Honduras Through History: Who Ruled Its Lands
The land of today's Honduras appears on 39 historical border maps from 500 BC to today. Over that time it was held, in whole or in part, by 6 different states, among them Honduras, Viceroyalty of New Spain, Maya chiefdoms and states, Maya states, Maya city-states.
HondurasExplore the history of Honduras in the interactive map
Who ruled the land of Honduras, map by map
Share of sample points inside today's borders held by each state on each map. Areas with no organised state on the map are left out.
| Map | Main states on this land |
|---|---|
| 323 BC | Maya chiefdoms and states 40% |
| 300 BC | Maya chiefdoms and states 40% |
| 200 BC | Maya chiefdoms and states 40% |
| 100 BC | Maya chiefdoms and states 40% |
| 1 BC | Maya chiefdoms and states 40% |
| AD 100 | Maya chiefdoms and states 40% |
| AD 200 | Maya chiefdoms and states 40% |
| AD 300 | Maya chiefdoms and states 40% |
| AD 400 | Maya chiefdoms and states 40% |
| AD 500 | Maya states 40% |
| AD 600 | Maya states 40% |
| AD 700 | Maya states 40% |
| AD 800 | Maya city-states 40% |
| AD 900 | Maya city-states 40% |
| 1600 | Viceroyalty of New Spain 100% |
| 1650 | Viceroyalty of New Spain 100% |
| 1700 | Viceroyalty of New Spain 100% |
| 1783 | Viceroyalty of New Spain 100% |
| 1800 | Viceroyalty of New Spain 100% |
| 1815 | Viceroyalty of New Spain 100% |
| 1880 | Honduras 98% · Nicaragua 2% |
| 1900 | Honduras 98% · Nicaragua 2% |
| 1914 | Honduras 98% · Nicaragua 2% |
| 1920 | Honduras 98% · Nicaragua 2% |
| 1930 | Honduras 98% · Nicaragua 2% |
| 1938 | Honduras 98% · Nicaragua 2% |
| 1945 | Honduras 98% · Nicaragua 2% |
| 1960 | Honduras 98% · Nicaragua 2% |
| 1994 | Honduras 98% · Nicaragua 2% |
| 2010 | Honduras 98% · Nicaragua 2% |
Questions
Which empires and states ruled the territory of Honduras?
On the border maps from 500 BC to today, the largest shares of the territory of modern Honduras belonged to Honduras, Viceroyalty of New Spain, Maya chiefdoms and states, Maya states, Maya city-states, Nicaragua.
What was Honduras part of in 1900?
On the border map for 1900, most of the territory of today's Honduras lay within Honduras.
Further reading
Last updated 9 November 2026. Sources: border data from historical-basemaps, land and rivers from Natural Earth; texts written for Chronica Maps from standard reference works. How we make the maps.