TEGUCIGALPA, ARCHDIOCESE of. - City and archdiocese in the Republic of Honduras (Central America). It comprises the departments of Yoro, Comayagua, La Paz, Valle, T., Choluteca, El Paraiso, and Olancho.
It has an area of 78,071 sq. km., with a population of 784,272 inhabitants, of whom 760,746 are Catholics; it has 41 parishes served by 30 diocesan and 45 regular priests; it has a seminary, 16 male and 12 female religious communities (Ann. Pont. 1953, p. 419).
For the whole Republic of Honduras, the diocese of Comayagua was erected in 1561; but by decree of 2 February 1916 the territory was divided into three parts: the eastern part became the archdiocese of T., the western part formed the new diocese of Santa Rosa de Copan, and the northern part was constituted the apostolic vicariate of San Pedro Sula. Both the diocese and the vicariate thus became suffragans of T.
Bishop Jaime Marie Martinez y Cabunas, appointed in 1902, was raised to the dignity of archbishop of T. after the decree erecting it as a metropolitan see.