Olancho Department in the context of Roman Catholic Diocese of Juticalpa

Gracias a Dios (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈɡɾasjas a ˈðjos]; "Thanks to God" or "Thank God") is one of the 18 departments (departamentos) into which Honduras is divided. The departmental capital is Puerto Lempira; until 1975 it was Brus Laguna. It covers north-eastern Honduras, and it the second largest department of the country after Olancho, with 16,630 km.

The Pech people, previously known as the Paya, are an Indigenous ethnic group in north-eastern Honduras. According to a 2007 census conducted by Indigenous organisations, 6,024 people self-identified as being of Pech descent. This Indigenous group primarily speak in their native tongue, the Pech language, which is a member of the Chibchan languages. Although, in recent developments, the language is mainly spoken by older generations and is in danger of being extinct in the relative near future.

The Pech people reside in the north-eastern territories of Honduras, particularly in the areas of Colon, Gracias a Dios and Olancho. Since their migration to these areas, believed to have migrated from the southern areas of modern-day Colombia, the Pech people have undergone reduction to their land ownership and rights. The regions where the Pech people live were originally densely forested, however, has recently undergone deforestation. Many of the Pech's agricultural practices had to undergo reform, although, some traditional practices are still in place today. The Pech leaders continue to struggle to preserve their culture and language, putting the Pech people in danger of becoming extinct.

The Pipil or Náhuat are an Indigenous group of Mesoamerican people inhabiting the western and central areas of present-day El Salvador. They are a subgroup of the larger Nahua ethnic group, and are closely related to the Nicarao people of Nicaragua. They speak the Nawat language, which is a closely related but distinct language from the Nahuatl of Central Mexico. There are very few speakers of Nawat left, but there are efforts being made to revitalize it.

At the time of the Spanish conquest, the Pipil were largely concentrated in Cuzcatlan, covering most of western El Salvador. Pipil populations were also present in Guatemala, and likely in various parts of Honduras. The Nawat language has already gone extinct in Guatemala and Honduras, but there is a small population of acculturated Nahuas in the Olancho Department of eastern Honduras.