Trujillo

Trujillo, city, northeastern Honduras, on Trujillo Bay, sheltered from the Caribbean Sea by Cape Honduras.

Founded in 1524, the historic city was the first capital of the Spanish colonial province of Honduras, flourishing especially in the early 17th century. In 1531 it was made a bishop’s see, but that office was removed to Comayagua in 1561. Dutch pirates sacked Trujillo in 1633 and 1643; it lay in ruins until it was resettled by Galicians in 1787. William Walker, the American filibuster who attempted to conquer Honduras, was shot nearby in 1860.

The city never regained its 17th-century prominence, though it is a commercial centre and exports bananas, sugarcane, and vegetables. Since 1920 it has lost most of its port trade to Puerto Castilla to the north. In the 1970s a fishing industry developed, and a packing and refrigeration plant was built. A sawmill also was opened, processing lumber for export. Tourism has grown in importance because of fine beaches nearby.

Trujillo is accessible by air, and highways link the city with the north-coast cities and also with Olancho department. The city suffered major damage from Hurricane Mitch in October 1998. Pop. (2001) 10,123; (2013) 16,486.