The first settlers came to graze livestock from the communities of Santiago and San Juan Posta, which belonged to the municipality of Naranjito, Santa Bárbara.

[4] The village grew rapidly, so residents began meeting with the municipality of Naranjito in 1883 to rename the community and give it official stature.

People came from San Luis and Naranjito, Santa Bárbara, as well as from the Republics of Guatemala and El Salvador.

Mr. Martinez, originally from the municipality of San Marcos, Santa Bárbara, was the first teacher to work in Protección.

The founding fathers were Don Florencio Martínez, Bartolomé Reyes and Julio Madrid, who worked enthusiastically for the progress of the community, despite many difficulties that were characteristic of those times.

[5] A road extends for 13.8 kilometres (8.6 mi) between Protección and Chalmeca, which is connected to the International Highway running between San Pedro Sula and El Salvador.

They are characteristically friendly, sociable and hospitable, assuming as part of their culture the variety of customs, traditions, and food that are typical to Honduras.

As such they observe the Christian holidays, or La Navidad, and the Holy Week preceding Easter, called Semana Santa as times of celebration.

Christmas Eve, known as Nochebuena, as in much of Honduras, is celebrated with a late-night dinner with family and friends followed by lighting off fireworks at midnight.

The population also celebrates the National holidays, such as 15 September, which is the day of Independence from Spain (Día de Independencia).

[7] The economic activities of the municipality are cultivation of coffee, subsistence farming of corn and beans, small scale commerce, services that support a farming community, including carpentry, construction, metal and mechanical workshops, tailors and dressmakers, barbers, and small commercial enterprises.

The small villages and hamlets in the municipality have traditionally grown coffee for selling on a larger scale, and corn and beans for subsistence.

Families are sometimes able to produce surplus corn and beans for selling in the urban area of the municipality or in the larger communities near the access road to Protección.

The predominant professions are homemaker, farmer, labourers, retailers, maids, construction workers, primary school teachers, carpenters, surveyors, cigar makers, mechanics, milliners and laundresses.

Women receive some income from breeding poultry and egg sales, sewing, cutting coffee, fish farming, pig growing, micro-business, vegetable processing, and running small groceries and eateries.

The major portion the rain received by Protección falls during between June and November, with the dry season extending from the end of January through May.

[5] Protección is within the watershed covered by the Chiquila sub-basin project, which is focused on protecting water sources in the region.

There has been extensive deforestation by individuals moving into the region and up the hillsides in search of a plot of land on which to support a family.

Traditional slash and burn agricultural methods contribute to the problem of deforestation along with cattle pasture seeding, and clearing land for coffee production.