Honduras Set 1 2 5 Lempiras UNC—Lempira, Soto, Morazán

Three crisp Uncirculated banknotes from Honduras's current circulation series — a warrior, a reformer, and a liberator — spanning the country's most celebrated historical figures on its lowest denominations.

What's Included

• 1 Lempira — P96b, dated 12 June 2014 — Indio Lempira / Ruins of Copán
• 2 Lempiras — P-97d, dated 20 June 2019 — Marco Aurelio Soto / Isla del Tigre & Amapala
• 5 Lempiras — P-98a, dated 1 March 2012 — Francisco Morazán / Battle of Trinidad

Set Characteristics

• Condition: Uncirculated (UNC)
• Composition: Paper
• Issuing entity: Central Bank of Honduras (Banco Central de Honduras)
• Currency: Honduran Lempira (1931–date)
• Printer: Oberthur Fiduciaire, France (all three notes)

The 1 Lempira: Lempira & Copán

Lempira was a Lenca chieftain who in the 1530s united dozens of indigenous tribes to resist the Spanish conquest of Honduras, commanding an estimated 30,000 warriors from a hilltop stronghold called Cerquín. He was killed treacherously in 1537 at approximately 30 years old. Honduras named its currency after him in 1931. The reverse shows the Copán ruins — a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the greatest Maya cities ever built, home to the Hieroglyphic Stairway containing 2,200 glyphs — the longest known Maya inscription in existence.

The 2 Lempiras: Marco Aurelio Soto & Isla del Tigre

Marco Aurelio Soto (1846–1908) was the president who modernized Honduras in the 1870s — building roads, telegraph lines, and public schools, and launching the Liberal Reform that opened the country to foreign investment. The reverse shows Isla del Tigre, a dormant volcanic island in the Gulf of Fonseca where Soto formally inaugurated his government in 1876.

The 5 Lempiras: Francisco Morazán & the Battle of Trinidad

Francisco Morazán (1792–1842) was the most important political and military figure in 19th-century Central America — a liberal visionary who championed freedom of religion, abolished the death penalty, and fought to keep five nations united. He is a national hero in Honduras, El Salvador, and Costa Rica simultaneously. The reverse depicts the Battle of Trinidad (November 11, 1827) — the decisive victory that launched his rise to the presidency of the entire federation.

Own this set and you hold Honduras's founding generation in your hands — a warrior who defied an empire, a reformer who built a modern state, and a liberator who dreamed of a united Central America.

About Honduras

• Origin of name: Spanish for "depths" — Christopher Columbus reportedly exclaimed "Gracias a Dios que hemos salido de esas honduras" after navigating treacherous waters off the northern coast in 1502
• Capital: Tegucigalpa (city pop. ~1.4 million; metro ~1.9 million)
  • Origin of name of Tegucigalpa: From Nahuatl, variously interpreted as "silver hills" or "place of painted rocks" — a nod to the region's mineral wealth
• Population: ~10.6 million (UN 2024) — comparable to Michigan or Georgia
• Area: 112,492 km² / 43,433 mi² — slightly larger than Tennessee
• GDP per capita (PPP): ~$6,800 (IMF 2024)
• Main exports: coffee (#1 export), bananas, palm oil, shrimp, textiles/apparel (maquiladoras)
• Borders: Guatemala (west), El Salvador (southwest), Nicaragua (east/southeast), Caribbean Sea (north), Pacific Ocean (south, Gulf of Fonseca)
• Official/spoken languages: Spanish (official); indigenous languages including Lenca, Garifuna, and Miskito
• Ethnicities: Mestizo (~90%), Indigenous (~7%), Garifuna (~2%), Afro-Honduran (~1%)
• Memberships: United Nations (1945); OAS; SICA; WTO; CAFTA-DR free trade agreement with US
• Sovereignty: Independent from Spain 15 September 1821; fully independent republic 1838 after dissolution of the Federal Republic of Central America

Honduras Unfiltered

• Named after a warrior: Honduras is one of the only countries whose currency is named after a specific indigenous resistance fighter — Lempira, who died resisting Spanish colonization nearly 500 years ago.
• The Soccer War: In 1969, Honduras and El Salvador fought a four-day war triggered by a World Cup qualifying match — though the underlying cause was land disputes and migration tensions.
• Maya heartland: The ancient Copán ruins in western Honduras are one of the most important Maya archaeological sites in the world, renowned for their extraordinary sculptural detail and hieroglyphic stairway.
• Banana republic — literally: The term "banana republic" was coined partly with Honduras in mind, where United Fruit Company once controlled vast swaths of land, infrastructure, and political influence.
• Coffee powerhouse: Honduras is the largest coffee exporter in Central America and among the top 10 globally, with high-altitude growing regions producing specialty beans increasingly sought by third-wave roasters.