These questions fit in multiple forums, so Mod, please move if necessary.

I need to get between Cancun and San Pedro Sula, Honduras in mid-December. The flight options I'm considering are:

AA 2184 CUN-MIA, Dep. 11:35am, Arr. 2:05pm connecting to
AA 949 MIA-SAP, Dep. 5:30pm, Arr. 6:50pm

Or

AA 2126 CUN-MIA, Dep. 8:10am, Arr. 10:45am connecting to
AA 941 MIA-SAP, Dep. 12:45pm, Arr. 2:05pm

1. I have heard that lines at CUN airport can be very, very long and that you should arrive 3 hours before your flight. Would this be true even for an 8 am departure? Could I expect it to be better / worse / the same for an 11:30 flight?

2. Is 2 hours sufficient for connecting in Miami? Is there a transit lounge, or do I completely need to exit security/customs and check back in?

3. Is it safe arriving in SAP near, or possibly after, dark? The friend who will be meeting me in SAP wants to spend the night in El Progreso, a 30 minute bus ride away.

So, overall, which combo of flights would you choose? (These are my only choices, AFAIK. I am required to fly a US carrier for this trip.)

ETA: The date of travel would be either Thursday the 14th or Friday the 15th.