San Nicolás is a municipality in the department of Santa Bárbara, Honduras. It covers an area of and had a population of 14,368 inhabitants according to the 2013 national census. The municipality was officially established on 20 February 1840. It briefly served as the provisional capital of the department in 1864.
History
Historical records of San Nicolás date back to 1693, when Sebastián Henríquez and José Mejía, chiefs of San Marcos de Jalapa in the Tencoa district, purchased 64.58 manzanas of land from the Spanish. The settlement was named as "La Estancia de San Nicolás del Llano de Erazo" (Ranch of San Nicolás del Llano de Erazo), and was used for agriculture and livestock rearing. The settlement flourished due to its fertile lands, and was granted a village status in the late 18th century. In 1838, it applied for a municipality status, and separation from the erstwhile municipality of Celilac. On 20 February 1840, it was officially accorded the status by president Francisco Zelaya Ayes, with Trinidad Castellón Huete, serving as the first mayor.
In 1864, during the reign of president José María Medina, San Nicolás was made as the provisional capital of the department. During the First Honduran Civil War in 1919, the municipality saw fighting between the government troops commanded by Colonel Teófilo Castillo and rebel forces led by Generals Ernesto Alvarado and José María Reina, whcih resulted in the victory for the rebel forces. It borders the municipalities of Nuevo Celilac to the north, Santa Bárbara to the east, San Vicente Centenario, Arada and La Unión to the south, and Atima to the west. It is located on the banks of the Ulua River.
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+Aldeas (villages) of San Nicolás
Of the total population, 0.57% were classified as Indigenous, and rest as non-indigenous.