Trujillo

Trujillo sits on a deep bay backed by the Capiro y Calentura hills, and it was founded in 1525, one of the oldest Spanish towns in Honduras and the colony's first capital. The Santa Bárbara fort still stands above the beach with its cannon facing the water. The bay is calm, the sand is pale, the Garífuna community at Santa Fe is along the coast west, and the town is slow enough that most days almost nothing happens in it.

History

Christopher Columbus landed here on 14 August 1502, on his fourth voyage, his first landing on the Central American mainland, and because the water was so deep he called the area the Golfo de Honduras, "gulf of the depths". In 1524 Cristóbal de Olid founded a town nearby for Hernán Cortés, and Francisco de las Casas, sent to remove him, moved it to its present site for its larger harbour; under Spanish rule Trujillo was the capital of Honduras until its exposed position led to the move to Comayagua, and the Fortaleza de Santa Bárbara, built around 1550, could not keep out the pirates, the largest gathering of whom in history took place nearby in 1683 (Wikipedia, Trujillo, Honduras).

What to look for

• Fortaleza Santa Barbara - the Spanish fort above the beach with its guns facing the bay.
• The bay - deep, calm water with pale sand and hills behind.
• The old town - a small colonial grid on the slope above the shore.
• The Garifuna coast - Santa Fe and other communities west along the shore.

When to go

February to May is the driest window on this coast. September to January is wet. The bay is sheltered and stays swimmable when the coast further west is rough.

Good to know

The road east from La Ceiba is long and the last section is slow. The town has limited accommodation and few restaurants outside the season. The fort is small and the visit is short.

Nearby

Santa Fe and the Garifuna coast are west, and the Rio Platano biosphere lies far to the east.

Key facts