At more than 1,524m (5,000 ft.) above sea level, this serene, 18th-century Spanish mining town of Santa Lucía, about 30 minutes outside Tegucigalpa, is a favorite weekend retreat for the residents of Tegucigalpa. It was here that the most significant silver deposits in Honduras were found in the mid 1500s, bringing numerous settlers to the area and resulting in the founding of Tegucigalpa.
Narrow cobblestone streets and stone walls, surrounded in an array of multicolored flowers, gracefully wind their way up and down the hillsides past whitewashed houses with clay tile roofs, small artisan shops, outdoor cafes, an 18th-century church with Spanish oil paintings, and one decent mountain resort. The tourist herds don't put up the same numbers here as they do in nearby Valle de Ángeles, though they are here, and because of this, it feels more authentic and more like a living and breathing town.
