Altar with representation of Mayan death god, in Copán
THROUGHOUT ITS HISTORY, Honduras has been an
underdeveloped area.
Its rugged topography and lack of good ports on the
Pacific coast
have combined to keep it relatively isolated from the
mainstream of
social and economic development. The capital, Tegucigalpa,
is
located high in the central mountains, removed from the
isthmus's
main north-south transportation routes.
The rugged topography and semi-isolation have provided
Honduras
some advantages as well as disadvantages. Unlike the
neighboring
republics of El Salvador and Guatemala,