Two hundred years of independence

Abstract

The health crisis, the destructive wake of Hurricanes Iota and Eta, and the ongoing political crisis we Hondurans are living through have prevented us from calmly and thoroughly considering the significance for Honduras of commemorating—and consequently celebrating—the bicentennial of the emancipation of historic Central America, from Chiapas to Costa Rica, from Spanish rule. While it is true, as Don José Cecilio del Valle stated on more than one occasion, that these territories were not sufficiently mature to govern themselves— because the educational system was in its infancy, because communications presented many challenges, and because the economic outlook was not very encouraging, it is also true that self-governance would foster a greater sense of belonging and that an awareness of sovereignty would enable a greater commitment to local development and the internal utilization of one’s own resources.