Honduras and Guatemala I slowly took buses through Honduras over to Copán where I crossed the border into Guatemala. I found a comfortable hotel in Chiquimula, Guatemala which is usually considered only a place to change buses. It just happened that the annual holiday of the Black Christ Shrine was happening in nearby Esquipulas. The town is famous for the Basilica of Esquipulas which houses the Shrine of the Black Christ. Every year, thousands of pilgrims from Guatemala, the United States, Europe and other Central American countries flock to pay homage to the dark wooden image of the crucified Christ, the most revered Catholic shrine in the region. In 1995, celebrating the 400th anniversary of the shrine, Pope John Paul II proclaimed it "the spiritual center of Central America." This is the largest Catholic gathering
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