5 Best Sights in Western Honduras, Honduras

If your kids have ever wanted to dress as a Copán noble or learn to count to 10 in Chortí, this interactive children's museum is the place. It's a steep walk uphill to get here. Take a tuk-tuk taxi.

Sadly, the one-time bishop's palace housing Comayagua's most fabulous museum, the Museo Colonial de Arte Religioso, was badly damaged in a 2009 fire and is still closed at this writing. Miraculously, 80 percent of the museum's treasure trove of religious art from the colonial era was saved. The varied collection of 15th- to 18th-century artwork from local churches includes paintings, sculptures, and jewels used to adorn the statues of saints. The building is undergoing reconstruction with plans to open to the public at a yet unspecified future date; do check when you're here just in case, though, as to miss it if it is reopened would be a shame.

You will find no better introduction to the country's geography, history, and society than this museum near Parque Central. Spread over two floors, the eye-catching exhibits examine clues about the ancient cultures that once inhabited the region, re-create daily life in the colonial era, and recount the country's more recent history. The sculptures, paintings, ceramics, and other items are labeled in Spanish (and occasionally in English). Budget a good two hours to take it all in. There are also a gift shop and a cafeteria serving a tasty set lunch. A performing-arts space adjoining the museum is the newest venue with offerings for San Pedro's cultural agenda.

The elegant old building that holds the Museo de Arqueología served as the country's first presidential palace. The museum today provides arguably the country's best collection of Lenca artifacts. It contains well-preserved items from around Comayagua, from cave art to colorful pottery to metates (the stones the Lenca used for grinding grain). It also houses interesting fossils and an important collection of jade. A workshop at the back has been transformed into a school where men and women train as carpenters, stonemasons, blacksmiths, and in the other old trades needed to rebuild the city according to the old traditions. Exhibits are labeled in English and Spanish. A small cafeteria is open for breakfast and lunch.

Although most visitors come here to see the astounding Mayan ruins east of town, you can also learn a bit about that culture at the Museo Regional de Arqueología Maya. Though most of this charming little museum's descriptions are in Spanish, the ancient tools and artworks speak for themselves. The exhibit on el brujo (the witch) is especially striking, displaying the skeleton and religious artifacts of a Mayan shaman.