 | |
 Honduras |  Spain |
|---|---|
| Diplomatic mission | |
| Embassy of Honduras,Madrid | Embassy of Spain,Tegucigalpa |
The relationship betweenHonduras andSpain dates back to theSpanish colonization of the Americas. Today, both nations are members of theAssociation of Academies of the Spanish Language and theOrganization of Ibero-American States.
In September 1502, explorerChristopher Columbus arrived to northern Honduras on his fourth voyage to the Americas.[1] In 1524, Spanish conquistadorGil González Dávila, on his way toNicaragua, was set off course by a storm and landed in present-day Honduras. Upon arrival to the Honduran coast, in order to lighten the load of his ships so that he can arrive to land, he ordered several horses to be thrown overboard into the ocean and by that action, the newly established port was calledPuerto de Caballos (Port of Horses). Gil González Dávila went on to found the first Spanish settlement in Honduras calledSan Gil de Buena Vista.[2]
Initial conquest of Honduras proved to be difficult as the native tribes in the territory overwhelmingly resisted the Spanish invasion. Impatient of the prolonged conquest of the territory, Spanish conquistador of theAztecs in present-dayMexico,Hernán Cortés came to Honduras with an army to take control of the territory. It was not until 1539 that Spanish forces were able to take full control of the territory. The territory of Honduras soon officially became part of theSpanish Empire under theViceroy of New Spain based inMexico City and administered by theCaptaincy General of Guatemala based inSantiago de Guatemala.[3]
In 1808,Joseph Bonaparte was installed as King of Spain and severalSpanish American colonies began to declare their independence from Spain. As Honduras and mostCentral American nations were governed by Mexico City; New Spain declared its independence from Spain in 1810. In 1821, thePlan of Iguala declared Mexico as a constitutional monarchy. Honduras declared its own independence from Spain on 15 September 1821 and chose to join theMexican Empire under EmperorAgustín de Iturbide.[1]
In March 1823, Iturbide resigned as Emperor and Mexico became a republic. Honduras decided to separate from Mexico on 1 July 1823. Honduras, along withCosta Rica,El Salvador,Guatemala andNicaragua formed theFederal Republic of Central America. In 1839 the Central American Federation dissolved and Honduras became an independent nation.[4]
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On 17 November 1894, Honduras and Spain established diplomatic relations with the signing of aTreaty of Peace and Friendship.[5] After independence a small community ofCatalans immigrated to Honduras.[6] In September 1977, KingJuan Carlos I of Spain made his first and only official visit to Honduras.[7]
In June 2009, Honduran PresidentManuel Zelaya was removed by military forces and forced into exile. As a result of the coup d'état, Spain expelled the Honduran ambassador in Madrid who supported the removal of President Zelaya from power.[8] Over the years, several thousands Hondurans have immigrated to Spain seeking better opportunities. The largest Honduran community in Spain (and in all of Europe) is located in the town ofGirona,Catalonia province.[9]
Spanish prime ministerPedro Sánchez visited Honduras in August 2022, meeting with Honduran presidentXiomara Castro.[10] They vowed to deepen the economic and trade relations, also signing a memorandum of understanding pertaining the strengthening of cooperation in the healthcare sector.[10]
Both nations have signed several bilateral agreements such as an Agreement on Dual-Nationality (1966); Agreement on Economic Cooperation (1972); Agreement on Scientific and Technical Cooperation (1981); Agreement on Air Transportation (1992); Agreement on the reciprocal Promotion and Protection of Investments (1994); Agreement on Cultural, Educational and Scientific Cooperation (1994); Agreement on mutual Diplomatic Assistance (1995) and an Extradition Treaty (1999).[5]
There are direct flight betweenMadrid andSan Pedro Sula withAir Europa.
In 2017, trade between Honduras and Spain totaled €158 million Euros.[5] Honduras main exports to Spain include: fish, mussels, crustacean and coffee. Spain's main exports to Honduras include: raw materials, industrial products and material used for the mechanical and construction industry (mainly steel products) and the pharma-chemical industry.[5] In 2016, Spanish investments in Honduras totaled €4.8 million Euros. Spanish multinational companies such asMapfre andZara operate in Honduras.
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