When we planned this trip, it had not been a conscience decision to be gone for Easter. When the dates were selected, we hadn't realized that it was Easter weekend. Perhaps God works in strange ways as it was the best possible weekend that we could have been in the town of Comayagua for the Good Friday and Easter celebrations. The traditions are fantastic......
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| On our way from San Pedra Sula to Compayagua. A quick stop at a road side market for fresh pineapple and mini-bananas. |
Easter is a very important holiday in Honduras as the country is mostly Catholic. Kirsten and I had seen in the Guatemala hotels 2 years ago some samples of the sawdust rugs in the lobby areas. They were there for the benefit of the tourists. Today we would see them in the real world and it was impressive!
Traditional carpets in Mexico and Central America are done with colored and uncolored sawdust; however, various other materials are used with it and sometimes in place of it. These include flowers and flower petals, pine needs, rice, fruit, colored earth, ashes and other usually organic materials. The sawdust is cleaned, soaked in water with dye then set out to dry. In the past natural dyes such as indigo, almond shells etc were used but today most use commercial dyes. The finer and more compact the sawdust the smoother the finished work.
Most traditional carpets begin with a layer of undyed sawdust spread in a wood frame to smooth out rough surfaces such as stone paved streets and then sprayed with a light coating of water. Sometimes other materials such as sand are used for the base. Then the designs are laid over top. On smooth streets and other surfaces, the design can be drawn in chalk and filled in with the coloring materials. There are two ways to create the design, with the use of molds or stencils and freehand, sprinkling and placing the colored material. Freehand takes longer and requires more skill with the use of molds allowing for very defined and complicated designs. After the carpet is finished, it received a very light spray of water to affix the sawdust in place and keep the colors from fading.
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| Most carpets were already completed, but several still had workers patiently stenciling the brightly colored sawdust onto cardboard patterns. The creators have the responsibility to keep small children and dogs from disturbing their hard work, and also must mist the sawdust rug with water to keep the wind from disturbing it. |
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| Each carpet takes more than 12 hours to create. While some artists are sketching the design, other artists and volunteers are spreading the brightly colored sawdust in the tapestry patterns. |
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| The town square, the site of the cathedral was busy with families enjoying the carnival like atmosphere. The processions to start Easter weekend would be starting soon. As we would learn, the processions will be an all weekend event as the story of Christ's death and re-birth would be re-inacted by the community in the streets. |
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Comayagua was founded with the name Santa María de la Nueva Valladolid by Conquistador Alonso de Cáceres under orders from Francisco de Montejo, Governor of Yucatán on December 8, 1537. From 1540 on Comayagua was the capital of the Honduras Province of the Captaincy General of Guatemala. The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, on the main square, was begun in 1563 and inaugurated in 1711. In 1786 (23 December) the Spanish Crown created the Intendencia of Comayagua, with Comayagua as its capital, which lasted until 1812. From 1812 to 1814 it was the capital of the Province of Comayagua when it again reverted to being the capital of the Intendencia of Comayagua until 1820. In 1820, Honduras was again called the Province of Comayagua or Honduras, with Comayagua as its capital. After independence from the Spanish it was the capital of the state of Honduras in the Federal Republic of Central America. After Honduras became an independent republic, the capital alternated between Comayagua and Tegucigalpa (Comayagua being preferred by Conservative administrations, and Tegucigalpa by Liberal ones) before being permanently established at Tegucigalpa in 1880.
In recent years Comayagua has become one of the most important tourist attractions in Honduras. This is due to the Cooperation Técnica Española and the Honduran Institute of Anthropology and History, both of which have cooperated in maintaining the city’s historical sites.
In the downtown is located the Central Plaza. From this strategic point one can appreciate the cathedral of Comayagua and City Hall. Surrounded by beautiful gardens, the Central Plaza serves as point of reference of the city. In it the residents gather to celebrate the local holidays and concerts of marimbas, among other activities.
Right in front of the plaza is located City Hall, which has been reconstructed a couple of times. The building is of neoclassic style and was built during the 16th century.
From the Central plaza one can also appreciate the city’s main attraction, the Cathedral of Comayagua. This church is one of the biggest churches built during the colonial era in Honduras. It was inaugurated on Dec. 8, 1711. |
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| The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. This is without doubt the masterpiece of colonial heritage in Comayagua, and it has been delightfully restored together with the Central Plaza just in front of it. Built between 1563 and 1711, this is the largest colonial cathedral built in Honduras and one of the few that has a domed rooftop rather than the wooden beams and red tile roofs that were much more common in this part of the colony. Although damaged in the earthquake of 1774, fortunately the building did not suffer structural damage and was fully recovered. The Cathedral was totally restored in 2003. The interior altars are finely carved wood and a true piece of art. Tourists are welcome to the church, so feel free to enter, just make sure you respect the fact that the temple is not only sacred to the Catholics, it is also the pride and joy of the members of the Comayagua community! |
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| See notes below....one of the oldest clocks in the Americas! If not, the oldest! |
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| Sitting in the shade.....yeah, the sign below says "stay off the grass". We were nicely told to get up! |
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| Semana Santa is Easter Week in Honduras, a country where the majority of the population are identified as Catholics. In Comayagua, Honduras, you can see one of the most detailed and impressive Processions on Good Friday of Semana Santa or Holy Week. |
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The object of the Stations is to help the faithful to make a spiritual pilgrimage of prayer, through meditating upon the chief scenes of Christ's sufferings and death. It has become one of the most popular devotions for Roman Catholics, and is often performed in a spirit of reparation for the sufferings and insults that Jesus endured during His Passion.
We commented to our guide that the floats looked very heavy to which he responded "yes, they are heavy". We got it.....those who carry it are making a sacrifice and it may be painful. |
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| Stations of the Cross (or Way of the Cross); also called the Via Dolorosa or Way of Sorrows, or simply, The Way) is a series of artistic representations, very often sculptural, depicting Christ Carrying the Cross to his crucifixion in the final hours (or Passion) of Jesus before he died, and the devotions using that series to commemorate the Passion, often moving physically around a set of stations. |
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| Heading up the clock tower! |
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| Perhaps the most distinguished element in the church is the old clock that is based on the bell tower. This was a gift to the city of Comayagua by King Phillip III back in 1636 and it originally functioned in the old cathedral, known today as the Church of La Merced, and was moved to its current spot in 1711, when the new cathedral was consecrated. The clock was actually quite old when it was donated; as it had been built by the moors during their occupation of Spain sometime during the XIIth century! As far as we know, this is the oldest working clock in the Americas, and probably the oldest in the world! Around 900 years old and still going! Best of all, it runs regularly thanks to an old man that has the task of maintaining it and keeps winding it. It works thanks to a very simple weight system and has to be winded a couple of times a day! |
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| The Central Park, also known as Plaza Leon Alvarado is directly in front of the Cathedral and is the most popular gathering spot in Comayagua. Its lovely gardens, the archway with the coat of arms of the city, the kiosk where musical presentations are done from time to time and the lovely fountain in the middle of the plaza give it a personality of its own. If you take the time to study the floor in front of the cathedral, you will notice that it actually mirrors the facade of this majestic building! |
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| Picture from the 1700's. |
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| Inside the church. The Jesus on the cross will be lowered in a few hours and a procession to take him to the tomb will take place. |
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| The local museum had on display several of the dresses made for Jesus in the procession. The woman below, who is 90, has been making them for the past 60 years! |
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| What goes down, must go up. And that goes for all the sawdust. It was an efficient crew and garbage trucks that got it all up before dark. |
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| We enjoyed a local beer before retiring for the night. Upside down label or not, pretty good! |
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| Unfortunately for Kirsten, she had a task ahead. In the market yesterday she had purchased a coffee liquor drink (in a bottle) and it had opened up in her bag. The clothes were a mess! Luckily, I had thrown in a little box of tide, so she got to work hand washing half her bag of clothes and hanging them to dry. |
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| Trena came down to our room and said "you have to see what is going on outside the hotel!" We zipped out just in time to see a sea of people and "floats" going down the road. Jesus had been lowered from the church ceiling and was being carried down the road to the "tomb". In front of him were beautiful little girls dressed as angels being carried on floats by young men. Behind Jesus were other angels, Mary and other religious icons. All were carried by hand. Most of the floats had a small generator behind them to power the lights. Beautiful sight! Tomorrow we will see the procession of Mary and other women heading to the tomb. On Easter Sunday, I assume the procession, will bring the resurrected Jesus down the street. |
