Tela (Honduras)
| Tela | |
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Coordinates: 15 ° 47 ′ N , 87 ° 27 ′ W
Tela on the map of Honduras
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 Location of Tela in Honduras
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| Basic data | |
| Country | Honduras |
| Department | Atlántida |
| Residents | 78,537 |
| Detailed data | |
| surface | 1163.3 |
| Population density | 67.5 inhabitants / km 2 |
| height | 3 m |
| Time zone | UTC −6 |
| City Presidency | David J. Zaccaro |
| Website | |
Tela is a city in Honduras on the northern coast of the Caribbean and is located in the Atlántida department . There are three national parks in the vicinity, including one in Lancetilla and the Jeannette Kawas National Park .
history
Tela was founded on May 3, 1524 by the conquistador Cristóbal de Olid . Due to the date, which is the day of the Holy Cross in the Catholic religion, the city was "baptized" Triunfo de la Cruz. The name was quite long, however, so that it was soon abbreviated as T.de la and from 1829 the name was changed to Tela. The name Triunfo de la Cruz was only given for a small hill that flows into the Caribbean. Originally the city was founded near an Indian community called Cucumba, which had good drinking water, food, medicinal plants and other things to improve life. The locals lived in large houses built on stilts and were knowledgeable guides in the Gulf of Honduras.
At the end of the 16th century, the bay of Tela was frequently haunted by pirates who targeted Spanish ships. These had export goods, often gold, for Spain on board and were therefore an interesting target.
The Garifunas , an ethnic group of African descent, were captured by Spaniards on the island of St. Vincent in 1797 and released on the island of Roatan. They were later relocated to Trujillo, from where they spread out along the coast. From 1808 they settled in Tela where they founded their own churches. One of these parishes was east of El Triunfo Hill, which they called Triunfo de la Cruz, and another parish to the west called San Juan.
Between 1860 and 1900 economic life was based on the banana harvest. However, this business was only run on a small scale. Between 1900 and 1912 the government issued concessions to improve the economic situation in Tela. The third stage of economic development began in 1912 with the award of the land concession to the Tela Railway Company, which monopolized the banana plantations. This period ended in 1976 with the move of the Tela Railway Company headquarters from Tela to La Lima . Since then there has been a steady development in tourism, cattle farms and agriculture.
The old town of Tela consists of colonial-style houses from the time of the Spanish occupation. There is a square with a church, the town hall and a school. In Tela Nueva, where the banana company ran its business, is the old railway building and the buildings that housed the company's managers.
Culture
San Antonio is the patron saint of Tela. In his honor, parades are held for a week every June and there is a lot of celebrations.
Tela is the most popular beach in Honduras. In the week between Palm Sunday and Easter, thousands of young Hondurans come to Tela to celebrate, drink and just lie on the beach.
Garifuna villages
In the vicinity of Tela there are many villages belonging to the Garifuna ethnic group . The Garifunas are an ethnic group of African descent and can be found along the coast of Tela, but also in many other Central American countries . They can be found in the Tela area in Tela, Ensenada, Punta del Triunfo de la Cruz, Tornabé and San Juan.
Town twinning
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sons and daughters of the town
- Ebert Van Buren (born 1924), American football player
- Fabio Ulloa (* 1976), football player
- Juan Carlos García (1988-2018), football player
