Honduras

Western Honduras was at the southeastern edge of the great Maya civilization during the 1st millennium AD, and the ruins at Copán attest to the advanced stage of the country's population. The Maya, however, were already in decline by the time Christopher Columbus reached their shores on his fourth voyage in 1502. Several non-Maya tribes also inhabited the Caribbean coastal region. The native population was decimated by the Spanish conquest and by the European diseases it introduced, but the number of Spanish settlers was small and included few women. Race mixture followed rapidly therefore, and mestizos became Honduras's dominant ethnic group.

Honduras is primarily a Spanish culture today. The marimba is the most popular instrument and forms the core of many bands.

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