La gente unida, jamás será vencida. | The people united, will never be defeated.
INDEPENDENCE DAYS
Get to know some fun facts and history about the countries that make up Latin America!
HONDURAS
Honduras, named after the country's deep bay waters (Golfo de Honduras/Gulf of the Depths), gained its independence from Spain in 1821 with the Act of Independence of Central America declared by the Province of Guatemala.
Independence Day September 15, 1821
Fun Facts About Honduras:
Honduras is home to the world's largest hieroglyph. The Hieroglyphic Staircase at Copan's Archaeological Park includes the world's largest written writing. Constructed in 755 AD, the structure is yet to be fully decoded.
Honduras has the oldest cathedral and clock in the Western Hemisphere located in the city of Comayagua. The construction of this historical monument began in 1634 and was completed on December 8, 1711. The oldest working clock on the American continent is housed in the cathedral: an antique that has been in use for almost 900 years.
Honduras is considered to be the cradle of Mayan civilization.The Maya were the most evolved pre-Columbian society in what is now Honduras, but that beautiful culture had already vanished by the time the Spanish conquerors came. Of course, the Mayan people did not vanish completely. Their civilization has regressed to a more primitive state. It's unclear whether this was due to natural disasters or the breakdown of their social structure. Copan's ruins are the most significant Mayan ruins in Honduras.
Honduras houses the second largest coral reef in the world, after the Great Barrier Reef
COSTA RICA
Independence Day September 15, 1821
Costa Rica, or Rich Coast, was given its name based on the abundant riches and gold that was said to inhabit the land. Costa Rica's 1821 independence from Spain came about a month after Guatemala's proclamation of independence.
Following independence, the country's first constitution was quickly adopted. and first elections were held in December of 1821. Juan Mora Fernández was the first elected Chief of State, and accomplished a lot for the improvement of his country as well as promoting industrial and commercial development.
Fun Facts About Costa Rica
More than 5% of the world's biodiversity is found in Costa Rica.
Despite the fact that the country's territory only accounts for 0.03 percent of the world's land, it is home to more than 5% of the world's total biodiversity.Pura Vida isn't simply a term; it's a way of life; Pura vida, which translates to "pure life," is both a greeting and a mental attitude. Pura vida represents Costa Ricans' laid-back, kind, and inviting attitude.
Costa Rica dissolved its army in 1949, stating that they would instead build "an army of instructors" in the spirit of "pura vida." Costa Rica has one of the highest literacy rates in Latin America decades later.
Costa Rica has a population of 4.5 million people with a life expectancy of nearly 77 years, making it one of the world's healthiest countries.
EL SALVADOR
Independence Day September 15, 1821
El Salvador's official name is "Repblica de El Salvador." From the catholic religion, the country was named after the Spanish term for "Savior."
El Salvador, along with the other Central American provinces, declared independence from Spain in 1821. The United Provinces of Central America, led by Gen. Manuel Jose Arce, was founded in 1823 by the five Central American nations. El Salvador declared independence from Spain in 1839.
Fun Facts About El Salvador
The Land of Volcanos is El Salvador's nickname. El Salvador is renowned as the "Land of Volcanoes" due to the fact that it has over 100 volcanoes. There are approximately twenty volcanoes that could erupt. Santa Ana is El Salvador's highest volcano, with a height of 2,381 meters above sea level. Mother Mountain is how the locals refer to Volcan Santa Ana.
Cihuatan, Joya de Ceren, San Andres, Casa Blanca, and Tazumal are the five archaeological parks in El Salvador. Tazumal's pre-Columbian Maya ruins are El Salvador's most important archaeology site. From 1200 B.C. to 1200 B.C., Tazumal was occupied. The site gives visitors an insight into the Mayan people's daily lives.
El Salvador is home to Central America's oldest capital city. San Salvador is El Salvador's capital city. It is Central America's oldest and most established capital. Pedro de Alvarado conquered El Salvador in 1524 and established San Salvador. Hernán Cortés dispatched Alvarado, a Spanish conquistador from Mexico. For approximately 300 years, El Salvador was a Spanish colony.
Latin America's first female presidential candidate Prudencia Ayala was a Salvadoran woman who, despite having no formal education and being conscious of her rights, campaigned for president of the republic in 1930, being the first woman in El Salvador and Latin America to do so.
GUATEMALA
Independence Day September 15, 1821
Spain had been weakened by its engagement in the Peninsular War in Europe in the first decade of the nineteenth century, and local juntas had been formed as local Spaniards rose against the rule of King Joseph, Napoleon's brother, who had been placed as ruler of Spain by the French in 1808.
Following King Ferdinand's accession to the Spanish throne, the Province of Guatemala announced the Act of Independence of Central America on September 15, 1821.
Despite El Salvador's opposition, the areas became part of the Mexican Empire after independence, until they were transferred to form the Federal Republic of Central America in 1823.
Fun Facts About Guatemala
The Guatemalan money bears the name of the national bird. The quetzal, a long-tailed bird that lives primarily in humid woods, is Guatemala's national bird. Although seeing them in the wild is becoming increasingly difficult, you may see them every day on Guatemalan bank notes, as the currency is also named for the bird.
Guatemala literally translates to "country of numerous trees." Guatemala is thought to stem from the indigenous Nahuatl term "Quahtlemallan," which means "country of numerous trees," according to experts. While there is a lot of forest in the country, vast swaths of it are being taken down for a variety of reasons.
It is home to Central America's deepest lake. The volcano-ringed Lake Atitlan is the crown gem of Guatemala's tourism sector, but there's more to it than meets the eye. Atitlan is the deepest lake in Central America, at a depth of 340 meters.
Three UNESCO World Heritage Sites are located in the country. Quirigua's ruins and Tikal's city are both UNESCO World Heritage Sites and make for wonderful trips for anybody interested in Mayan history. The colonial city of Antigua Guatemala, with its magnificent architecture and cobblestone walkways, has received the same honor.
NICARAGUA
Independence Day September 15, 1821
El Salvador's province revolted against Spanish sovereignty in the region in 1811. The Spanish-born rulers were deposed, and creoles took their place. During the ensuing decade, the Central American colonies were engaged in violence and political strife, notwithstanding Nicaragua's refusal to join the insurrection.
On September 15, 1821, the Captaincy General of Guatemala formally declared independence from Spain. Initially, the captaincy general was a part of General Agustn de Iturbide's Mexican Empire. Mexico's attempts to rule the region were met with fierce opposition throughout Central America. In July 1823, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua declared independence from Mexico. The federation was finally disbanded in 1837, and Nicaragua's independence from the United Provinces of Central America was declared on April 30, 1838, by a Constituent Assembly.
Fun Facts About Nicaragua
Nicaragua was named after the Nicarao natives, as well as the huge quantity of water present in the land.
Nicaragua is home to the oldest city in Central America. The León Viejo Ruins are around 500 years old.
Baseball is Nicaragua's most popular sport, and there are lots of baseball fields throughout the country.
Nicaragua has a sizable indigenous population who speak Moskito, Rama, and Sumo, among other indigenous languages.
MEXICO
Independence Day September 16, 1821
Napoleon's takeover of Spain in the early nineteenth century sparked revolts across Spanish America. With his "Cry of Dolores," Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla—dubbed "the Father of Mexican Independence"—kicked off the Mexican revolution, and his populist army came dangerously near to conquering the Mexican capital. He fled north after being defeated at Calderón in January 1811, but was arrested and executed. Other peasant leaders, such as José Mara Morelos y Pavón, Mariano Matamoros, and Vicente Guerrero, followed him, leading armies of native and racially mixed rebels against the Spanish and Royalists. It was not until 1821, when the combined efforts of indigenous Mexicans, 10 years of battles with Spanish forces, Creole separatism, and European societal changes that Mexico finally became independent from Spain.
Fun Facts About Mexico
Most historians believe that the word "Mexico" derived from the Nahuatl tongue meaning "place of the Mexica", who were the nomadic peoples that eventually formed the city of Tenochtitlan. It is said that the Mexica arrived from the northern land called Aztlán, which is said to have been the mythical ancestral home of the Aztec People.
The world's largest pyramid is not in Egypt, but in Mexico. The Cholula Pyramid in the Mexican Federal State of Puebla is the world's largest pyramid. The pyramid is substantially larger than the pyramid of Giza, with a height of 66 meters, a 400-meter base, and a total capacity of 4.5 million cubic meters, despite being less well-known. Despite its remarkable size, the Cholula pyramid is easily overlooked since it is tucked beneath a mountain. The eye-catching structure is the church constructed on top of the pyramid by the Spaniard invaders.
A Mexican invented color television. Guillermo Gonzalez Camarena was born in the Mexican city of Guadalajara, Jalisco, and is the inventor of color television. The then 23-year-old applied for a patent for the first color image transmission system in 1940, and it was eventually employed in the Voyager 1 spacecraft.
Mexico City was built on a lake, and it sinks about 12 centimeters per year.
In truth, cenotes are the lakes upon which Mexico City is built. The Aztecs picked this site as a sacred site for the construction of Tenochtitlan, their capital city. Later, the Spaniards opted to build their city on top of the Aztec structures, resulting in the establishment of a new city, New Spain, which became Mexico City.However, the Texcoco Lake is practically dry these days, and several of the city buildings resemble the Leaning Tower of Pisa since the capital city's underground is muddy and sinking. It sinks about 12 centimeters every year, greater than Venice, Italy, which sinks about 2mm per year.
CHILE
Independence Day September 18, 1810
Chile was a small country that was ruled by the Spanish Empire for 300 years. By the 18th century, there was a growing sense of independence in the United States, while Northern South America was battling for independence for New Granada. These examples sparked a desire for independence among Chileans as well, a desire exacerbated by mismanagement under a corrupt Spanish-appointed governor, Francisco Antonio Garca Carrasco. He was caught stealing illegal garments from a British whaling warship in October 1808, and he killed the captain and other crew members, stoking the flames of revolutionary ideas in Chile.
The invasion of Spain and Portugal by France in 1808 fueled the independence cause even more. Napoleon Bonaparte, the French military leader, then established his brother on the throne of Spain, imprisoning King Charles IV and his successor, Ferdinand VII. The colonies revolted partly as a result of their refusal to pay taxes to the French authority. Argentina and Ecuador, for example, took a middle path and declared independence until Ferdinand VII could reclaim the Spanish throne. Chile followed a similar path, declaring conditional independence from Spain on September 18, 1810, but true independence came a decade later, following a protracted battle.
Fun Facts About Chile
Chile is home to six UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Chiloé Churches (2000), Valparaso's Historic Quarter (2003), Humberstone and Santa Laura Saltpeter Works (2005), Qhapaq an, Andean Road System (2014), Rapa Nui National Park (1995), and Sewell Mining Town (1995) are among them (2006).
11 This number could grow in the future, as 18 sites in Chile are now being considered for inclusion on the provisional nomination list.Chile is home to South America's tallest building.
The Gran Torre Santiago, located in Chile's capital city, is the world's tallest structure, standing at 62 floors. It's also Latin America's second-tallest skyscraper, behind T.Op Torre 1 in Monterrey, Mexico, and the Southern Hemisphere's fourth-tallest structure. The Gran Torre Santiago, which stands 980-foot tall (300 meters) (980 feet) and is part of Costanera Center, Latin America's largest shopping mall, was completed in 2013. Sky Costanera, a 360° observation deck on floors 61 and 62 of the Gran Torre, is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Santiago.The islands of Chiloe, off the coast of the Lakes District, are thought to produce 90% of the world's potatoes! The islands still have 286 different types of Chilote potatoes.
What is the origin of the name "Chile"? Some speculate that the phrase came from the indigenous Mapuche word "chili," which means "where the land stops," or that it was inspired by a native bird call that sounded like "cheele cheele."
BELIZE
Independence Day September 21, 1981
The Belize nationalist movement has sought self-government and independence since its inception in 1950. In 1960, the United Nations issued a landmark resolution endorsing colonial territories and peoples' right to self-determination. Many countries were gaining independence from colonialism, some after years of military struggle. Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago, both in the Caribbean, gained independence in 1962. Belize, on the other hand, remained a British colony due to Guatemala's insistence on a land claim to Belize. If Belize becomes independent without first settling the issue, Guatemala threatened to use force against it.
For many years, the Belizean government generally delegated responsibility for foreign affairs and defense to the British, who were legally responsible for Belize's foreign affairs and defense. The Guatemalan government requested the cession of a vast section of Belizean territory as a price for relinquishing its claim in 1975, following 14 years of discussions.
The government, led by Premier George Price, the Peoples United Party's leader, decided to launch a new campaign for independence, this time on the international stage, in order to gather support for its claim to full independence with its territory intact and secure.
Britain, Guatemala, and Belize signed "The Heads of Agreement" on March 11, 1981. This document noted that there was no final agreement or even specific ideas, but rather discussion points that would serve as the foundation for a final accord following conversations. Guatemala agreed to accept an independent Belize within its current borders, but only provided other elements in the declaration could be agreed upon. The "use and enjoyment" of specific cayes, free port facilities, freedom of transit on two roadways, oil pipeline facilitation, security cooperation, and a non-aggression pact were among the other elements.
Belize became an independent country on September 21, 1981, with George Price as Prime Minister and Dame Elimira Gordon as Governor-General. The Instruments of Independence Constitution were officially handed over in Belmopan later that day, and Price flew to New York the next day to be present when the UN Security Council and General Assembly voted to approve and formally admit Belize as the 136th Member of the United Nations on September 25, 1981.
Fun Facts About Belize
Belize is referred to as the "Jewel in the Caribbean Basin."
Cayes (pronounced keys) are small islands that sprawl out along Belize's eastern shore. Despite the fact that these islands have been abandoned for years, each Caye has its own watchman, who is appointed by the government.The Belize Barrier Reef is a UNESCO World Heritage Site with over 450 fish species. South Water Caye Marine Reserve, Bacalar Chico National Park and Marine Reserve, Blue Hole Natural Monument, Half Moon Caye Natural Monument, Glover's Sapodilla Cayes Marine Reserve, Laughing Bird Caye National Park and Marine Reserve, Laughing Bird Caye National Park and Marine Reserve, Laughing Bird Caye National Park and Marine Reserve, Laughing Bird Caye National Park and Marine Reserve, Laughing Bird Caye National Park and Marine Reserve.
There are more than 900 Mayan ruins strewn throughout Belize, with the most popular ones – Altun Ha, Caracol, Cahal Pech, and others – being must-sees for travelers.
The Great Blue Hole in Belize is the world's largest sea sinkhole.
The Great Blue Hole is a 984-foot-wide and 407-foot-deep depression in the midst of the sea that was made famous by Jacques Cousteau, who named it one of the top five scuba diving locations in the world.
It is stated that the deeper one goes, the clearer the water becomes and the more complicated the formations grow.