A Ride Along the Highway

Atlántida has one main highway that is the primary transportation and economic corridor along the north coast; this highway runs from east to west and transects the entire length of the department. South of the highway, after the piñeras (pineapple plantations) and African palm plantations, the land climbs up into the mountains that run like a spine along the north coast of the country.

Up in these hills there are many aldeas and caserios (very small communities – often no bigger than a few houses), some connected by a network of bumpy, rocky, dirt roads (often I find the term “road” to be a bit of a stretch). These “roads” are frequently close to impassable, and often turn to roaring rivers in the rainy season. The families that live in the caserios that dot these hillsides mostly live at the margins of subsistence, living off the beans and corn they plant along the steep hillsides, and sometimes supplemented with illegal timber extraction. There is little to no work, and several times when I’ve visited some isolated settlements, their school isn’t open because they can’t keep a teacher. Access to a market is difficult (often requiring long journeys on foot or horseback to the nearest dirt road where they can pick up a bus), so selling any products they may have is nearly impossible, and they often have to sell to middle-men who don’t give them a fair price. Wealthier people also live in these hills, or at least own land, and they are mostly involved in cattle-ranching.

On the other side of the highway, stretching out towards the sea, the land flattens into more fields of pineapples and African Palm. Along the coast there are many beaches, and once there were vast tracts of mangrove forests, which can still be found in some parts of the department. More aldeas and caserios are scattered along impassable dirt roads; some communities are only accessible by boat. Artesanal fishing is a primary subsistence economic activity along the coast, and Atlántida is known for its fantastic lobster, shrimp and fresh fish. Some fishers sell their products to restaurants or in neighbourhoods (every morning a man with coolers strapped to his bike rides through our neighbourhood yelling “llevo langosta, filete, camarones!” – “I have lobster, fish, shrimp!”), but many fishers must also sell to middle-men. Many people from these small communities find work in the pineapple, banana or African Palm plantations owned by large companies such as Standard Fruit/Dole (which got its start here in La Ceiba, according to Wikipedia).

There is much to see and learn by driving along this main artery of Atlántida – and even more to see and learn by getting off the highway – this is just a simple sketch, based on my own observations and conversations with different people. In some ways, this highway represents many of the complexities and challenges that the people, communities, leaders, and environment of Honduras face.