At a glance
- Established
- 2018
- Population
- 200–500 residents
- Climate
- Tropical
- Languages
- Spanish, English
- Industries
- Manufacturing, Remote Work
- Coordinates
- 15.62° N, 87.93° W
- Who it’s for
- Local blue-collar workers
About the project
Located on the outskirts of Choloma, Honduras, this advanced special economic zone is focused on providing safety, stability, and the highest quality of life possible for blue-collar Hondurans and foreigners.
Ciudad Morazán is an advanced special economic zone on the outskirts of Choloma, an industrial hub in northern Honduras. It is one of the country’s ZEDEs (Zones for Employment and Economic Development), planned as a complete town with housing, commercial space, schools, parks and an industrial area laid out for gradual growth.
Unlike some of its better-known counterparts, Ciudad Morazán is a deliberately “blue-collar” Free City, aimed primarily at working- and middle-class Hondurans, not at international investors. Following a rental model, its homes and premises are leased rather than sold, and its design answers problems common in the region, such as insecurity, weak public services and patchy infrastructure, by offering residents safety, dependable amenities and a predictable environment.
As a ZEDE, the city operates under Honduras’s special-zone framework, setting its own fiscal and regulatory rules, including low, simple taxes and streamlined administration, in exchange for a share of its tax revenue paid to the national government. It remains part of Honduras, bound by the national constitution and criminal law, and is run by a senior official whose role combines those of a mayor and a municipal council.
Articles
Blog35 min read
Honduran ZEDEs: Their Past and Future
The ZEDE law in Honduras was repealed in April 2022 and with it, one chapter of the history of innovative governance has come to an end.
Hynek Fencl · Free Cities Foundation
News4 min read
Free Cities News & Updates – December 2024
As 2024 draws to a close, we reflect on a year defined by both exciting progress and notable challenges. From the establishment of new Free City projects to the continued growth of our conference, the momentum has been inspiring.
Free Cities Foundation Team
News7 min read
Responding to Media Claims about Our Foundation
Blog6 min read
Honduras Election, Grokipedia, Sark & What’s Ahead
3 min read
Do You Need Libertarians for a Libertarian Community?
Libertarians are often misunderstood. Some see them as malcontents seeking personal freedom to indulge in vices, while others assume they want a society with no rules or no regard for others. In reality, libertarianism encompasses a diverse range of people, only united by shared values like individual liberty, minimal government intervention, property rights, and voluntary exchange.
5 min read
Free Cities at Vitalia 2024
Vitalia 2024 is a pop-up city hosted by the ZEDE Próspera on the island of Roatan off the coast of Honduras. Pop-up cities are temporary communities that bring together innovators from various industries to learn and share ideas and projects. They combine speeches, panel discussions, networking, and co-working to connect leading thinkers from around the world.
4 min read
Honduran Free Cities vs. Rogue Government
Two of the most autonomous Free Cities in the world are Próspera and Ciudad Morazán in Honduras. As Zones of Employment and Economic Development (called ZEDEs for their Spanish acronym), they have faced fierce opposition from the new Honduran government for the last two years. While this is nothing new, the propaganda against the ZEDEs has increased dramatically in the last few weeks.
5 min read
Ciudad Morazán Makes a Difference in the Life of Even the Least Fortunate
Anthoni Lopez was born in Choluteca, Honduras, in August 2007. He lived with his mother, father, one brother, and two sisters until he was seven years old when his parents divorced. Anthoni’s father kept his brother and one of his sisters, but his mother took him and his sister, Paola, to faraway Choloma, the industrial hub of Honduras, where she got a job in a textile factory. They lived in the dangerous neighborhood of San Miguel, and 14-year-old Paola cared for him while their mother worked.
2 min read
The Story of Tienda Juliette: A Crypto-Friendly Minimarket in Honduras’ Free City
Despite the political uncertainty surrounding the fate of the ZEDEs, Hondurans still see Morazán as an opportunity to better their lives. That’s why residents continue to move in and businesses continue to form. A recently started enterprise is Tienda Juliette, a family-run pulpería or minimarket.
2 min read
How Ciudad Morazán Contributes to Its Community in Honduras
The special zone Ciudad Morazán has always strived to be a good neighbor to the nearby neighborhoods in the city of Choloma, Honduras, despite the negative press generated by the political opposition. The founder, Massimo Mazzone, has an interest in education and has been happy to help nearby schools.
8 min read
How Ciudad Morazán Uses Its ZEDE Status to Benefit Hondurans
Ciudad Morazán was conceived and designed with one purpose—to provide a better standard of living for blue-collar Hondurans. It consists of less than 60 acres just outside the industrial city of Choloma in the northern part of Honduras. Although the special jurisdiction provides many benefits to foreign residents, its primary purpose was always to offer poverty-stricken Honduran people a better alternative than fleeing to the United States as illegal immigrants.
Videos
Free Cities Conference 2025
Free Cities Conference 2025
Free Cities Foundation
Free Cities Online Summit 2025
Free Cities Online Summit 2025
Liberty in Our Lifetime 2024
Podcast episodes
Podcast Episode 159
Massimo Mazzone: Liberty Without Libertarians
Massimo Mazzone, founder of Ciudad Morazán, on why you don't need libertarians to build a libertarian society and the growth of free cities.
Podcast Episode 109
Alex Ugorji: Life in a Honduran Free City Under Threat
Alex Ugorji, an early Ciudad Morazán resident, on life in a Honduran ZEDE and the legal threat after the repeal of the ZEDE law.
Podcast Episode 64
Massimo Mazzone: Ciudad Morazán. The Blue-Collar Free City.
Entrepreneur Massimo Mazzone on building Ciudad Morazán, Honduras's blue-collar Free City under ZEDE law, and its current legal battles.
Podcast Episode 45
Patrick Lamson-Hall & Nuria Forques: Designing a Free City from Scratch
City planners Patrick Lamson-Hall and Nuria Forques on designing the Honduran ZEDE of Ciudad Morazán, Próspera's blue-collar neighbour.
People
Voices from the community
People connected to Ciudad Morazán: residents and neighbours rather than official representatives, but worth getting to know when learning more about it.
Questions
Where is Ciudad Morazán?
On the outskirts of Choloma, an industrial hub in northern Honduras. It was founded in 2018 and is planned as a complete town, with housing, commercial space, schools, parks and an industrial area laid out for gradual growth.
Who is Ciudad Morazán for?
Working- and middle-class Hondurans, not international investors. That is the deliberate difference from its better-known counterparts: it is a blue-collar Free City, and its design answers problems common in the region such as insecurity, weak public services and patchy infrastructure.
Can you buy a home in Ciudad Morazán?
No. The city follows a rental model: homes and commercial premises are leased rather than sold.
Is Ciudad Morazán part of Honduras?
Yes. As a ZEDE it operates under the country’s special-zone framework, setting its own fiscal and regulatory rules in exchange for a share of its tax revenue, but it remains part of Honduras and bound by the national constitution and criminal law.