Honduran Americans ( es, link=no, honduro-americano, or ) are

Americans Americans are the citizens and nationals of the United States of America.; ; Although direct citizens and nationals make up the majority of Americans, many dual citizens, expatriates, and permanent residents could also legally claim Ame ...

who trace their roots to Honduras,

Honduran Americans Honduran Americans ( es, link=no, honduro-americano, or ) are Americans who trace their roots to Honduras, Honduran Americans belong to one or more of the follow ethnic groups such as mestizo, white, Lenca, Ladino people, Miskito people, Ga ...

belong to one or more of the follow ethnic groups such as mestizo,

white White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

Lenca The Lenca or Lepawiran "people of the jaguar" are from present day southwest Honduras and eastern El Salvador in Central America. They once spoke many Dialects such as Chilanga, Putun, Kotik etc. Although there were different dialects, they un ...

Ladino people The Ladino people are a mix of mestizo or Hispanicized peoplesLadino' en el Diccionario de la Real Academia Española (DRAE) in Latin America, principally in Central America. The demonym ''Ladino'' is a Spanish word that is related to '' Latin ...

Miskito people The Miskitos are a native people in Central America. Their territory extends from Cape Camarón, Honduras, to Río Grande de Matagalpa, Nicaragua, along the Mosquito Coast, in the Western Caribbean Zone. Their population is estimated at 700 ...

Garifuna The Garifuna people ( or ; pl. Garínagu in Garifuna) are a people of mixed free African and indigenous American ancestry that originated in the Caribbean island of Saint Vincent and speak Garifuna, an Arawakan language, and Vincentian ...

, and

Creole peoples Creole peoples are ethnic groups formed during the European colonial era, from the mass displacement of peoples brought into sustained contact with others from different linguistic and cultural backgrounds, who converged onto a colonial ter ...

. The word is used to refer to someone born in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

who is full or partial Honduran descendant The Honduran population at the 2010 Census was 837,694. Hondurans are the eighth largest Latino group in the United States and the third largest Central American population, after Salvadorans and

Guatemalans Guatemalans ( es, guatemaltecos or ''guatemalenses'') are people connected to the country of Guatemala. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Guatemalans, several (if not all) of these connections exist. Guat ...

. Hondurans are concentrated in

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

and

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

History

19th century

The first Hondurans came to United States during the late 18th and early 19th centuries, by the time during Honduras was known as the ''Intendencia de Comayagua'', later in 1820 changed its name to province of Comayagua in the Viceroyalty of New Spain, and later gained its independence from the Spanish Crown, founded as the republic of Honduras. It then for a short time became a part of the

Mexican empire Mexican Empire may refer to: * First Mexican Empire, the regime under Agustín de Iturbide (Agustín I) from 1821 to 1823 * Second Mexican Empire The Second Mexican Empire (), officially the Mexican Empire (), was a constitutional monarchy est ...

between 1822 and 1823, when the Empire started to collapse Honduras decided to become part of the Central American federation from 1823 to 1838.

20th century

By the beginning of the century, Honduras and the United States had a closer relation, permitting US and Honduran citizens move from one country to another due the fact of the banana companies, one Honduran American of this era was

Steve Van Buren Stephen Wood Van Buren (December 28, 1920 − August 23, 2012) was a Honduran–American professional football player who was a halfback for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL) from 1944 to 1951. Regarded as a powerf ...

, born in the city of

la Ceiba La Ceiba () is a municipality, the capital of the Honduran department of Atlántida and a port city on the northern coast of Honduras in Central America. It is located on the southern edge of the Caribbean, forming part of the south eastern bo ...

, that by the time had an economic growth. Despite dictatorships and wars, most Hondurans, which were mostly farmers and workers, had a stable way of life with few social changes until the mid and late 20th century when constant far-right coups started. All periods of conflict have led to minor waves of Honduran emigration to the United States. Such was the case after the 1956 military coup, however not very significant due the fact that in the 60s and 70s Honduras was one on the lowest crime rates countries in the globe, by only one criminal in between 100,000 people, so low and middle-class people in the big cities still had a safe and stable life. Hondurans immigrated to the United States in the 1960s, primarily to Miami, New York City, and Los Angeles. The main reason for Hondurans to leave their country during that decade was to escape poverty of the rural areas and to escape the military regimes that were against personal freedom in hopes of establishing a better life in the United States. Honduran migration as we know it started until the late 1980s when Honduras started an economic and political decline.Honduran Americans by William Maxwell
retrieved December 11, 2011 Other minor Honduran migration was by the Jewish-Hondurans that left the country after the 2009 coup due to the rise of political tension.

Present-day

Hondurans are one of the biggest Latino communities among Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, Dominicans, and

Cubans Cubans ( es, Cubanos) are people born in Cuba and people with Cuban citizenship. Cuba is a multi-ethnic nation, home to people of different ethnic, religious and national backgrounds. Racial and ethnic groups Census The population of Cuba wa ...

. The metropolitan areas with most Honduran-Americans are Houston, New York City, Miami, and Washington DC. Most of them had undertaken in business, such as the opening of coffee shops, others take advantage of their university studies to provide services to the American society. Many Hondurans migrated legally, many have joined undocumented Mexican migrants among other Central American people that cross Mexico, in 2018 came the migrant caravan. The caravan started due the Honduran political crisis and the electoral fraud of Juan Orlando Hernández, who was accused of corruption and political repression and the rise of drug cartels.

Causes

Different historians, sociologists, and politologists have made different hypotheses for the cause of the Honduran migrations, some point to the institutional corruption, others point to the fact that Honduras is still controlled by a tiny oligarchy that has a monopoly on the country, others expressed that Honduras is the example of the failure of the

neo-liberal Neoliberalism (also neo-liberalism) is a term used to signify the late 20th century political reappearance of 19th-century ideas associated with free-market capitalism after it fell into decline following the Second World War. A prominent fa ...

model and the privatization of state owned industries. However, the most popular hypothesis involves the Honduran economic system and US military interventions during the past decades.

Cold War roots

Many analysts point out that one of the main, if not the main, factor in the current massive migration of Hondurans beginning in the late 80's early 90's was the United States military occupation in Honduras and its enormous influence on Honduras since the time of the

Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...

's presidency. The 1980s were a period full of invasion and occupation of U.S. soldiers in Honduran soil during the

Central American Crisis The Central American crisis began in the late 1970s, when major civil wars and communist revolutions erupted in various countries in Central America, causing it to become the world's most volatile region in terms of socioeconomic change. In partic ...

. The United States under the

Reagan administration Ronald Reagan's tenure as the 40th president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 1981, and ended on January 20, 1989. Reagan, a Republican from California, took office following a landslide victory over ...

government ordered hundreds of U.S. soldiers that were stationed at the nearby Palmerola Base during that period under the excuse of stopping socialism in Central America. It was another mission of the U.S. to wipe out any communism that was occurring in Honduras. President Reagan saw Honduras as a strategic point to grow U.S. influence in the Region. This event was key to the relationship between the U.S. and Honduras.

Ties to American companies

Others point out that the start of migration of Hondurans is rooted in U.S. based banana and mining companies such as Standard Fruit Company and

Rosario Mining Company The New York and Honduras Rosario Mining Company (NYHRMC), known as Rosario Mining Company, was an American-owned corporation that owned and operated the Rosario mine, a gold and silver producer in central Honduras and Nicaragua. History 1880 ...

. These companies in words of some analysts transformed Honduras in a kind U.S. colony similar to

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

and

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and unincorporated ...

during the early 20th century and companies exploited many of their workers: "American companies haved built new railroads and infraestructure in Honduras, but at the time established their own banking systems, bringed its own laws, and bribed government officials at a dizzying pace." Much of the wealth that was accumulated in Honduras was carried off to

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

, New York City, and

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

. The conditions for Honduran workers worsened and much of the meanwhile Honduran lands were being owned by US companies. As a result, many Hondurans felt isolated in their own countries: ''"Honduran peasants had no hope of access to their nation's good soil".'' Due to the fact that the US dominated much of the wealth and labor in Honduras, this caused sentiments of resentment, isolation, and anxiety in the Honduran workers who made up most of the low class, as much of the native population had to deal with the reality of their economic situation. Many natives suffered when their private lands and properties were sold. Furthermore, the United States is one of the main reasons that led to a huge migration of Hondurans to the United States. Moreover, leading to the United States' most debated issues in the past decade: "illegal immigration". This era ended during the 1950s, after these Honduran workers made the "1954's strike" that ended with better conditions for the workers, freedom of expression, and better salary. Many Honduran-Americans are sons and grandsons of farm laborers who first established themselves in the largest US cities, in which they had support networks from the Honduran-American communities. In the late 1980s and 1990s, most Honduran Americans lived in New Orleans (50,000), New York City (33,000), Los Angeles (24,000), and Miami (18,000). In 2000, Hondurans grew to be the third largest immigrant group from Central America.

Contributions to American society

Arts

Many Honduran Americans have contributed to the world of art, film, and television, such as

Carlos Mencia Ned Arnel "Carlos" Mencía (born October 22, 1967) is a Honduran-American comedian, writer, and actor. His style of comedy is often political and involves issues of race relations, Latin American culture, criminal justice, and social class. He i ...

America Ferrera America Georgina Ferrera (; born April 18, 1984) is an American actress. Born in Los Angeles to Honduran parents, Ferrera developed an interest in acting at a young age, performing in several stage productions at her school. She made her featu ...

, and in fashion, providing Honduran cultural features in their designs. Many young Honduran-Americans study in art institutes various artistic disciplines.

Music

They are two slopes of Honduran music, La Punta, of Afro-Caribbean origin, more originally from the

population, and

marimba The marimba () is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars that are struck by mallets. Below each bar is a resonator pipe that amplifies particular harmonics of its sound. Compared to the xylophone, the timbre ...

music, more connected to the mestizo-criollo identity of the country, however Honduras has its versions of other Latin genres such as salsa. Other Hondurans contributed to rock music, due the boom of rock in Honduras during the 80's and 90's.

Military service

Honduran-Americans have actively participated in U.S. military service since

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. Some of them have participated in North Africa allied operations, the Pacific War, and the occupation of Japan. A well-known story is the one of the Honduran U.S. soldier Luis Alemán Gomez that was part of the Allied occupation forces in Japan. A total of 13.7 percent of native (U.S.) Honduran-American males older than 16 years are in the military. Additionally, 769 Honduran-American non-citizen males serve in the military.

Socioeconomics

Usually, Honduran-Americans live in areas with high economic growth and demand for employment in construction, domestic services, and other industries. Many Honduran-Americans suffer discrimination, as other Latino groups do especially

Afro-Hondurans Afro-Hondurans or Black Hondurans are Hondurans of Sub-Saharan African descent. The CIA world factbook regards their population to be around 2% of the country's population, while other sources estimate the percentage of Afro-Hondurans as being ...

. Honduran-American girls tend to spend more years in school than Honduran-Americans boys, in part due to pressure by their families on boys to start working at age 12 or 14. A total of 1,091 Honduran-Americans have a master's degree graduated in U.S. colleges, 862 have other professional degrees, and 151 have a doctoral degree. The majority of these individuals are women.

Demographics

According to the

2010 United States Census The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators servi ...

there are 633,401 Hondurans living in the United States. By 2011, the number of Hondurans estimated to reside in the United States by the Census Bureau's American Community Survey was 702,000. In 2014, according to Pew Research, "60% of 573,000 Honduran immigrants in the U.S. are unauthorized".

Ethnic groups

Honduran Mestizos

The most part of the Honduran-American people, a mix of

Spaniard Spaniards, or Spanish people, are a Romance ethnic group native to Spain. Within Spain, there are a number of national and regional ethnic identities that reflect the country's complex history, including a number of different languages, both i ...

and Native people. These people came from different parts of Honduras. Most of them are located in large cities and have a high variety of social class, however most mestizo migrants are part of the middle and lower class of Honduras. Despite that, most of them finds economic success after migrating to the United States. Also, many Honduran Mestizos have a very diverse ancestry, not only Spanish and indigenous descent.

Indigenous Hondurans

The indigenous people of Honduras are perhaps one of the most affected by all, since the time of the Spanish colony, the natives were at a disadvantage, therefore they are the people with the least voice and vote in their country. However, people of

and

Maya Maya may refer to: Civilizations * Maya peoples, of southern Mexico and northern Central America ** Maya civilization, the historical civilization of the Maya peoples ** Maya language, the languages of the Maya peoples * Maya (Ethiopia), a popul ...

descent have moved to the United States mostly escaping unequal treatment by the Honduran authorities.

White-Honduran

This is one of the minorities of Honduran migrants, mostly made up of Hondurans with European (

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

, Italian, and German), Arab ( Palestinan, Lebanese, Syrian), and Jewish descent. Due the fact that most whites in Hondurans are part of the middle and upper class most of white-Hondurans came legally to the United States. However, many Whites in the rural area of Honduras also suffer the economic inequality of their country and decide to move to the U.S.

Afro-Honduran

Garifuna

Part of the minorities of Hondurans, most Afro Honduran-American belong to the

ethnic group and the black Caribs still on the Bay Islands. They are primarily descended from a group transported to the Bay Islands by the British from St. Vincent after an insurrection. Due to their location, the north coast of Honduras, most of them are fluently in English, most Afro-Hondurans stand out in the musical and sports field. Garifuna speak their native language and Spanish as their primary language.

British Caribbean

The Bay Islands were colonized by the British who besides the Garifuna brought laborers and attracted fishermen from older colonies like the Caymans and Jamaica. Most of these people brought by the British were of African descent. The development of the banana industry by

United Fruit The United Fruit Company (now Chiquita) was an American multinational corporation that traded in tropical fruit (primarily bananas) grown on Latin American plantations and sold in the United States and Europe. The company was formed in 1899 fro ...

which resulted from the merger of banana companies one of which had begun in Jamaica resulted in further migration to the Honduran coast.

Notable people

* Luis Calix - Soccer Player *

Alessandro Castro Alessandro Elias Castro Villeda (born February 26, 2000) is a Honduras, Honduran Association football, soccer player who plays as a Midfielder (association football), midfielder for VfR Mannheim in the Verbandsliga Nordbaden in Germany. Club car ...

- Soccer Player * Renán Almendárez Coello -radio show host of the show El Cucuy de la Mañana * Teofilo Colon Jr. - Photographer, filmmaker, writer, and journalist *

Ronnie Aguilar Ronnie Amir Aguilar Romero (born June 24, 1987) is an American professional basketball player last played in China Hainan Jinxing Basketball Club. Formasa Dreamers in Taiwan. Also for Al-Nweidrat of the Bahraini Premier League. He played college ...

- Basketball Player * David Archuleta – runner-up of American Idol Season 7 * Michael Benjamin (investor) – private investor focusing on Internet companies. He was a Republican candidate for the United States Senate in 2004. *

– NFL Hall of Fame Running Back (

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team play ...

) *

Bianca Del Rio Roy R. Haylock (born June 27, 1975), better known by the stage name Bianca Del Rio, is an American drag queen, comedian, actor, and costume designer. She is known for winning the sixth season of ''RuPaul's Drag Race''. Since her time on ''Drag R ...

– actor, comedian, costume designer, and drag queen. *

Brandon Escobar Brandon Escobar (born 25 September 1990 in Long Island, New York) is a Honduran American wrestler. He largely grew up on Long Island and briefly attended Suffolk County Community College. He Wrestling at the 2012 Summer Olympics – Qualification, ...

– wrestler *

Empress Of Lorely Rodriguez (born October 19, 1989), known professionally as Empress Of, is a Honduran-American singer, songwriter, musician and record producer based in Los Angeles, California. To date, she has released three studio albums via XL Recor ...

- Singer * Roger Espinoza – footballer who currently plays for Sporting Kansas City in Major League Soccer. * Miguel Estrada – attorney who became embroiled in controversy following his 2001 nomination by President George W. Bush to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. He was the first Latino to be nominated to a high position in the judicial branch and would have been a potential Supreme Court nominee. * Kat Fajardo - Author *

– film actress (''

Real Women Have Curves ''Real Women Have Curves'' is a 2002 American comedy-drama film directed by Patricia Cardoso, based on the Real Women Have Curves (play), play of the same name by Josefina López, who co-authored the screenplay for the film with George LaVoo. Th ...

'', ''

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants ''The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants'' is a series of five bestselling young adult novels by Ann Brashares: '' The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (2001),'' ''The Second Summer of the Sisterhood (2003),'' '' Girls in Pants'' (2005), '' Fore ...

'', ''

Ugly Betty ''Ugly Betty'' is an American comedy-drama television series developed by Silvio Horta, which was originally broadcast on ABC. It premiered on September 28, 2006, and ended on April 14, 2010. The series is based on Fernando Gaitán's Colombi ...

'') * Michelle Fields – political journalist, Huffington Post contributor *

Brian Flores Brian Francisco Flores (born February 24, 1981) is an American football coach who is the defensive coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He began his NFL career with the New England Patriots, where he serve ...

– former

Head Coach A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches. In some sports, the head coach is instead called the "manager", as in assoc ...

for the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team p ...

Henry Flores Henry Flores (born August 26, 1974 in San Pedro Sula, Honduras) is a professional American photographer who focuses on modern pop culture. He founded Buzz Foto and Out Of Sight Media in 2006. Henry's photographs can be seen in hundreds of publ ...

– professional American photographer who addresses modern pop culture * Samuel Gómez - Soccer Player *

Illich Guardiola Illich Auyapah Guardiola (born July 5, 1972) is a Honduran former voice actor who provided voice roles for Japanese anime. He previously worked for ADV Films, Funimation, and Seraphim Digital, and as a stage actor and director in the Houston the ...

– American actor *

Ali Hall Alexandria Elizabeth “Ali” Hall Holt (born 27 March 1991) is an American-born Honduran former footballer who played as a defender. She has been a member of the Honduras women's national team. Early life Hall was born in Park Ridge, Illin ...

- Soccrr Player * Teófimo López – Professional boxer, world lightweight champion since 2020 * Dewan Hernandez - Basketball Player *

Maximiliano Hernández Maximiliano Hernández (born September 12, 1973) is an American actor. He is best known for portraying Agent Jasper Sitwell in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and FBI Agent Chris Amador in the first season of ''The Americans''. Early life A nati ...

– film actor ('' Captain America: The Winter Soldier'', '' Sicario'', '' The Last Ship'') * Maity Interiano – journalist, entertainment reporter and television producer *

Skai Jackson Skai Jackson (born April 8, 2002) is an American actress who was included in ''Time''s list of Most Influential Teens in 2016. She is best known for portraying the role of Zuri Ross in the Disney Channel sitcom '' Jessie'' (2011–2015), which ...

– actress * Karrie Martin - Entrepreneur *

Walmer Martinez Walmer Osmar Gómez Martínez (born 17 August 1998) is a professional footballer who plays for USL Championship club Monterey Bay FC. Born in the United States, he represents the El Salvador national team. Early life Martinez was born in Santa ...

- Soccer Player *

Annia Mejia Annia may refer to: * Annia gens, an ancient Roman clan * Any Roman woman of the gens (Annia gens, see for list), including: **Paculla Annia, a priestess involved in the suppression of the Bacchanalia in 186 BC * Via Annia, a Roman road in Cisalpin ...

- Soccer Player * Virginia "Ginny" Montes (1943–1994) – civil rights activist and feminist * Rigo Nova – actor born in Honduras and co-founder of "Light for Honduras". His background is Engineering and Information Technology. * Juan Carlos Obregón Jr. - Soccer Player *

Brina Palencia Brina Michelle Palencia (born February 13, 1984) is an American voice and television actress. She has voiced a number of English-language versions of characters featured in anime. Palencia provided the dubbed voices of Tony Tony Chopper in ' ...

– voice actress, ADR director, and singer primarily known for her work for Funimation Entertainment/OkraTron 5000. *

Satcha Pretto Satcha Pretto (born April 5, 1980) is a Honduran journalist and news co-anchor of the Univision Network's popular morning show ''Despierta America''. Early life Pretto was born in La Paz, Honduras, the daughter of Honduran Liz Padilla and Panaman ...

– journalist and TV news presenter *

Francia Raisa Francia Raisa Almendarez (born July 26, 1988) is an American actress. Raisa is known for her roles in '' Bring It On: All or Nothing'', ''The Secret Life of the American Teenager'', and '' Grown-ish''. Early life and education Raisa was born a ...

– actress * Taxstone – television and podcast personality * Andres Serrano – photographer and artist who has become notorious through his photos of corpses and his use of feces and bodily fluids in his work. He is of Honduran and Afro-American descent. *

Hype Williams Harold Williams (born August 1, 1970) is an American music video director, film director, film producer, and screenwriter. Early life Williams was born in Queens, New York. He is of mixed African-American and Honduran descent. He attended Adel ...

– Billboard and MTV VMA award-winning music video and film director. * Gerald Young – former Major League Baseball outfielder * Daniel Zacapa – film actor (''The Mexican'', ''Seven'', ''Odd Couple II'', ''Confessions of a Dangerous Mind'') * José Zúñiga – film actor (''24'', ''Prison Break'', ''The O.C'') * Sauce Walka - Rapper