Honduras Independence Day Commemorates on 15th September the independence of the Central American provinces from Spanish rule in 1821.
On August 14, 1502, Christopher Columbus made his fourth and last expedition to the Americas, landing at Trujillo. He had never been to the Central American continent before. The bay's water was extraordinarily deep, therefore he named it Golfo de Honduras, which means 'The Gulf of the Depths'.
Hernán Cortés, the Spanish Conquistador, came in the region in 1524 to consolidate military triumphs over Mexico, founding the colony of Triunfo de la Cruz, which marked the beginning of over 300 years of Spanish administration.
Honduras joined the Kingdom of Guatemala, which includes today's Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala, as well as the Mexican state of Chiapas.
Spain had been weakened by its engagement in the Peninsular War in Europe, and local juntas had formed when local Spaniards rose against the reign of King Joseph, Napoleon's brother, who had been placed as ruler of Spain by the French.
This desire for self-rule lasted when King Ferdinand ascended to the Spanish throne, and the Province of Guatemala declared Central America's independence on September 15, 1821.
Following independence, and despite objections from El Salvador, the areas were part of the Mexican Empire until 1823, when they submitted to form the Federal Republic of Central America.
