Cortes, a Crossroads Where the Exotic Meets Modern Honduras, it is a name that strikes curiosity into the minds of even the most ignorant. It is a place unlike anything seen in the United States, Europe, and even Asia. It is not like the eternal megapolises of New York or the endless planed prairies of Iowa. It does not have famous cities like Los Angeles (at least famous in a positive sense) or smooth paved roads that go on forever until the sky meets the land. What Honduras does have unlike any other place are smooth sandy white beaches with turquoise water, dense rainforests that seem like an alien world where you hear the far cries of a monkey or the recital of a macaw. We also do have vast fields of cultivated bananas, pineapples, papayas, orchids; a full list of exotic fruits and plants. It also unlikely that the ruins of a mysterious ancient civilization, such as the Mayas, can be found in the U.S or in most countries around the world. All these features are what make my home special to me; the little things are what make it memorable. More specifically I come from the north coast of Honduras, a region called Cortes. The capital city of Cortes is the “industrial capital” of the country, San Pedro Sula, I was born here but I live in a town called Omoa not very far from San Pedro near the beaches. All the features that I mentioned above are luxuries you can enjoy while at the same time have the conformity of living near a city and a major hub of commerce of not only Honduras but also Central America.
The geography of this region is well marked by its natural boundaries; there is really no need for any man marked boundaries. To the north 40 minutes away is the Caribbean Sea and further north is the boundary to Guatemala. This where Omoa, my town, can be found and also where a natural bay is, hence its name Bahia de Omoa (Bay of Omoa). Along the western border of Cortes lies a range of mountains called El Merendon, which is really the local name for the continuous range of the Sierra Madre Mountains. These mountains provide a natural barrier on that western side of Honduras that are located at an altitude of 1,800-2,242 meters. This mountain range is home to a vast biosphere of jungle and exotic flora and fauna (Cortes 1)
Right smack in the middle of Cortes lies a valley snuggled below the mountain range and in this valley, also known as Valle De Sula (Valley of Sula), is San Pedro Sula. Right at the very bottom of the limits of the department of Cortes is the only lake in Honduras, Lago de Yojoa (Lake of Yojoa). This lake is the boundary that separates Cortes from western and southern regions, this lake is also shared by them. Cortes’s geography is not all that extensive but it does mark well where everything is (Cortes 1). We, the people that identify themselves as coming from Cortes are very different from those that come from the capital. As a little side note, those that come from Cortes have a rivalry with those that come from the capital. To start with our way of speaking is very distinct. For example with some words in Spanish we switch the letter S of a word for a J, if we were to say San Pedro it would sound like Jan Pedro (remember that the J in Spanish is silent). Another example is that instead of saying si (yes) we will sometimes say ji. Our way of speaking is also very musical, we tend to carry on our sentences like a Colombian in contrast to Hondurans of other regions.
Our food is unique because it literally represents and symbolizes the region that we live in. Our food is mostly made up of seafood and also the basic rice and beans plate with banana plantains and tortillas. You know you’re in Cortes when you’re in the beach and you smell the steaming scent of coconut milk in conch soup or the spicy smell of vinegar in fish ceviche. In the other regions people can still eat these dishes but it’s not the same, as they don’t have beaches to represent the tropical and coastal feeling of the food