Erandique

Erandique sits high in the Lempira mountains, a cool colonial town of adobe and tile with three old churches, and its trade is opal. The hills around it hold seams that have been worked on a small scale for generations, and miners bring stones into town to sell, cut and uncut. The town is also associated with Lempira, the Lenca leader the province and the currency are named for, who resisted the Spanish in this region in the 1530s.

History

Erandique was founded in 1600 under the name of Cerquin, after its position west of the Cerquin hill, and it was registered on 28 November 1733 in the Real State book. According to the town's elders the original act was lost and replaced on 14 February 1882; one of the oldest municipalities in the country, it became a city on 3 March 1932 (Wikipedia, Erandique).

Highlights

• The opal trade - stones sold in town, from rough material to cut pieces.
• The mines - small workings in the surrounding hills, visited with a local guide.
• The colonial churches - three old churches in a town of a few thousand people.
• The mountain setting - high, cool country with pine ridges around the valley.

When to go

November to April is the dry season and the only practical window for the roads. Mining and selling continue year-round. Nights are cold at this altitude.

What to expect

The roads in are rough and long from any direction. Buying opal without knowing the material is a good way to overpay; quality varies enormously and treatments are common. Mine visits are informal arrangements with the diggers.

Nearby

Gracias is north, and La Esperanza is east across the highlands.

Key facts