Juticalpa, Olancho
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Juticalpa is the capital of Olancho Department in Honduras. Situated in a broad river valley alongside the Rio Juticalpa, the town is the commercial center for much of Olancho's ranching and agricultural economy.
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[edit] Reputation
Unfortunately, Juticalpa has a reputation for violence. In December of 2003, the priest of the local Catholic church was gunned down in the town. Numerous shootouts on the streets, especially at the bars, occur with alarming regularity. A high percentage of males carry a pistol. Family feuds in the department of Olancho sometimes rage out of control, as with the famed conflict in the town of San Esteban. Reputedly, Peace Corps places volunteers sparingly in Juticalpa and rarely puts women in the town because of its reputation for rude men.
[edit] Geography
[edit] Climate
The climate is significantly warmer than Tegucigalpa or nearby Campamento because of the elevation. Large thunderstorms occur May through September. October, November and December are cooler and often cloudy with drizzle. January through April, the region receives very little rain. In April, Olanchanos burn their fields all across the department, creating a thick blanket of smoke that settles over Juticalpa for almost a month. The air improves after the first rain. During the rainy season, the incidence of Dengue Fever is quite high on account of the many mud puddles that lend breeding ground to the voracious mosquitoes.
[edit] Layout
The town is divided into nine major neighborhoods or barrios: Barrio el Centro, Barrio de Jesus, Barrio La Hoya, Barrio el Portillo, Barrio el Campo, Campo Uno, Campo Dos, Barrio el Chicle and Barrio de la Cruz. The town lies on a gradual slope on the southwestern side of the river. There are many smaller communities in the surrounding area. Juticalpa's sister city, Catacamas, is located at the easternmost terminus of the paved Olancho highway, known as the Carreterra de Olancho. Regular buses run between the two cities.
The Avenida de las Poetas connects Barrio El Centro to the Carretera de Olancho, and receives the Honduran intercity bus traffic. Two bus companies, Discovery and Aurora send regular buses to Tegucigalpa.
Remnants of pre-Columbian civilizations can be found occasionally in Barrio Belen.
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[edit] Economy
Juticalpa's economy is primarily agricultural. Olancho's wide, fertile river valleys support maize, cattle and dairy farms. Cuajada, a hard, salty cheese, is produced in great quantity at several dairies and exported throughout the country. Because of its proximity to successful farms and its position on the only paved highway in Olancho, Juticalpa's economy has lead to relative prosperity.
Despite its strong agricultural base, unemployment in Juticalpa is high. To support themselves, many citizens of Juticalpa run small pulperias where they sell household items and food stores to neighbors.
Juticalpa contains a number of small businesses, many restaurants (ranging from taco stands to dine-in establishments with air conditioning), a hospital donated by the Japanese government, a movie theater, and a number of public and private schools. The local economy has grown by leaps and bounds over the past fifteen years. Construction began in February 2005 for a new mall. Recent road paving projects have disrupted the usual traffic pattern in Barrio el Centro and Barrio de Jesus. Most of the town's streets remain unpaved. The area does not draw many tourists unless they are headed into the Sierra de Agalta National Park or to visit the Cuevas de Talgua, limestone caves containing the calcified remains of some ancient inhabitants of the area. There are several hotels.
In other parts of Honduras, Juticalpa is most famous for the production of an alcoholic palm tree wine known as coyol. Residents knock down palm trees in mid dry season (March and April) and fill plastic soda bottles with the beverage. The easiest place to find the drink is in the colonia of La Concepcion, a few kilometers west of Juticalpa on the highway to Tegucigalpa.
[edit] People from Juticalpa
- Mel Zelaya, President of Honduras, 2006[citation needed]
- Porfirio "Pepe" Lobo, Presidential candidate, member of the PNH[citation needed]
