Honduras: Independence Movement

For nearly three centuries, the territory that is now Honduras was administered as part of the Captaincy General of Guatemala, a Spanish colonial jurisdiction subordinate to the Viceroyalty of New Spain. Political change elsewhere in the Spanish empire, including Mexico's own independence movement, created pressure across Central America for local elites to reconsider their ties to Madrid.

On September 15, 1821, colonial authorities in Guatemala City signed the Act of Independence of Central America, a declaration that extended to the provinces of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. The transition was notably peaceful, achieved through negotiation among colonial elites rather than armed conflict. Honduras briefly joined the short-lived Mexican Empire in 1822 before becoming one of five founding states of the Federal Republic of Central America in 1823.

The federal union proved unstable, weakened by rivalries between Liberal and Conservative factions across the member states. As the federation disintegrated through the 1830s, Honduras moved toward full sovereignty, declaring itself independent on November 15, 1838, and adopting its own constitution in early 1839. The experience of federation and its collapse continued to influence Honduran politics well into the nineteenth century.