This past September, Honduras had the privilege to celebrate, along with most of the countries of Central America, its 199 years of independence. Despite the media’s portrayal of Honduras, this is a country filled with wonderful aspects to explore that make this country unlike any other. Honduras has so much more to offer than what the media portrays it to be, as it is a place filled with incomparable diversity and beauty. Yet, what makes Honduras truly beautiful? A question that has popped in the mind of thousands of Hondurans this month. To arrive at an answer to this question, different Hondurans were asked to give a brief description accompanied by artwork that represents what they thought is what makes Honduras beautiful.
Some Hondurans love and appreciate the flora and fauna that is so abundant in the country, with its diverse flowers and landscapes. This is expressed in the following pieces:
“Honduras In Its Purest Form”
This artwork illustrates the natural beauty our country has. This artwork is meant to bring out our country’s roots, and make people aware that Honduras has, and will always be, a beautiful country, but we need to go back and see it in its purest form . -Isabella Maldonado
“White Lily”
To make this piece, I used the technique of cross hatching with a ballpoint pen and added some shading behind the petals with a pencil. -Ana María Hode
“Puesta de Sol”
I decided to do this painting thinking about the things I love the most about Honduras. These are its vivid sunsets, oceans, and fauna represented by the national bird, the guacamaya.
-Grecia Santos
“Made in Honduras”
For this month's artwork, I wanted to create something that identified and showed the beauties of Honduras. Sometimes we aren't able to appreciate what Honduras has to offer and we take that for granted. -Luciana Nuñez
“Un Canvas en el Cielo”
This is a digital recreation of one of my favorite photographs, depicting our beautiful sunsets. A sunset is such a simple event, yet it is striking how complicated all creations and combinations are. It is something we are all blessed to see, and there is nothing better than looking at the sunset in the beautiful lands of Honduras. -Adriana Mayr
“Paisaje 5 Estrellas”
Honduras for me is a beautiful country, filled with wonderful flora and fauna. I love watching all the mountains and admiring their presence. I can't get enough of that beautiful green that surrounds our country, protecting it. -Monique Casanova
There are also Honduras that admire and appreciate their touristic places that are filled with history and different memories for them, as shown in the following pieces:
“Serenity”
When I think of Honduras, I think of its beautiful beaches and how much I enjoy watching the sunrise at the beach. I decided to draw the view I remember of Guanaja, one of the Bay Islands. The calm waves flowing closer to the shore, the fresh breeze in my face, and the sun rising are the things I cherish the most. Just sitting there, watching the beautiful view, makes you enter a state of calmness and peace. For me, the beaches in Honduras are the best part of everything our country has. -Sara Mejia
“The Beautiful Coyolito”
I drew this artwork as I perceived the beautiful beach in Coyolito. This was my first time going out of my house in quarantine. So many plans I had laid were unravelled, and continue to do so, as our situation continues to grow. However, it is in these moments that we have learned to hold hope. This is the time to be slow, lie low until the bitter weather passes.
-Ana Lucia Otero
“Cathedral”
What makes Honduras beautiful are the churches because they are works of art due to their building and structure. -Ana María Retes
“A(mar)”
For this artwork, I decided to paint Amapala. Amapala is one of my favorite places in Honduras and not only because of its beauty but also because it represents my childhood. In the background, we can see Amapala, which contrasts with the beautiful brilliance of the sky, and in the ocean, we can see a small boat. I added a man fishing in the boat because Amapala is a place that I admire when I go fishing -Paulina Cantero
Hondurans will also mention and talk about the natural resources and different products that this amazing country is able to provide. The following work of art are inspired by just that:
“De todo un poco”
When asked to describe my favorite part of Honduras with an artwork, I couldn’t decide on a single thing. That’s why my artwork has a little bit of everything: sunsets, beaches, a Guacamayan wing, our country’s national flower, pine trees, and the Mayan ruins. The middle of the artwork has the Honduran flag (since all these bright, beautiful colors are all part of one place: Honduras). -Carla Duron
Hondurans also love to describe their amazing and unique culture that has shaped them as great people as shown in the following pieces:
“Honduran Beauty”
For this artwork I decided to paint one of the Honduran traditional dresses. Along with it, in the background, is the national tree that represents Honduras, the pine trees. Also, I tried to add the colors of the flag on the dress and on the background. -Elena Rheinboldt
“Tradition is Best”
Honduras is beautiful with a lot of different sceneries and places. I wanted to portray this in my drawing. I not only decided to draw mountains and fields but wanted to put a girl wearing a traditional Honduran dress in front to represent our culture and tradition. -Lucciana Sorto
“La India Bonita”
I like that Honduras is a very traditional country, and that despite the development the world has had over the years, it keeps on housing the same happy and joyful people it once had many years ago. I like that Honduras, being a small place, contains great things and it’s always unique. I love that one place has given me the opportunity to see multiple wonders.
-Vanessa Retes
“La Niña de Rosa”
This painting represents the minorities that live in Honduras. This is an image of a Garifuna girl that lives on the coast of the country. This painting was made with different colors of acrylic paint. -Marisable Paredes
“Típico”
This abstract piece depicts a woman wearing a braid and the traditional Honduran dress. Bright colors were used to represent the bright, happy people from Honduras who will always receive you with open arms. The background has blue to represent the blue color of the flag, green to signify our beautiful nature, and gold to represent our golden people.
-Andrea Caballero
“Sustento”
This portrait represents a day in the life of Honduran women. On her back she carries her newborn in a cloak that she made. She has a basket in which she carries her family's food that she produced. She also works on a loom to produce more income for her children. What I like most about my country is its people. These persevering and hard-working mothers are the true essence of our country, and they are the ones we must always represent and support. I called this piece “sustento”. -Irene Melara
“Orgullo Catracho”
Una de las cosas que más me gusta de Honduras es ver el orgullo Catracho durante el 15 de Septiembre, partidos de Fútbol,y en el día a día en sí. -Isabella Creamer
“Our Identity”
My drawing is a portrait of a woman with the Honduran flag painted on her cheek. It represents how being Honduran is part of our identity. I see our face as a way to showcase who we are, so incorporating the Honduran flag into the portrait was my way of showing that our nationality is a big part of our identity. -Clodagh Walsh
“La gente”
This artwork is meant to be an homage to the people of Honduras. When foreigners visit our country, and you ask them what they most liked about it. More often more than not, they will answer: "the people." And I agree. My watercolor portrait features a Garifuna girl, but every single person in this country is so special, yet overlooked. We as a nation are so bright, happy and welcoming. And I think we should celebrate more. -Camila Batres
After being able to analyze all these artworks and see all the different points of view on what makes Honduras so beautiful—its beaches, sceneries, traditional clothing, flora, fauna, cathedrals and people— coming to a single conclusion was difficult. There is much to love and admire in such a great country. However, I would argue that what makes Honduras beautiful is its amazing and loving people. Honduras wouldn’t be much without all those welcoming and hardworking people that will bring a smile to any visitor that comes from this nation. You can truly say that anyone can really fall in love with a country because of all it’s astonishing places and culture, but above all, Honduras is a country beloved by many because of all the people that inhabit it. What truly makes Honduras beautiful is its people.