Naco

Naco was a large Indigenous town in a valley of northwestern Honduras, near routes linking the Caribbean coast with the interior. In the late Postclassic period it stood within a network of settlements whose inhabitants maintained connections with merchants from farther afield. Archaeological remains in the valley attest to a densely occupied landscape before the Spanish conquest.

Hernán Cortés reached Naco during his expedition to Honduras in 1525. His account describes it as a place from which roads led toward the coast, and he used the area as a base while dealing with the rival Spanish parties already in the region. The arrival of the conquerors brought profound disruption to the valley and its inhabitants, even as the newcomers sought to make use of existing routes and settlements.

The later city of San Pedro Sula lies here.