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The conquistadors' first city and the capital of Honduras until independence, faded COMAYAGUA lies just 85km north of its rival, Tegucigalpa, at the northeast end of the fertile Comayagua valley. Today, the main reason to visit is the architectural legacy of the colonial period, in particular the dramatic cathedral overlooking the Parque Central. The first Spanish settlement was established here on December 8, 1537, and destroyed soon afterwards during the Lempira rebellion. Swiftly rebuilt in 1539, Santa Maria de Comayagua, as it was first known, rapidly became wealthy thanks to the discovery of silver in the vicinity. King Felipe II of Spain bestowed on Comayagua the title of city in December 1557, and in 1573 it became the administrative centre for the whole of Honduras. Following independence, however, the city's fortunes began to decline, particularly after Tegucigalpa was designated alternate capital of the new republic in 1824, an ignominy compounded by the city's sacking and burning at the hands of Guatemalan forces during the civil war in 1827. Backwater status was sealed conclusively in 1880, when President Soto permanently transferred the capital to Tegucigalpa, supposedly because Comayagua was too conservative for his liking. Although Comayagua is today a relatively rich and important provincial centre, its rivalry with Tegucigalpa has barely wavered over the centuries.
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