. Engraving after "original daguerreotype to be seen at Brady's Gallery", Public domain, file
José María Medina
President of Honduras, 1863–1872
He served as the President of Honduras three times during the 1860s and 1870s. His first term was as temporary Acting President between 1 September and 31 December 1863.
Portrait of José María Medina: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, file
Marco Aurelio Soto
President of Honduras, 1876–1883
He was a reforming president who established the Biblioteca Nacional de Honduras in 1880. On 30 October 1880 he moved the seat of government from Comayagua to Tegucigalpa.
Portrait of Marco Aurelio Soto: Julián Moré Cueto, Ministerio de Instrucción Pública de Guatemala, Public domain, file
Luis Bográn
President of Honduras, 1883–1891
He served two consecutive terms as president, from 30 November 1883 to 30 November 1891. He reached the rank of general within a few years of starting a military career.
Portrait of Luis Bográn: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, file
Policarpo Bonilla
President of Honduras, 1894–1899
In February 1891 he founded the Liberal Party of Honduras. His forces took the capital Tegucigalpa on 22 February 1894 and he was appointed president. He was then elected as President for the period between 1 February 1895 and 1 February 1899.
Portrait of Policarpo Bonilla: Harper's new Monthly magazine 1855, Public domain, file
Terencio Sierra
President of Honduras, 1899–1903
He was President of Honduras between 1 February 1899 and 1 February 1903. His attempt to stay in office after the 1902 elections resulted in his overthrow by General Manuel Bonilla.
Portrait of Terencio Sierra: Unknown author, subkect died 25 October 1907, Public domain, file
Francisco Bertrand
President of Honduras, 1911–1919
He was a two-term President of Honduras, first from 28 March 1911 to 1 February 1912, and then again between 21 March 1913 and 9 September 1919. During his last presidency he was involved in armed conflict with his political opponents.
Portrait of Francisco Bertrand: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, file
Tiburcio Carías
President of Honduras, 1933–1949
He served as the 38th president of Honduras, briefly in 1924 as constitutional president and later from 1933 until 1949. He was elected president in the midst of the Great Depression. He strengthened the Armed Forces and maintained the support of the banana companies by opposing strikes.
Portrait of Tiburcio Carías: Harris & Ewing, photographer, Public domain, file
Juan Manuel Gálvez
President of Honduras, 1949–1954
He was President of Honduras from 1 January 1949 until 5 December 1954. Some policies of the previous administration, such as road building and the development of coffee exports, were continued and expanded. Education received increased attention and began to receive a larger share of the national budget.
Portrait of Juan Manuel Gálvez: JVC3ETA, CC BY-SA 3.0, file
Ramón Villeda Morales
President of Honduras, 1957–1963
He served as President of Honduras from 1957 to 1963. He introduced welfare benefits and enacted a new labor code that favored the country's large working class population. A military coup unseated him in 1963.
Portrait of Ramón Villeda Morales: Associated Press, Public domain, file
Oswaldo López Arellano
President of Honduras, 1963–1975
He twice served as the President of Honduras, first from 1963 to 1971 and again from 1972 until 1975. In 1969, Honduras and El Salvador fought what became known as the Football War. Border tensions led to acrimony between the two countries after Honduran President Oswaldo López Arellano blamed the deteriorating economy on immigrants from El Salvador.
Portrait of Oswaldo López Arellano: UPI Photo, Public domain, file
Juan Orlando Hernández
President of Honduras, 2014–2022
He served as the president of Honduras from 2014 to 2022. He served as the president of the National Congress of Honduras between January 2010 and June 2013. In April 2022 he was extradited to the United States to face charges of drug trafficking and money laundering.
Portrait of Juan Orlando Hernández: Alan Santos/PR, CC BY 2.0, file
Xiomara Castro
President of Honduras, 2022–2026
She was president of Honduras from 2022 to 2026 and the first female president of the country. Her government re-nationalized the telecommunications and energy industries, subsidized electricity, education and school meals for more than a million impoverished families, and extended financial aid to students and the elderly.
Portrait of Xiomara Castro: Fotografía oficial de la Presidencia de Colombia, Public domain, file
Nasry Asfura
President of Honduras, 2026 to today
He has been the president of Honduras since 2026. He was sworn in as president on 27 January 2026. He previously served as the mayor of Tegucigalpa from 2014 to 2022.
Portrait of Nasry Asfura: DHSgov, Public domain, file
Culture
- In the extreme west, Maya civilization flourished for hundreds of years. The dominant, best known, and best studied state was in Copán, which was located in a mainly non-Maya area, or on the frontier between Maya and non-Maya areas.
- American writer O. Henry coined the term "banana republic" in his 1904 novel Cabbages and Kings to describe a fictional country, Anchuria, that was inspired by his experiences in Honduras.
- Tegucigalpa became the Honduran capital on 30 October 1880, when the seat of government moved from Comayagua.
- In 1998, Hurricane Mitch caused massive and widespread destruction. Across Honduras 33,000 houses were destroyed, and an additional 50,000 damaged.
Picture
This city is the capital and largest city of Honduras along with its sister city, Comayagüela.
Image: Inforgetmenots, CC BY 4.0, file
Sources
Text adapted from the Wikipedia articles listed as sources, CC BY-SA 4.0.