Intro to Tegucigalpa Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras, is a busy, noisy, city nestled in a bowl-shaped valley surrounded by a ring of mountains. At an altitude of 975 meters, it has a fresh and pleasant climate, much cooler than the coasts. The surrounding mountainous region is covered in pine trees. The name Tegucigalpa (Teh-goos-ee-GAL-pa) is a bit of a mouth full; Hondurans often call the city Tegus (TEH-goos) for short. The name, meaning "silver hall" in the original local Nahuatl dialect, was bestowed when the Spanish founded the city as a silver and gold mining center in 1578, on the slopes of Picacho. Tegucigalpa became the capital of Honduras in 1880, when the government seat was moved from Comayagua, 82 kilometers to the northwest. In 1938 Comayaguela, on the opposite side of the river from
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