Choluteca

Choluteca stands in southern Honduras, close to the Nicaraguan border and within the hot lowland country that slopes toward the Pacific. The city lies only about forty-six metres above sea level. Its department spreads across roughly 4,360 square kilometres, joining the urban centre to surrounding farms, villages and dry tropical woodland.

Summer heat and seasonal rain make shade, wells and river access important features of daily life. Spanish accounts place the founding of the colonial town in the sixteenth century, though the exact year is disputed. In 1692 its council received permission to move the town across the Choluteca River to avoid flooding and maintain access to the mines of El Corpus.

The town's position connected the southern lowlands with neighbouring regions, while agriculture, livestock and mining supported the colonial district. It later became the administrative centre of the department bearing its name.