Once part of Spain's vast empire in the New World, Honduras became an independent nation in 1821. Honduras was under military rule until 1982 when a freely elected civilian government came to power. Ninety percent of the population is Mestizo, which is a mixture of Amerindian and European ancestry. Honduras is a mountainous country with narrow plains along the coasts. Climate varies from tropical in the lowlands to temperate in the mountains. Honduras is located between Nicaragua, Guatemala, El Salvador, the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean. It is slightly larger in size than the state of Tennessee.

Coffee and bananas are two important exports from Honduras. It is actually the second largest coffee producing company in Central America. Honduras was devastated in 1998 by Hurricane Mitch. At least 5,000 people were killed and 70% of the country's crops were destroyed.

In 2009, there was a constitutional crisis in Honduras. There were plans to rewrite the Constitution of Honduras, which was ruled unconstitutional by the Honduran Supreme Court. President Manuel Zelaya was forcibly removed by the Honduran Military and sent to Costa Rica. Zelaya returned in secret to Honduras in September 2009. Honduran officials refused to reinstate Zelaya as President before elections in November 2009. The crisis came to a close with the inaguration of the newly elected president, Porfirio Lobo, in Januray 2010. Gladney is excited to work with the First Lady the new government administration who embrace international adoption as part of their solution to the orphan crisis.

The Toy and Its Story

Honduran children play games that require little or no equipment. The Maromero (also known as the wooden acrobat) does flips and turns when the handles are squeezed.

Honduran Holidays

Jan. 1 - New Years Day 

April 14 - Day of the Americas or Pan American Day

March/April – Easter Holiday

May 1- Labor Day

End of May - La Feria Isidra or Friendship Carnival - Week long celebration ending with a big parade on Saturday.

Sept. 10 – Children's Day - Children recieve gifts and have parties. Some neighborhoods have piñatas on the street.

Sept. 15 – Independence Day - festivals begin early in the morning with marching bands.

Oct. 3 – Soldiers Day

Oct. 12 – Columbus Day

Oct. 21 - Armed Forces Day

Nov. 2 – Day of the Dead

Dec. 25 – Christmas Day

To learn more about adopting from Honduras, please request one of Gladney's free, comprehensive Adoption Information Packets. Make your request on-line or by calling 1-800-INT-ADOP.