San Pedro Sula
1
5.7
- proper noun
- The economy of Honduras heavily relies on the commerce generated in San Pedro Sula.
Examples
-
San Pedro Sula is known as the San Pedro Sula industrial heart of Honduras, attracting many businesses.
-
Conch meat sold for US$3.43 per pound in markets in San Pedro Sula and Tela in March 1996 (personal observation).
Academic text (1996) -
In March 1996, packages of 6 crabs sold for US$1.77 in a supermarket in San Pedro Sula.
Academic text (1996) -
A small quantity of shell is saved on a few vessels to sell to a company in San Pedro Sula, which uses it for making tiles (Galindo4).
Academic text (1996) -
Many tourists visit San Pedro Sula to explore its vibrant markets and rich culture.
Surface Forms
Morphology
San + Pedro + Sula
This is a fixed toponym made of names ('San' = Saint, 'Pedro' = Peter, 'Sula' likely a proper name) so even if a learner knows the constituent words they cannot derive that it refers to an industrial city in northwestern Honduras or its economic role. Place names are conventional and lexicalized rather than compositional, so the specific geographic and socio-economic meaning is not predictable from the parts.
Etymology
San Pedro Sula may come from two simple parts: 'San Pedro' is Spanish for 'Saint Peter', and 'Sula' may be the name of the nearby 'river' or an old native word for a 'fertile valley'. That picture of Saint Peter's town by a rich river or valley helps you remember why San Pedro Sula is a busy, industrial city and the 'economic center' of Honduras.