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.
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👉 Gracias a Dios Department in the context of Miskito Cays
The Miskito Cays (Spanish: Cayos Miskitos) are an archipelago of small cays and reefs with an area of 27 km located off Mosquito Coast in the Caribbean exclusive economic zones of Honduras and Nicaragua. They are part of the Gracias a Dios Department in Honduras and the North Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region in Nicaragua. The Miskito Cays are composed of 76 formations that include estuaries, coral reefs, cays, seagrass beds, and islets, of which 12 of the formations are covered with vegetation and consequently form islands which are lined with white sand beaches.
In Nicaragua, the Miskito Cay (Cayo Miskito), also known as Cayo Mayor, is the largest and most important cay located in the center of the archipelago measuring 37 km. Other main islands are Maras Cay, Nasa Cay, and Morrison Denis Cay. The Miskito Cays Biological Reserve is one of 78 protected areas of Nicaragua, it was declared a protected area in 1991. The cays, along with a stretch of the adjacent mainland coast, have been designated an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International.
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Gracias a Dios Department in the context of Pech people
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.
Gracias a Dios Department in the context of Puerto Lempira
Puerto Lempira or Auhya Yari is the Miskito capital of the Gracias a Dios department in northeastern Honduras, located on the shores of the Caratasca Lagoon. Though it does not have paved roads, it is the largest town in the Gracias a Dios Department.
The town is named for the 16th century leader of the indigenous Lenca peoples, Lempira, who directed an ultimately unsuccessful resistance against the Spanish conquistador forces in the 1530s.