"Historic Mountain Capital of Lempira District" Gracias by atufft

Lempira, for whom the Honduran currency is named, was Lenca tribal leader at the time of Spanish conquest. He fought against, hid from, and was assassinated by the Spanish, and so he retains a martyr status within the Lenca region, but also with Honduras as whole. Gracias was his hometown, although he also fled to La Esperanza, the true modern capital of the Lenca tribe. This is the mythical world the tourist enters into at Gracias.

Lempira Statue in Gracias

Gracias was founded by the Spanish (1534), and was for two hundred years a major precious metals mining center, and even became the first capital of the Central American Republic, but Gracias retains today considerable Lenca heritage, and therefore a statue of Lempira stands taller than Morazon in the town's central plaza. So, today the town is a major stop for tourists taking the Lenca trail. There are good hotels and decent restaurants in Gracias.