Catacamas
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Catacamas is a municipality and a city of over 30,000 in the south east of Honduran department of Olancho. Catacamas is the largest municipality in the department. It is to the south of Dulce Nombre de Culmí and San Esteban, to the north of Patuca, and to the east of Juticalpa. The Talgua River runs to the east of the town, before joining the Guayape. Catacamas is one of the few cities in Honduras that had a good deal of thought put into it's design and layout, therefore Catacamas boasts many clean, wide and well paved streets.
The Catholic Church "San Francisco de Asis" is one of the main focal points in the town, and sits in front of the municipal building. The heart of Catacamas, like many Honduran communities, is truly the Parque Central. In the center of Parque Central sits an ancient Ceiba tree that dominates the beautifully landscaped area. The center of social activity in Catacamas, you can find a hive of activity in the area of Parque Central at virtually any hour of the day or night. Another site for all to visit is the "Mirador de la Cruz", which is reached from an area at the foot of the extremely steep 'Montana de Piedra Blanca' at the northern edge of central Catacamas, it has a large cement stairway leading up the side of the to a huge cement cross. This is also a very social area, where on most afternoons and evenings you will find many locals, from children to couples, walking, chatting, and taking in the sights. Line most Honduran cities and larger towns, an Armeria can be found in the center of the main business district, where all manner of firearms may be legally purchased by residents and citizens. Olancho is famous for the abundance of firearms, and they are in prominent display throughout the city.
Among the more intriging villages surrounding Catacamas is El Esquilinchuche on the banks of the Guayape River.
 Parque Central in Catacamas -for size reference the trunk of the central tree is 14 feet across- |
 The Church in the center of Catacamas, 'San Francisco de Asis' |
 A street scene in central Catacamas -the 'Mirador de la Cruz' is visible in the background |
 A picture of one of the many open-air markets in central Catacamas |
[edit] The Talgua Caves
One of the area's most famous tourist attractions is Talgua Cave, also known as "The Cave of the Glowing Skulls," is located a couple miles north-east of Catacamas. While the cave itself is not particularly unique, it was used as a burial site by the native peoples, and over time, the bones left there were covered by the calcite dripping from the ceiling, giving them an eerie, sparkling appearance. Radiocarbon testing indicated that the burials were made around 900 B.C., well before the rise of the Mayans and other civilizations. The ossuary chamber was discovered in 1994 by a Peace Corps Volunteer named Timothy Berg, along with two Catacams locals named Desiderio Reyes and Jorge Yánez, and research is still being conducted in the area.
[edit] The True History of the cave's discovery and it's looting
A wealth of information can be found at the well developed visitors center and museum near the entrance to the Talgua Cave.
One thing that people will note when visiting the cave is that selective history has taken place at the cave, and while Desiderio Reyes and Jorge Yánez are prominently mentioned, there is no mention of the fact that foreigners - Timothy Berg and Greg Cabe - were among the four principle discoverers of the ossuary. One other fact that is not revealed is that the two native discoverers of the ossuary destructively removed, and attempted to sell, a large number of artifacts from the cave, including many of the skulls that eventually made if famous. Jorge and Desiderio are now employed by the Honduran government protecting the very treasures that they brutally destroyed by hacking hundreds of 3,000 year old skulls, bones, and ceramics out of their lime-stone tombs in an attempt at making a profit. It was only through the efforts of foreigners, such as Timothy Berg, and Greg Cabe (Peace Corps volunteers), that the ossuary was brought to the attention of foreign archaeologists (USA), and the Honduran Anthropological Institute, which eventually stopped the plundering of the caves by their discoverors. Timothy Berg, and Greg Cabe, along with the assistance of those they contacted, are the true saviors of what remains in the Talgua ossuary. A fuller account of the discovery and the anthropological significance written by JAMES E. BRADY, a professor of anthropology at George Washington University, and codirector of the Talgua Cave Project can be found at http://www.calstatela.edu/academic/anthro/harvest.htm
 One of many signs in the Talgua museum selectively omitting the names of the two foreign ossuary discoverers |
 Inside near the modern entrance to the Talgua Cave 2008 |
None of the facts about the foreigner's part in the discovery of the ossuary, nor the later destructive looting of the ossuary by the two Honduran's credited with its discovery were known by any of the 4 cave guides interviewed in April 2008.
[edit] External links
