LATIN AMERICA HONDURAS

About 1500 years ago the land we now know as Honduras was the site of a major Mayan kingdom known as Xukpi (Copán). The Mayan population declined by about the year 900, but there were still non-Mayan inhabitants around when Columbus and other Spaniards landed in the early 16th century. The Spanish eventually consolidated control and ruled Honduras until the 1820s. Since then, Honduras has had, according to Honduras.com, “nearly 300 incidents of unrest, including internal rebellions, civil wars, and changes of government–more than half of which occurred during the 20th century.” Honduras continues to struggle but also continues to continue -- enduring challenge after challenge and somehow always finding a way to survive.

The Garifuna are a distinct Afro-Caribbean group that originated in 1635 when a boat carrying enslaved Africans shipwrecked off of the Caribbean island of St. Vincent. The survivors integrated into the Carib population and developed their own West African/Caribbean language and culture. Within two centuries the Garifuna had settled in several locations along the Central American coastline, yet, unlike many cultures, maintained their own communities and never fully integrated into the Spanish-influenced mainstream.

In class we sing a Garifuna song about remaining joyful through the toughest times, and try — try — to dance Punta.