Silver mining was a prime factor in the conquest and settlement of Honduras by the Spanish. 

The importance of mining in Honduran history is recognized by the mine openings, along with chisel, pry bar, and crossed hammers appearing in the lower part of the national seal of Honduras.

The Rosario mine in central Honduras was for decades in the late 1800s and early 1900s one of the greatest sources of gold and silver in Central America.

Although the mine has been shut down for more than half a century, its importance was such that an engraving of the mine buildings as they appeared in 1893 still appears on Honduran currency, on the back of the 500-lempira note.

Rosario in 1910

The mine buildings at Rosario cling to the side of La Tigra mountain, above the town of San Juancito.

The mine brought technology to the area.  San Juancito had electrical power even before the Honduran capital of Tegucigalpa.

The mine was operated by the New York and Honduras Rosario Mining Company. The mine buildings have a decidedly norteamericano appearance, very untypical of Honduras.

The white brick building in the background was the United States consulate in El Rosario.

Some buildings at Rosario are used as private residences, or as a visitor center for La Tigra National Park. Other buildings are unused.

The Pena Blanca adit of the Rosario mine is now dammed up to serve as a source of clean drinking water.

The Esperanza adit of the Rosario mine

The old Rosario mine workings are now within Honduras’ La Tigra National Park, a tourist destination noted for its beautiful rain forest and waterfalls.

It’s well worth a visit.

5/1/07

[Mining Swindles] [A Hole in the Ground] [Other Mining Frauds] [Mining Fraud Links] [Other Mining History] [Copala, Sinaloa] [Potosi, Bolivia] [Bodie, California] [Klondike Gold Rush] [El Rosario, Honduras]

10/10/2009