Catacamas

Catacamas is a municipality and a city of over 30,000 in the south east of Honduran department of Olancho. Catacamas is the largest municipality in the department. It is to the south of Dulce Nombre de Culmí and San Esteban, to the north of Patuca, and to the east of Juticalpa. The Talgua River runs to the east of the town, before joining the Guayape. Catacamas is one of the few cities in Honduras that had a good deal of thought put into it's design and layout, therefore Catacamas boasts many clean, wide and well paved streets.

The Catholic Church "San Francisco de Asis" is one of the main focal points in the town, and sits in front of the municipal building. The heart of Catacamas, like many Honduran communities, is truly the Parque Central. In the center of Parque Central sits an ancient Ceiba tree that dominates the beautifully landscaped area. The center of social activity in Catacamas, you can find a hive of activity in the area of Parque Central at virtually any hour of the day or night. Another site for all to visit is the "Mirador de la Cruz", which is reached from an area at the foot of the extremely steep 'Montana de Piedra Blanca' at the northern edge of central Catacamas, it has a large cement stairway leading up the side of the to a huge cement cross. This is also a very social area, where on most afternoons and evenings you will find many locals, from children to couples, walking, chatting, and taking in the sights. Like most Honduran cities and larger towns, an Armeria can be found in the center of the main business district, where all manner of firearms may be legally purchased by residents and citizens. Olancho is famous for the abundance of firearms, and they are in prominent display throughout the city.

There is an accurate saying about Olancho known by all residents of the region that has become the unofficial motto: "Olancho es ancho para entrar, y angosto para salir." Variously translated as 'Olancho is easy to get into, and hard to get out of.', or more literally: 'Olancho is wide to enter, and narrow to leave'. True understanding of, and appreciation for, this motto takes years to develop.

Among the more intriging villages surrounding Catacamas is El Esquilinchuche on the banks of the Guayape River.

The Talgua Caves

One of the area's most famous tourist attractions is Talgua Cave, also known as "The Cave of the Glowing Skulls," is located a couple miles north-east of Catacamas. While the cave itself is not particularly unique, it was used as a burial site by the native peoples, and over time, the bones left there were covered by the calcite dripping from the ceiling, giving them an eerie, sparkling appearance. Radiocarbon testing indicated that the burials were made around 900 B.C., well before the rise of the Mayans and other civilizations. The ossuary chamber was discovered in 1994 by a Peace Corps Volunteer named Timothy Berg, along with two Catacams locals named Desiderio Reyes and Jorge Yánez, and research is still being conducted in the area.

Beyond the Caves

Seemingly nearby, the mountain of Babylonia rises majestically from the crest of the Sierra de Agalta range straight uphill from the route to the caves. The peak of the Montana de Babylonia can be seen only on clearer days. It makes for a nice little hike to climb to the top, a fast hiker can make it in 5 days, for those who want to enjoy the walk, schedule 8 to 10 days. Machetes and firearms are recommended as there is no good trail once one passes the small village of Concordia one day's walk up the trail, and anything other than animal trails cease to exist past the last occupied house 2 days easy walk up, and this is dangerous country, home to the poisonous Barba Amarilla (fer-de-lance) snake, and other more dangerous creatures. Trails cut by other treckers are completely grown over in a short time, and there are many possible routs.

The True History of the cave's discovery and it's looting

A bit of information can be found at the well developed visitors center and museum near the entrance to the Talgua Cave. The trail leading to the cave that used to be a torturous treck along a winding mountain trail has now been reduced to a verible pedestrian highway, complete with cemented in rock borders, and sturdy metal catwalks across the steeper portions. While still a nice walk, it has all of the mystery of a jaunt along a major trail in a US national park. All workers and tour guides interviewed in April 2008 were not from the area, and none had any knowledge of the area or history outside of an official script learned to satisfy the average tourist. A separate trail was made in recent years for the use of locals who live as far as 2 days walk up in the mountains behind the cave, assuring that visitors will never get a glimpse of the decendants of those that have lived in this area for centuries. Tour guides tell that the other trail was made to prevent the occasional mule, cow, or horse from defecating on the nice new trail.

One thing that people will note when visiting the cave is that selective history has taken place at the cave, and while Desiderio Reyes and Jorge Yánez are prominently mentioned, there is no mention of the fact that foreigners - Timothy Berg and Greg Cabe - were among the four principle discoverers of the ossuary. One other fact that is not revealed is that the two native discoverers of the ossuary destructively removed, and attempted to sell, a large number of artifacts from the cave, including many of the skulls that eventually made it famous. Jorge and Desiderio are now employed by the Honduran government protecting the very treasures that they brutally destroyed by hacking hundreds of 3,000 year old skulls, bones, and ceramics out of their lime-stone tombs in an attempt at making a profit. It was only through the efforts of foreigners, such as Timothy Berg, and Greg Cabe (US Peace Corps volunteers), that the ossuary was brought to the attention of foreign archaeologists (USA), and the Honduran Anthropological Institute, which eventually stopped the plundering of the caves by their discoverors. Timothy Berg, and Greg Cabe, along with the assistance of those they contacted, are the true saviors of what remains in the Talgua ossuary. A fuller account of the discovery and the anthropological significance written by JAMES E. BRADY, a professor of anthropology at George Washington University, and codirector of the Talgua Cave Project can be found at http://www.calstatela.edu/academic/anthro/harvest.htmNone of the facts about the foreigner's part in the discovery of the ossuary, nor the later destructive looting of the ossuary by the two Honduran's credited with its discovery were known by any of the 4 cave guides interviewed in April 2008.

External links

* http://www.holancho.com
* http://www.calstatela.edu/academic/anthro/harvest.htm