San Pedro Sula
City and municipality
Historic and modern landmarks of San Pedro Sula
Flag Seal
Nickname(s):  La Capital Industrial, Sap
San Pedro Sula
Coordinates: 15°30′0″N 88°2′0″W / 15.50000°N 88.03333°W / 15.50000; -88.03333
Country	Honduras
Department	Cortés
Municipio (County)	San Pedro Sula
Foundation	27 June 1536 (1536-06-27)
Government
• Mayor	Armando Calidonio Alvarado (PNH)
Area [1]
• City and municipality	856 km2 (331 sq mi)
Elevation	83 m (272 ft)
Population  (2023 projection)[2]
• City and municipality	834,883
• Density	980/km2 (2,500/sq mi)
• Urban	793,835
• Metro	1,445,598[3]
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central America)

San Pedro Sula (Spanish pronunciation: [sam ˈpeðɾo ˈsula]) is the capital of Cortés Department, Honduras. It is located in the northwest corner of the country in the Sula Valley, about 50 kilometers (31 miles) south of Puerto Cortés on the Caribbean Sea. With a population of 701,200 in the central urban area (2023 calculation)^[4] and a population of 1,445,598 in its metropolitan area in 2023, it is the nation's primary industrial center and second largest city after the capital Tegucigalpa, and the largest city in Central America that is not a capital city.

History

Before the arrival of the Spanish, the Sula Valley was home to approximately 50,000 native inhabitants.^[5] The area that is home to the modern city served as a local trade hub for the Mayan and Aztec civilizations. The Spanish conquest brought about a demographic collapse from which the native population would never recover.

On 27 June 1536, Don Pedro de Alvarado founded a Spanish town beside the Indian settlement of Choloma, with the name of Villa de Señor San Pedro de Puerto Caballos (modern San Pedro Sula). The new town had 35 Spanish citizens, and Alvarado allocated 200 of his slaves to help build the new town and work the surrounding fields. He sent out expeditions into outlying regions to secure the new town, extend the area of Spanish domination, and commandeer supplies. Alvarado annulled all encomienda rights established in the area under Andres de Cerezeda, and reassigned the villages to the citizens of San Pedro.

The new settlement barely survived the colonial period. In 1601, the Spanish government declared Santo Tomás as the official port for the Central American colonies; this move diverted exports from Puerto Cortés and resulted in an economic decline that would last through the 17th century. Additionally, San Pedro Sula was left exposed to raids by pirates and French, Dutch, and English mercenaries. By the mid-18th century, the Spanish government decided to build a number of coastal fortresses to curb English attacks. One of these fortresses, the Fortaleza de San Fernando, was built in Omoa, less than 50 miles from San Pedro Sula. The subsequent increase in trade supported an increase in population from 70 inhabitants in 1714 to 357 in 1789.^[6]

Post-independence San Pedro Sula remained an impoverished village, dependent on trade between Omoa and the country's interior. In 1875, Frank Frye, the American consul in the Bay Islands, reported a population of 1200. The city benefitted from the growth of the banana trade in the 1870s and 1880s and formed a close relationship with US-based shipper and railroad entrepreneur Samuel Zemurray's Cuyamel Fruit Company, and the construction of the Interoceanic Railroad between 1869 and 1874 which connected the city to the coast at Puerto Cortés. Zemurray worked closely with local elites who invested in subsidiary enterprises and thus shaped the way politically for Cuyamel to establish itself and pay very few taxes.^[7]

• 
  San Pedro Sula Cathedral
• 
  Panoramic view of Downtown San Pedro Sula
• 
  Municipal Palace

Economy

In 2013, fifteen years after the effects of Hurricane Mitch, Honduras is one of the poorest countries in Latin America; around San Pedro Sula, banana production has not fully recovered, and "manufacturing has all but dried up."^[8] The problems are exacerbated by organized gangs, whose rules prevent residents from safely leaving gang-controlled neighborhoods such as Chamelecón for jobs in other parts of town.^[8]

In 2000, then-Mayor Roberto Larios Silva said "San Pedro Sula is where the economic development of the country is concentrated via the city's industrial, commercial, and financial development." The then-manager of Hotel Copantl attributed its growth in business-related tourism ...[to] the maquila (apparel manufacturing) industry.^[9]

As of 2011, San Pedro Sula generated two-thirds of the country's gross domestic product (GDP).^[10]

Panoramic of the city.

Crime

San Pedro Sula was the "murder capital of the world"^[8] until early 2016 when Caracas, Venezuela, surpassed its homicide rate.^[11] Since the 2009 Honduran military coup "unemployment and underemployment rates have doubled while the number of people living in extreme poverty has skyrocketed."^[8] In 2013, the city had 187 homicides per 100,000 residents.^[12] This surpassed Ciudad Juarez, Mexico's rate of 148 killings per 100,000, or an average of about three homicides per day;^[13] Ciudad Juarez had previously topped the list for three consecutive years.^[14][15] Both cities are major operational and strategic distribution points in the illegal drug trade, particularly to the United States, and have significant gang activity.^[16][14][17] In response, authorities launched Operation Lightning, saturating violence hotspots with police and soldiers.^[13] Meanwhile, arms trafficking has flooded the country, with just under 70% of all firearms being illegal. 83% of homicides in the city involve firearms.^[18]

According to the Los Angeles Times, "the homicide rate is stoked by the rivalry of the brutal street gangs, mostly descendants of gangs formed in Los Angeles and deported to Central America in the 1990s, including Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) and the 18th Street gang. Their ranks are fed by the disastrous economy of Honduras, and emboldened more recently by alliances with Mexican drug traffickers moving cocaine through the country."^[8]

Crime and economic stress have led to the migration of large numbers of unaccompanied minors to the US border. The latest data from the CBP shows San Pedro Sula as the major source for Unaccompanied Alien Children (UAC) migrating from Honduras.

Geography

Administrative divisions

San Pedro Sula's Old Train Station.

San Pedro Sula, as most cities built under the Spanish colonial period, is divided in quadrants. Avenues in the city run from north to south and streets run from east to west. First Street and First Avenue mark the "center of the city" and effectively divide it into four major quadrants NW, NE, SW and SE.^[22]

Northwest

Barrio Guamilito is just to the west and north of the center. Noroeste neighborhoods include Colonia Moderna (from 1 Calle to 5 Calle NO, from Avendia Circunvalación to the river beyond 24 Avenida), Colonia La Mora (from 5 Calle NO to 7 Calle NO, from Avendia Circunvalación to the río beyond 24 Avenida), Colonia Zeron, the Colonia Columbia by the Universidad de San Pedro Sula, Barrio La Cervecería and Barrio Guadalupe. Across the river along which 24 Avenida runs is Colonia Juan Lindo and Colonia Jardines Del Valle.^[23]

From the river past 24 Avenida, north to 25 Calle and west to 12 Avenida, is Colonia Universidad. Universidad de San Pedro Sula is to its south, across the river. West of Colonia Universidad is Colonia Country, a small neighborhood including the Academia Americana, and Colonia Villas del Sol, which runs from Boulevard Mackey west to include Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Honduras en el Valle de Sula, and goes north to Río Bermejo but does not cross it.^[23]

Universidad Tecnológica Centroamericana UNITEC

Just past the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras en el Valle de Sula, and spanning the Río Bermejo, is Colonia El Pedregal, which has residential high-rises.^[23]

Further out, north across the Río Bermejo, running to the edge of the city, and with calles (streets) renumbering from 1 up, are Colonia Los Alpes and Rancho El Coco and Residencial Los Cedros and Colonia La Tara.^[23]

Far to the north is Colonia Fesitranh.^[23]

Sports

Estadio Olímpico Metropolitano

The Villa Olímpica is a multi-sporting complex that has facilities for most Olympic style games including football, boxing, swimming, baseball, cycling, and multipurpose gymnasiums.

San Pedro Sula is the only city in the country that houses to two football stadiums. The Estadio Olímpico Metropolitano is located in the Villa Olímpica and is the largest in the country with a capacity of 42,000. The Estadio Francisco Morazán is located in the center of the city and holds 23,000 people. The stadiums are home to San Pedro Sula's most popular professional football teams Marathón and Real CD España.

As of 2009, San Pedro Sula has been the home venue for Honduras national football team matches.^[25]

Education

San Pedro Sula is home to several universities, including:

• Universidad Catolica de Honduras
• Universidad de San Pedro Sula
• Universidad Pedagogica Nacional Francisco Morazan
• Instituto Tecnologico Sampedrano
• Universidad Tecnologica de Honduras (UTH)
• Universidad Tecnologica Centroamericana (UNITEC)
• Instituto Tecnico de Electricidad y Electronica (ITEE)

Tourism

San Pedro Sula's municipal palace.

See also

•  Honduras portal

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to San Pedro Sula.

• San Pedro Sula travel guide from Wikivoyage
• Honduras Weekly
• Universidad de San Pedro Sula