Puerto Cortes is a city in Honduras.

See

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The historical house on stilts where Sara Norman was born. And yes the Midwife helped. I love you Mom!!!


Puerto Cortés is a city in the Cortés department of Honduras.

Geography

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It is on the Caribbean Sea coast, north of San Pedro Sula and east of Omoa, at 15.85° North, 87.94° West. It has a natural bay.

It is Honduras's main sea port and it is considered the most important seaport in Central America. As of 2003, Puerto Cortés has a population of some 81,000.

Background

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History
Hernán Cortés founded the town of La Natividad in 1524, roughly where Puerto Cortés is today, and populated it with about 20 Spaniards who had been previously been living in Nito and Naco. By 1533, a local native leader, called Çiçumba (or Çoçumba, or Socremba, or Joamba...we don't really know since the Spanish recorded so many variants of his name) had destroyed the town, reportedly taking a woman from Sevilla, Spain captive. After Çiçumba's defeat in 1536 by Pedro de Alvarado, a new town, Puerto de Caballos was founded on the southern shore of the body of water known as the Laguna de Alvarado. Because it was vulnerable to pirates until the building of the Spanish fort at Omoa in the 18th century, it had few permanent residents in the 16th and 17th centuries. People preferred to come out to the coast from San Pedro when a ship came into port. The name Puerto de Caballos (Port of horses) is because when Hernán Cortés arrived to Honduras' coast from Mexico and started unloading horses and cargo from the ships, several horses were drowned. In 1869 Puerto Caballos changed its name to Puerto Cortés in honour of Hernán Cortés.

The City
Puerto Cortés is home of a football team known as `Club Deportivo Platense, which in 1966 was the first Honduran National Football Soccer Champion. In 2001 the team won its second national soccer championship.

In November 1993, Dr. Marlon Guillermo Lara Orellana was elected Mayor of Puerto Cortés; he has since been re-elected twice, making him the first mayor of this city to be elected for three consecutive terms.

In the month of August, Puerto Cortés celebrates its local or patronal festivities during two weeks. The last day (a Saturday) is known as Noche Veneciana (Venice's night). August 15th is a local holiday in honour of Virgen de la Asunción (Puerto Cortés local patroness or saint).

In September 2001, the Bridge La Laguna (The lagoon) was rebuilt and inaugurated, the old bridge (a 50 years old structure) was badly damaged in 1998 by Hurricane Mitch and was demolished. A concrete wall that surrounds and protects a portion of the coastline in the bay area, was built close to the north end of Bridge La Laguna, this wall is known as El Malecón.

The first four-lane highway in Honduras was inaugurated in 1996, connecting Puerto Cortés and the city of San Pedro Sula.

The Seaport

In 1966 was created the Empresa Nacional Portuaria (Honduras National Port Authority). A...