The National Chamber of Commerce of Honduras
will be hosting a Gala Presidential Fiesta as parts of its World
Tourism Day celebration. At the Gala, Honduran President Ricardo
Maduro and Tourism Minister Thierry de Pierrefeu will present
this year’s winners of the Copan Award for Excellence in
Tourism.
The event will be held in Tegucigalpa on October 1 at 8:00pm at
the Chiminike Children’s Museum.
The Copan Award
The Copan Award is given annually by the Ministry of Tourism to
local and foreign individuals and organizations that contribute
to the sustainable development of the tourism sector in Honduras.
Candidates are those whose contributions to the sector are innovative
and serve as models for future development. Winners will emphasize
the effective use, management and protection of the country-s
tourism resources. A special award is also granted each year to
the journalist who has most effectively advocated the development,
growth and promotion of tourism activities and projects.
Honor in Bronze
The award itself is a bronze statue inspired ancient sculptures
of Mayan kings that represented both their natural and supernatural
powers. Known as excentricos, these statues can be found throughout
the Mayan world, but the largest and most detailed examples are
from Copan. They are unusual in the manner in which they combine
art and technology.
Honduran sculptor Arnaldo Uguarte was commissioned to design the
award. Currently a resident of New York, Uguarte is known for
the pre/Hispanic flair of his work. The statuettes chosen for
the awards measure 14 and 18.5 centimeters in height and weigh
1 pound and 13 ounces respectively.
The statues were founded at Polich Art Works in New York City.
They are set in a base of grey marble from the Sula Valley of
Honduras - another material common to pre-Hispanic artwork
in the region.
Each award is a work of art in itself and bears the signature
of the author and the seal of the Ministry of Tourism and the
National Chamber of Tourism. They are individually numbered as
well.
