Making large clay vessels near Choluteca in Honduras. - 1977

School is out. The little girl Yola from Puerto Cortés in Honduras is on her way home. His umbrella protects against both the rain and the sun. - 1977

An ox cart on the road between Copán and La Entrada in Honduras. - 1977

Washerwomen near Choloma, on the way to Puerto Cortés on the Caribbean. - 1977

On the beach of Travesía near Puerto Cortés in Honduras, on the Caribbean coast. This is where Christopher Columbus set foot on the continent on his fourth and last voyage in 1502. - 1977

Detail on a wall in the ruins of Copán. This site, which is significant for Maya archaeology, is located in the mountainous west of Honduras, in the middle of the tropical forest. - 1977

Remains of the castillo (castle) of San Fernando de Omoa, Honduras. There are many ruins from the colonial period in Central America. The Spanish conquerors were often forced to build real fortresses in order to protect themselves from the repeated and courageous attacks of the Indian populations who tried, by all possible means, to defend and safeguard the integrity of their territory. These fortresses comprise a complex of buildings and were designed to be able to withstand a siege of a certain duration. They were built mainly in the vicinity of the Caribbean coastline and were also used during the 16th and 17th centuries to repel attempts by French and English pirates and freebooters to land. The latter, encouraged by their respective rulers, became more and more daring and enterprising, posing a permanent and growing threat to the possessions that the Spanish conquerors had on American soil. - 1977

Partial view of the interior of the castillo of San Fernando de Omoa, Honduras. This is one of the ammunition shops in which hundreds of cannonballs of all sizes abound. Many of these fortresses, built on American soil by the Spanish conquerors, were used as arsenals in which the troops could obtain supplies. These fortresses also provided some protection for the captains whose galleons were loaded with precious metal objects taken from the Indian populations of South America. These ships, filled with priceless treasures, then headed for Spain on a long and dangerous journey. The permanent state of insecurity that reigned throughout the colony was maintained by the hostility of the Indian populations towards the Western invaders and by the threats posed by French and English pirates and freebooters on the Atlantic coast. To this must be added the bloody struggles for power and for the possession of gold that the Spanish conquerors established in the different regions of Central America waged among themselves. - 1977

An extraordinary picture! Goats pulling a cart in Choluteca, Honduras. - 1977

Cannon barrels lie in the courtyard of the castle of San Fernando de Omoa in Honduras. A large part of these Spanish fortresses were used as weapons magazines to supply the troops. The Spanish conquerors often felt compelled to build actual fortresses to protect themselves against the spirited attacks of the Indians, who tried to defend their country's independence by any means necessary. - 1977

The church and a street of the old colonial quarter of the small town of Pespire in Honduras, not far from the Pan-American Highway. This picture clearly shows the charm that many peasant settlements in this republic of Central America still exude today. - 1977

Remains of the castillo (castle) of San Fernando de Omoa, Honduras. There are many ruins from the colonial period in Central America. The Spanish conquerors were often forced to build real fortresses in order to protect themselves from the repeated and courageous attacks of the Indian populations who tried, by all possible means, to defend and safeguard the integrity of their territory. These fortresses comprise a complex of buildings and were designed to be able to withstand a siege of a certain duration. They were built mainly in the vicinity of the Caribbean coastline and were also used during the 16th and 17th centuries to repel attempts by French and English pirates and freebooters to land. The latter, encouraged by their respective rulers, became more and more daring and enterprising, posing a permanent and growing threat to the possessions that the Spanish conquerors had on American soil. - 1977

The church and a street of the old colonial quarter of the small town of Pespire in Honduras, not far from the Pan-American Highway. This picture clearly shows the charm that many peasant settlements in this republic of Central America still exude today. - 1977

Tegucigalpa is the capital of Honduras and is the largest city in the country. It is located in the southern part of the country in a high basin on the banks of the Río Choluteca river at around 940 metres above sea level. The river water is used for washing clothes. - 1977

Mulatto musicians from Choluteca, Honduras, play music on simple wind instruments. Throughout pre-Columbian times, the Indians knew only two kinds of musical instruments: drums and wind instruments (flutes, trumpets, whistles, ocarinas) made of rushes, bamboo or clay. Stringed instruments such as guitars, harps, violins and mandolins made their appearance at the time of the Spanish conquest of America. Later, brass instruments such as trumpets, trombones, saxophones and horns were introduced and adopted by the natives. The introduction of new instruments went hand in hand with the introduction of a Western-style musical aesthetic. The use of foreign instruments and the adoption of foreign melodies significantly changed the folklore of the region. - 1977

A mulatto from Choluteca, Honduras, plays a simple wind instrument. Throughout pre-Columbian times, the Indians knew only two kinds of musical instruments: drums and wind instruments (flutes, trumpets, whistles, ocarinas) made of rushes, bamboo or clay. Stringed instruments such as guitars, harps, violins and mandolins made their appearance at the time of the Spanish conquest of America. Later, brass instruments such as trumpets, trombones, saxophones and horns were introduced and adopted by the natives. The introduction of new instruments went hand in hand with the introduction of a Western-style musical aesthetic. - 1977

School is out. These girls from Puerto Cortés in Honduras are on their way home. Their umbrellas protect against both the rain and the sun. - 1977

Travesía beach near Puerto Cortés, Honduras, on the Caribbean coast. This is probably the same landscape that Christopher Columbus saw when he landed on the mainland in 1502 during his fourth and final voyage. This coast is exposed to the Atlantic trade winds. The temperature is very high and rainfall is abundant throughout the year. These two factors allow an exuberant and varied vegetation to develop. All the species typical of tropical regions are represented here. The sea is full of fish, and the beach is home to many animals such as turtles, which frequent the area especially when they lay their eggs. In the thick forest nearby, criss-crossed by numerous rivers, wild animals abound, including jaguars, ocelots, tapirs, agoutis, deer, marsupials, reptiles, as well as a multitude of monkeys and birds that are a delight to naturalists. - 1977

On the Caribbean coast of Honduras, after returning from an especially miraculous catch. A black girl from the town of La Ceiba offers beautiful fish to passers-by. The blacks form a sizeable population that has settled preferably in the low-lying, tropical areas of the Central American republics, more precisely along the Atlantic coastline. This ethnic group has preserved many traditions in which the African element is always present. Indeed, all these blacks are more or less direct descendants of the slaves who were brought to America during the 16th and 17th centuries by the Spanish conquerors. This odious trade in ‘ebony wood’ was motivated by the fact that the Westerners had exterminated most of the Indians who, prior to the Colony, populated the islands of the Caribbean Sea and the American continent. Lacking manpower, the whites decided to replace the natives with Africans, who were given the most arduous work. - 1977

The M stele and the "Escalinata de Jerogíficos" which stand in the ruins of Copán. This Mayan archaeological site is located in the mountainous western part of Honduras, in the middle of the tropical forest. Numerous monuments and fully engraved stone stelae have been reported there. These are three to four metres high and usually evoke the shape of a figure. The figure is accompanied by glyphs and a system of dots and lines which have made it possible to date the stele. This is baroque art where the attention to detail has been pushed to the extreme. Nevertheless, these monuments are never too heavy given their exceptional dimensions. This stonework is a testimony to the incomparable talent of the Maya sculptors of the old empire. - 1977

Stele D in the ruins of Copán. This site, which is significant for Maya archaeology, is located in the mountainous west of Honduras, in the middle of the tropical forest, not far from the border with Guatemala. - 1977

Stele in the ruins of Copán. This site, which is significant for Maya archaeology, is located in the mountainous west of Honduras, in the middle of the tropical forest, not far from the border with Guatemala. - 1977

Stele B in the ruins of Copán. This Mayan archaeological site is located in the mountainous western part of Honduras, in the middle of the rainforest. Numerous monuments and fully engraved stone stelae have been reported there. These are three to four metres high and usually evoke the shape of a figure. The figure is accompanied by glyphs and a system of dots and lines which have made it possible to date the stele. This is baroque art where the attention to detail has been pushed to the extreme. Nevertheless, these monuments are never too heavy given their exceptional dimensions. This stonework is a testimony to the incomparable talent of the Maya sculptors of the old empire. - 1977

A head in the ruins of Copán. This site, significant for Maya archaeology, is located in the mountainous west of Honduras, in the middle of the tropical forest, not far from the border with Guatemala. - 1977

A head with a round mouth in the ruins of Copán. This site, significant for Maya archaeology, is located in the mountainous west of Honduras, in the middle of the tropical forest, not far from the border with Guatemala. - 1977

Altar L in the ruins of Copán. This site, significant for Maya archaeology, is located in the mountainous west of Honduras, in the middle of the tropical forest, not far from the border with Guatemala. - 1977

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