Siguatepeque

Founded by the Spanish in 1689 as a religious centre for retreats and monastic training, the population of the town grew through the intermarriage of colonists, the indigenous Lencas and the Mexican Nahuatl immigrants. The name Siguatepeque is made up of two words in Nahuatl, Cihuatl: Woman and Tepec:Mount, the mount of women. Siguatepeque is located approximately {{convert|1066|m}} above the sea level. In 1861, the town became a municipality in its own right, and a city in 1926.

File:Siguatepeque02.JPG

Siguatepeque, is situated 1100 metres above sea level and located in the central mountains of Honduras. It can be described as a garden town.{{Citation needed|date=May 2021}}

File:Universidad Nacional de Ciencias Forestales.jpg (UNACIFOR)]]

The rural region is primarily dedicated to farm and forest enterprises. Building on its natural attractions and beauty, the region has opened itself up to eco-tourism, with Siguatepeque functioning as a base for visitors making trips to destinations within central Honduras. The National University of Forestry Science (UNACIFOR) provides training for students from all of Latin America.{{Cite web |title=UNACIFOR |url=https://unacifor.edu.hn/ |access-date=2024-02-02 |website=UNACIFOR |language=es}}

File:Siguatepeque temperate forest.jpg

Located almost exactly halfway between Honduras' two largest cities of San Pedro Sula and Tegucigalpa, Siguatepeque is easy to reach—the town is two hours travel from either city. It is a stopping point for rest and refreshment for Honduran and international inter-city traffic, which has spurred a proliferation of highway restaurants and gas stations. The easiest and cheapest way to travel to and from Siguatepeque is by bus, from Tegucigalpa regional bus services serving San Pedro Sula, Santa Barbara, El Progreso, Tela, Santa Rosa de Copan, La Esperanza, La Ceiba, or any other town beyond Siguatepeque to the north. Many travellers prefer to use the direct bus services between San Pedro Sula and Tegucigalpa, served by Empresa Saenz, Empresa El Rey, and Hedman Alas bus companies. The direct bus service connecting Tegucigalpa is Empresas Unidas. For travel to La Esperanza, buses travel to the turnoff about 4 km from town centre, where other buses from there will travel onwards to the Lenca highlands.{{Clarify|date=May 2021}}{{Citation needed|date=May 2021}}

The climate is humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa/Cwa).{{cite web |url=https://es.weatherspark.com/y/13702/Clima-promedio-en-Siguatepeque-Honduras-durante-todo-el-a%C3%B1o |title=El clima en Siguatepeque, el tiempo por mes, temperatura promedio (Honduras) |website=Weather Spark |language=es }} mild. There are three seasons. During the wet and fairly cool season between May and November, enough rain falls in the area to ensure luxurious vegetation, while it escapes the excessive humidity of the far hotter and wetter lowland areas. A cooler interlude (November to February) provides seasonal contrast, with temperatures occasionally down to 8° C (40° F) as cold fronts enter from the north. This is followed by a dry season (February to May), with temperatures achieving a pleasantly warm peak of 32° C (95° F). Cool winds flow down from the local Calanterique forest and from the immense Cordillera Montecillos, a Biological Reserve on the southern edge of the valley. Even in the hot season air conditioning is unnecessary, with a fan almost always being enough. In the winter heating is rarely needed.

{{Weather box

|location = El Socorro, Siguatepeque, Honduras

|metric first = Yes

|single line = Yes

|Jan record high C = 30.2

|Feb record high C = 34.5

|Mar record high C = 35.5

|Apr record high C = 35.6

|May record high C = 35.9

|Jun record high C = 34.5

|Jul record high C = 34.9

|Aug record high C = 34.9

|Sep record high C = 33.2

|Oct record high C = 33.8

|Nov record high C = 31.9

|Dec record high C = 29.8

|year record high C =

|Jan high C = 23.0

|Feb high C = 26.0

|Mar high C = 28.0

|Apr high C = 29.0

|May high C = 29.0

|Jun high C = 27.0

|Jul high C = 27.0

|Aug high C = 27.0

|Sep high C = 27.0

|Oct high C = 25.0

|Nov high C = 24.0

|Dec high C = 22.0

|year high C =

|Jan mean C = 17.4

|Feb mean C = 18.8

|Mar mean C = 20.0

|Apr mean C = 22.5

|May mean C = 23.4

|Jun mean C = 22.4

|Jul mean C = 22.0

|Aug mean C = 21.0

|Sep mean C = 21.0

|Oct mean C = 19.7

|Nov mean C = 19.0

|Dec mean C = 17.2

|year mean C =

|Jan low C = 13.9

|Feb low C = 13.9

|Mar low C = 13.9

|Apr low C = 15.0

|May low C = 16.2

|Jun low C = 18.0

|Jul low C = 17.7

|Aug low C = 17.2

|Sep low C = 17.2

|Oct low C = 16.4

|Nov low C = 15.0

|Dec low C = 13.9

|year low C = 15.4

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan precipitation mm = 39.9

|Feb precipitation mm = 20.2

|Mar precipitation mm = 21.1

|Apr precipitation mm = 48.6

|May precipitation mm = 103.5

|Jun precipitation mm = 118.4

|Jul precipitation mm = 210.0

|Aug precipitation mm = 215.0

|Sep precipitation mm = 205.6

|Oct precipitation mm = 145.1

|Nov precipitation mm = 76.3

|Dec precipitation mm = 71.0

|year precipitation mm =

|unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm

|Jan precipitation days = 6

|Feb precipitation days = 5

|Mar precipitation days = 3

|Apr precipitation days = 4

|May precipitation days = 9

|Jun precipitation days = 16

|Jul precipitation days = 15

|Aug precipitation days = 15

|Sep precipitation days = 16

|Oct precipitation days = 12

|Nov precipitation days = 9

|Dec precipitation days = 8

|year precipitation days = 118

|source = WeatherSpark(https://es.weatherspark.com/y/13741/Clima-promedio-en-El-Socorro-Honduras-durante-todo-el-a%C3%B1o)

}}

The town is at the centre of a regional vegetable and fruit production area, ensuring a year-round supply of produce. The town has good shopping facilities, and the stores are filled with local and Central American products, as well as imported items.{{Citation needed|date=May 2021}}

Amenities in Siguatepeque include a large swimming pool, an acupuncture centre, a private hospital, two cinemas and numerous restaurants. The town offers several bilingual schools up to college level, as well as the new Catholic University.{{Citation needed|date=May 2021}}

The Evangelical Hospital attracts clients from throughout Honduras. Dozens of private general and specialist clinics operate here, in particular El Carmen Medical Center, Hospital Las Mercedes, as well as dental clinics. For alternative therapies, the Hospital de Acupuntura (located in Barrio Macaruya) offers acupuncture, dentistry, herbal medicines, sauna and massage.{{Citation needed|date=May 2021}}

{{reflist}}

{{commons category}}

• [http://municipalidaddesiguatepeque.com/ Municipality of Siguatepeque] {{in lang|es}}

{{Comayagua Department}}

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Category:1689 establishments in the Spanish Empire

Category:Municipalities of the Comayagua Department

Category:Populated places established in 1689