Central American Independence Celebrated

Centr-Am News, XXVI, week of Sept. 13-19, 1998

Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Costa Rica celebrated on September 15 the 177th anniversary of Central American independence from Spain. The five countries were ruled together by the Captaincy of Guatemala until their independence.

Panama was not part of the independence celebration, since at the time of independence, in 1821, it was part of Colombia. It became an independent nation on November 3, 1903. Belize, which was a British Colony, became independent only recently, historically speaking, in September of 1981.

As part of the celebration the "torch of independence" was carried through the five nations formerly under the rule of the Captaincy of Guatemala, starting in Guatemala and ending in Costa Rica on September 13.

Celebrations also included military parades, and parades of elementary and high school students. The respective presidents of the five Central American countries will head the activities. (La Prensa on the Web from AFP, San Pedro Sula, 9/15/98; El Nuevo Herald, Miami, 9/15/98)