Honduras

By: Jessica Hafenmair

Capital
Tegucigalpa

Language and Religion

Official language is Spanish (Road Warrior 1993)
Primary religion is Roman Catholic (Road Warrior 1993)
Practiced by 97% of the population

Tourist Attractions
Copn Ruins Archaeological Park
Located in the Copn Valley
Most important city of the Mayan civilization
The site was discovered in 1570 by Diego
Garca de Palacio (Road Warrior 1993)

Tourist Attractions
Museums
Galleries
National Parks

National Cuisine
Classic Honduran Dishes
tortillas or rice served with beans and a vegetable side dish
(squash, cassava, sweet potatoes)
Tamales
Plantains

Commonly used ingredients

Various tropical fruit are used in sweets, soups and stews
Chilies, peppers, coriander, and cumin

Stereotypes
They are violent
They are poor
They are all named Jose
The men are very macho

Superstitions
The "evil eye"
Certain people (usually lighter skin) can make another person sick, tired, or even cursed
just by looking at them a certain way
Many babies wear red bracelets to protect themselves from it

Never bathe after exercise to avoid getting sick

When pregnant never look at the lunar eclipse to avoid miscarriage
Bees and scorpions do not bite expecting mothers

Hand Gestures
Point with their chin
Pointing with their fingers is rude

Thumbs up is universal
"good job"

Business culture - etiquette and body language

Handshakes are the common greeting
Gentle and prolonged
Too forceful or released too soon is considered rude

Address people by their title

Upper-class = maintain direct eye contact
Poorer people generally avoid eye contact when conversing

Business Culture - Communication styles in

Decision Making
Tend to be indirect and informal communicators
Tend to stand arm's length away when speaking with someone, closer if they are family
Hondurans tend to touch people they're speaking with frequently on the arms, hands
and shoulders
Avoid "rocking the boat"
Likely hear "Si Dios quiere" ("God willing") when a promise or agreement
is made
Punctuality is not very important
They will not think twice about stopping in the street to talk to someone
Should prepare for their inevitable tardiness

Business Culture - Relationship Building

Business decisions are heavily influenced by the quality of the visitor's relationship
with their counterparts
Foreign business people are recommended to initially concentrate on socializing
before getting down to business
Noontime meal (lunch) is the main meal and is the preferred outing of
businesspeople
Family is important and invitation to a Honduran home is often probable