La Esperanza () is the capital city and a municipality of the same name of the department of Intibucá, Honduras. La Esperanza is famous for having the coolest climate in Honduras. It is considered the heart of the Ruta Lenca (Lenca Trail), a region of Lenca ethnic influence that spans Honduras from Santa Rosa de Copan to Choluteca. Sites on the Lenca Trail have been designated by the government and United Nations development in order to encourage more cultural tourism, and help create new markets for the traditional crafts, such as pottery, practiced by the Lenca, in order to preserve their culture.
The city of La Esperanza is merged indistinguishably with the city of Intibucá, the head of the neighboring municipality of Intibucá. Intibucá is the older of the twin cities and was originally an indigenous Lenca community, while La Esperanza is the newer ladino community. Although the two cities have separate municipal governments, they are often referred to jointly as La Esperanza as they are only separated by a city street that crosses the city. Residents of La Esperanza are traditionally referred to as esperanzanos and residents of Intibucá as intibucanos.
History
The area was originally occupied by Maya and Lenca people from pre-Columbian times who formed two settlements called Eramani and Lentercala. In 1647, Mayor Francisco de La Cerda was appointed by the Spanish throne to officially demarcate the territory of the indigenous population. He divided the land into two jurisdictions, not corresponding to the Eramani and Lentercala sites, and created boundaries and names for the surrounding small communities.
Over time, the two jurisdictions developed a rivalry, especially over land. The cities grew in population, especially in the 1800s, and La Esperanza was named a villa on 22 September 1848. La Esperanza officially became a city in 1883 when the department of Intibucá was formed by separating from the neighbouring department of Lempira, then called Gracias.
In 2002, permits were obtained by the Consorcio de Inversiones SA de CV (CISA) to build a hydro electric dam on the Rio Intibucá over an abandoned hydro project. Called the La Esperanza Hydro Project after the city, the dam began producing electricity for the surrounding communities in 2003, but its phase two expansion was not completed until 2006. The project was the first in the world to generate Certified Emission Reductions (CERs) under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM).
Geography
La Esperanza sits at an altitude of 1700 meters, making it the highest city in Honduras. It is bisected by the Rio Intibucá which runs from the municipality of Intibucá through the municipality of La Esperanza. La Esperanza is situated in a relatively flat mountain valley, bordered by two chains of mountains, the Sierra de Puca Opalaca to the north and Montaña Zapochoco to the Southeast. The area of the La Esperanza municipality is 138.8 km2 and Intibucá 531 km2.
La Esperanza Airport runs along the valley south of the two cities.
Climate
La Esperanza experiences two distinct seasons: the rainy season/winter from May to October and the dry season/summer from November to April. The rainiest months are June and September, and the driest months February and March. During the winter, it rains primarily in the afternoon and the intense showers often make small dirt roads into the surrounding mountain communities impassable. La Esperanza receives average annual precipitation of 1400 mm. Due to its high altitude, La Esperanza has a cooler climate than most of Honduras, with an average annual temperature of 18.6 °C (65.5 °F). Temperatures in December and January often fall into the 40s at night. Hail has been reported on occasion, but it has never snowed. In the summer, high temperatures reach the 80s, but with low average humidity around 76%.
Population
The projected population of La Esperanza for 2018 is 13,800, with 9,900 in the urban area and 3,900 in rural areas of the municipality. Additionally, the projected population for the neighboring municipality of Intibucá of 63,000 in the municipality, including 23,800 in the urban area and 39,000 in the rural areas, translates to a population of 37,600 in the combined urban areas of La Esperanza and Intibucá.
Demographics
At the time of the 2013 Honduras census, La Esperanza municipality had a population of 11,631. Of these, 59.11% were Indigenous (58.92% Lenca), 36.91% Mestizo, 3.18% White, 0.55% Afro-Honduran or Black and 0.26% others.