Honduras Then and Now: by Kate Hodgdon

Honduras is a really neat country. There have been many changes in Honduras from hundreds of years ago to present-day. One of the things that has changed over the years is the job situation for the native people of Honduras. Some jobs hundreds of years ago are very similar to jobs in present day Honduras. You'll see though, that not all of them are quite the same. Looking back about four hundred years ago, most jobs involved agriculture in some way. Honduran people believed that corn was the most important source of life and was very important in their everyday lives. Many farmers would harvest corn and use it for many purposes. Mostly it would be used in their food. Honduran people would make tortillas or corn breads from it. Many years ago, formal education was not a part of the lives of Hondurans, so there were no jobs for teachers or principals then. War, on the other hand, was a big part of their lives and if a person wasn't farming, he might be found participating some way in war. The ancient Hondurans believed in many gods and various sacrifices. You wouldn't see any of that practiced today, however. Later, missionaries arrived from Europe, so there were priests to encourage the Catholic religion. In some ways, present-day Honduras is similar to the Honduras of hundreds of years ago. Agriculture is still the main source of income and about 75% of the work is agriculture related. The main crop in Honduras is bananas and after the harvest, they are shipped to places all over the world. Today, Honduras has changed in the types of jobs available for its people. Unlike many years ago, people are not at war. Today people are busy farming, making crafts, and selling hand made goods to make a living. Education has changed greatly. Now that there are schools, there are continually more jobs for teachers and principals available in Honduras. In conclusion, it is fair to say that Honduras has had some very dramatic changes over time, but in areas like agriculture, people are involved in similar activities. Honduras seems to me to be overall a really great country!