LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION commemorating 195 years of Honduran Independence
on September 15, 2016

WHEREAS, Before the Spanish conquest, Honduras was home to the Mayans,
Lencas and other indigenous societies; these autonomous groups lived in
both light conflict and commercial cooperation with each other and other
societies in Mexico and Panama; and
WHEREAS, On July 30, 1502, Christopher Columbus first saw Honduran
soil and he claimed the territory in the name of Ferdinand of Aragon and
Isabella of Castile, naming it Honduras; and
WHEREAS, Between 1523 and 1526, numerous Spanish expeditions arrived
in Honduras and established their colony, which would for some time be a
part of the Captaincy General of Guatemala; and
WHEREAS, Honduras was a large colonial-era supplier of gold, silver
and tropical fruits; and
WHEREAS, By October 1537, the Lenca chief, Lempira, a warrior of great
renown, had managed to unify more than two hundred native tribes in
order to offer an organized, but eventually defeated, resistance against
penetration by the Spanish conquerors; and
WHEREAS, Honduras gained independence from Spain on September 15,
1821, at which time the country was annexed to the Mexican Empire until
1823, when it joined the United Provinces of America, lasting until
1838; and
WHEREAS, Many Hondurans have made New York their home, and this Legis-
lative Body is justly proud to thank the Honduran people for their
contributions to this great Empire State; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commemorate 195 years of Honduran Independence on September 15, 2016.