|
| |
| |
|
SANTA ROSA DE COPAN |
| |
 It's an easy ninety-minute bus ride 45km northwest from Gracias to
SANTA ROSA DE COPÁN , a wonderfully preserved, cobbled colonial relic
built on the proceeds of the tobacco industry. Tourists are relatively
few, mainly because the view across the Río Chamelicón valley is about
all there is to see here. Nevertheless, Santa Rosa's location, along the
main north-south transport route, usually makes a stop here inevitable.
Santa Rosa was once home to the Crown Tobacco Office, which regulated
the cultivation of the crop, set official prices and handled sales, and
today the golden weed is still central to the local economy. These days
the old Tobacco Office in the centre of town houses offices belonging to
the Flor de Copán Cigar Company . The building also used to house a
cigar factory until a few years ago when it moved to new premises (open
Mon-Fri 7am-noon & 1-5pm, Sat 7am-noon) 2km northwest of the town
centre, next to the bus station. Around 30,000 hand-rolled cigars are
produced daily, mostly for export. You can observe the process on a free
tour (Spanish only) or simply by glancing through the windows of the
rolling room, which face the street. Boxes of cigars can be bought at
the small on-site shop at bargain prices.
At the centre of town is the delightful, shady Parque Contreras , with
the cathedral on its eastern side. Calle Centenario , lined with shops
and restaurants, runs along the southern edge of the Parque, past the
old cigar factory a couple of blocks to the west and the market a couple
of blocks east.
|
|
