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Stretching east to the Nicaraguan border and north into the emptiness of Mosquitia, the sparsely populated uplands of Olancho are widely regarded as Honduras's "wild east", an untamed frontier region with a not totally undeserved reputation for lawlessness and violence. Traditionally the Olanchanos hold little respect for authority, and it's true that rebellion has played a major role in their history. The first Spanish settlers arrived in 1524, enticed to this mountainous region by Aztec tales of vast gold deposits, and immediately encountered resistance from the region's indigenous tribes. There was little peace for the next two hundred years as Pech, Lenca and other tribes periodically revolted against the Spaniards, who had set up slave camps to mine the rich gold deposits. The marauding presence of British pirates, who controlled the Caribbean coast to the north for most of the eighteenth century, further isolated Olancho, breeding an independent spirit and a distaste for governmental influence. Throughout the first forty years of the new Honduran republic there were bitter rebellions against Tegucigalpa, revolts which were only finally quelled in 1863 after a campaign of terror by President Jose Medina. Since then Olancho has become one of the richer regions of Honduras, its wealth largely generated from exploitation of the huge forest reserves (much of it illegally logged) and cattle ranching (which has encroached into many of the national parks and reserves). A powerful local oligarchy, drawn from these industries and supported by military and police connivance, has led to environmental issues being given very peripheral priority, while activists opposing these interests have been threatened and killed. Olancho remains something of a law unto itself, and though communications have improved vastly in recent years, there is still the sense travelling here that you have entered a very different country. Nevertheless, the relatively few visitors who do pass through will receive a brusque yet genuine welcome. Although Olancho makes up almost a fifth of Honduran territory, tourist attractions are few, and the high, forested mountain ranges interspersed with broad valleys often make travelling difficult and slow. However, these same ranges harbour some of the country's last untouched expanses of tropical and cloudforest: the national parks of La Muralla and Sierra de Agalta are awe-inspiring, while the smaller, more accessible reserve of El Boqueron offers ample opportunity for gentler hikes. Along the valleys, now given over to pastureland for cattle, are scattered villages and towns. Both Juticalpa , the department capital, and Catacamas , at the eastern end of the paved road, are good bases for exploring the region, while the friendly mountain settlement of La Union acts as both gateway to La Muralla and a convenient stopover en route to the north coast. Olancho's climate is generally pleasant, with the towns at lower altitudes hot during the day and comfortably cool at night; up in the mountains it can get extremely cold after dark. Once off the main highway, travelling becomes arduous, with the dirt roads connecting the remoter villages served by infrequent and invariably slow public transport.
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