SECAPPH is Honduras's national authority for arts, culture and heritage. It was created through PCM-05-2022, with a broader framework established by PCM-46-2023. Its responsibilities include access, promotion, training, preservation, cultural heritage and creative industries. Its directorates include the Dirección General de las Artes, Dirección General de las Culturas y los Patrimonios and Dirección General del Libro y el Documento. IHAH focuses on archaeological sites, museums and historic buildings. IP/DIGEPI provides the main process for copyright and related intellectual-property registration. Visual artists can work through the Unidad de Artes Visuales y Plásticas, exhibitions, mural projects and the Feria de Artistas Emprendedores. Public support usually depends on calls, institutional requests, events or projects rather than a single permanent artist programme. Music programmes include the Unidad de Música, the Banda de los Supremos Poderes, Marimba Alma de Honduras, orchestral and traditional music, folkloric practice and community workshops. Garifuna, Lenca and other Indigenous artistic practices also form part of Honduras's living artistic and intangible heritage. Literary activity is supported through the Dirección General del Libro y el Documento, libraries, archives, editorial and reading programmes and FIL Honduras. The Red Nacional de Bibliotecas Públicas has reported 110 affiliated libraries. Authors can register literary works through IP/DIGEPI. Film and audiovisual work is governed by the Ley de Cinematografía, Decreto 3-2019. The Registro Nacional de Cinematografía, national-work certification and FONDECI support training, production and distribution. The Dirección General de Cine portal lists three online procedures, but official pages in 2026 give conflicting information about the administrative status of DGC and IHCINE. The responsible office and current procedure should therefore be verified before an application. Performing arts include theatre, circus and dance. Relevant structures include Teatro y Artes Circenses, the Unidad de Danza, the Academia Nacional de Arte Dramático Santiago Fernández Toffé, the Academia Nacional de Danza Mercedes Agurcia Membreño and the Academia de Artes Musicales. Event requests normally identify the date, place and participating group. No general processing time is published. Teatro Nacional Manuel Bonilla and Teatro Nicolás Avellaneda have been under restoration. Architecture can receive copyright protection as an artistic work, including buildings, plans and maps. Heritage matters are handled through SECAPPH and IHAH. The Maya Site of Copan is a UNESCO World Heritage site where architecture and sculpture are central. Honduras has no separate public design authority evidenced in this research; applied art, architecture, plans and illustrations generally use IP/DIGEPI procedures. Photography is expressly protected and registrable as an artistic work, with two copies or adequate photographic documentation. Digital art has no separate national category evidenced, so the applicable registration method depends on whether the work is treated as an artistic work, software or audiovisual production. Casas de la Cultura provide decentralized access to drawing, painting, music, theatre, traditional dance, exhibitions and local performances. Official figures differ: one network page lists 50 centres, comprising 26 institutional and 24 associated centres, while a 2025 report mentions 51 active centres. The current number should be checked locally. SECAPPH service requests can be directed through municipalities, schools, NGOs, patronatos and public or international bodies. Academy access normally follows matriculation. IP registration is open to natural and legal persons. Copyright protection arises automatically and does not require formal registration. Authors retain moral and economic rights, while transfers should be documented. The protected scope includes literary, musical, dramatic, choreographic, audiovisual, visual, architectural, photographic, applied-art and software works. IP/DIGEPI's official fee schedule lists L.500 per work or category, but the current tariff should be confirmed. A registration normally requires the form, two copies, a Carta Poder where applicable and proof of payment; the published research does not establish a fixed certificate-processing time. Public allocations do not guarantee individual funding. The 2026 budget includes L.31,300,000 for music and plastic-arts creative clusters and theatre restoration and L.8,000,000 to promote the production, circulation and consumption of arts. Film support depends on evaluation and available budget. Applicants should distinguish copyright registration, cultural-programme access, heritage approval, academy enrolment and film funding because different institutions, documents and conditions apply.
Art in Honduras
Art in Honduras includes visual art, music, literature, film, theatre, dance, architecture, design, photography and digital work. SECAPPH coordinates national arts and cultural policy, while IHAH handles archaeological sites, museums and historic buildings and IP/DIGEPI handles intellectual-property registration. Access is organized through public programmes, calls, academies, institutions and Casas de la Cultura, while the professional market remains fragmented.
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