The largest town on the stretch of road between Copán and Lago Yojoa, right at the foot of the Santa Bárbara Mountain, makes a good base for exploring the surrounding villages or just a place to break up the journey. Plus, it's the only place with ATMs and cybercafes. The town was founded in 1761 by Jewish families from Gracias who have passed their blue-eyed features to the present generation, though the once colonial charm of this town is being paved over, and the 18th-century facades are turning to modern storefronts. The one part that modernization has not changed is the snowy white, 19th-century cathedral standing on the eastern side of the Parque Central.
