156:, meaning "hill or mountain". Thus, Lempira, means "lord of the mountain" or "lord of the hill". When the Spaniards arrived in Cerquin, Lempira was fighting against neighboring chiefs. Because of the Spanish threat, he allied with another Lenca subgroup, the Cares, and united the different Lenca tribes. Based at Cerquin hill, he organized resistance against the Spanish troops in 1537, managing to gather an army of almost 30,000 soldiers, from 200 villages. As a result, other groups in the valleys of
265:
237:"...after I cut off his head, they retreated and within 4 days we controlled all of their towns, and they gave obedience to your Majesty as they were obligated to do... and later we founded the town of Gracias a Dios. Ask them to say what they know and if its true that I served in said war, all the time it lasted, serving with myself, my weapons, my horse, at my cost, and was not rewarded for it." – Archivo General de Indias,
230:. That document, Patronato 69 R.5, tells the story of Rodrigo Ruiz and his service in the conquest of Honduras under Francisco Montejo. It includes his account of killing Lempira. The document is in the form of a series of questions, answered by witnesses to the conquest which Rodrigo Ruiz gave to the Spanish king. It is his effort to gain a pension as payment for his services.
29:
127:
in documents written during the
Spanish conquest, he is regarded by the people as a warrior hero whom the conquistadors feared, since they could not kill him. The Spaniards sent a messenger to tell him they wanted “peace”, but when Lempira showed up for negotiations, they captured him, dismembered
418:
255:
preserved in their oral history
Lempira elements that match the Ruiz story, such as Lempira's belief that wearing Spanish clothing made him impervious to Spanish bullets, and that the chief died in combat, not through ambush.
188:(1626), in Seville, Spain, identifies Lempira as a war captain appointed by Entipica, leader of the Cares, a subgroup of the Lenca. Herrera reports that Lempira, whose name means something like "Lord of the Mountains" in
422:
211:. According to Herrera, Lempira retreated to a fortified hilltop where he resisted the Spaniards for many months. Finally, the Spaniards lured him out to talk, and a concealed Spanish soldier with an
251:. Witnesses to this 100-page document attested that Ruiz recounted his service accurately and told the truth. Ruiz asked for a pension of 1000 pesos for his service. The modern Honduran
192:, commanded over 30,000 soldiers from over 200 different Lenca towns. In 1537, there were widespread indigenous uprisings in Honduras, and the Cares were one group that revolted against
244:
215:
shot and killed him. On seeing this, Herrera reports, the Lenca surrendered. This is essentially the official version that is taught to
Honduran children in school.
560:
490:
218:
In the 1980s, the
Honduran historian Mario Felipe MartĂnez Castillo discovered a very different account of Lempira in a document entitled
349:
376:
519:
386:
378:
Dictionary of
Battles and Sieges: A Guide to 8,500 Battles from Antiquity Through the Twenty-First Century, Volume 1
181:
500:
545:
323:
223:
353:
555:
204:
294:
550:
404:
Los Ăšltimos DĂas de
Lempira: Rodrigo Ruiz, El conquistador Español que lo venció en combate
200:
165:
116:
169:
8:
328:
281:
208:
496:
382:
248:
304:
In 2016, the filming of a movie based on
Lempira was announced under the title of "
128:
his body, and buried him in undisclosed locations so no one could pay him respects.
277:
112:
532:, Digital Portal to Archives in Spain, including the Archivo General de Indias.
227:
193:
189:
141:
539:
445:
280:
in honor of
Lempira. In 1943, Honduras renamed the Gracias Department as the
87:
252:
104:
43:
233:
Ruiz wrote the questions, one of which is translated in part as follows:
467:
406:. Tegucigalpa: Universidad Nacional AutĂłnoma, Editorial Universitaria.
264:
157:
39:
318:
119:
attempts to conquer and incorporate the region into the province of
222:, written in 1558 in Mexico City. The manuscript is located in the
212:
120:
108:
47:
269:
161:
401:
28:
416:
164:
also took up arms. Spanish attempts to stop him, led by
529:
186:
Historia general de los hechos de los castellanos ...
526:
by Oscar Acosta, reproduced on
Honduras.com website
199:The Spaniards, on instruction from their Governor,
537:
419:"Meritos y Servicios Rodrigo Ruiz, Nueva España"
287:
239:Méritos y Servicios: Rodrigo Ruiz, Nueva España.
561:16th-century indigenous leaders of the Americas
220:Méritos y Servicios: Rodrigo Ruiz, Nueva España
443:
115:during the 1530s, when he led resistance to
16:Lenca leader of western Honduras (1499–1537)
468:"Coloal Mine, Lempira Department, Honduras"
381:. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 217.
341:
297:wrote a novel featuring Lempira, entitled
148:, meaning "lord" as a title of hierarchy,
27:
172:, were unsuccessful until later in 1537.
136:Jorge LardĂ© y LarĂn argues that the name
402:Martinez Castillo, Mario Felipe (2000).
263:
495:. Carlos RaĂşl Amaya FĂşnez. pp. x.
421:. Ministerio de Cultura. Archived from
352:. Peace Corps, Colombia. Archived from
347:
180:Historical accounts of Lempira differ.
538:
488:
374:
33:Drawing of Lempira (Lenca de Honduras)
482:
368:
410:
259:
247:described his other service to the
13:
465:
184:, whose account was published in
14:
572:
513:
268:Statue of Lempira in the city of
103:was a warrior, chieftain of the
444:Famous Wonders (17 April 2011).
182:Antonio de Herrera y Tordesillas
459:
437:
417:Portal de Archivos Españoles.
395:
276:In 1931, Honduras renamed its
1:
334:
293:In 1957, the Honduran writer
288:Representation in other media
530:Portal de Archivos Españoles
489:Amador, RamĂłn Amaya (1993).
301:(The Lord of the Mountains).
131:
77:1537 (aged 37–38)
7:
312:
10:
577:
203:, attacked Lempira at the
175:
140:derived from words of the
224:Archivo General de Indias
94:
83:
73:
65:
61:
53:
38:
26:
21:
522:, extract from the book
273:
242:
117:Francisco de Montejo's
492:El señor de la sierra
375:Jaques, Tony (2007).
306:El señor de la sierra
299:El señor de la sierra
267:
235:
324:Conquest of Honduras
201:Francisco de Montejo
166:Francisco de Montejo
546:History of Honduras
425:on 16 December 2017
356:on 17 February 2013
329:History of Honduras
84:Cause of death
446:"Honduran Lempira"
295:RamĂłn Amaya Amador
282:Lempira Department
274:
209:Lempira Department
152:meaning "of", and
260:Legacy and honors
207:, in what is now
170:Alonso de Cáceres
98:
97:
568:
507:
506:
486:
480:
479:
477:
475:
463:
457:
456:
454:
452:
441:
435:
434:
432:
430:
414:
408:
407:
399:
393:
392:
372:
366:
365:
363:
361:
345:
205:Peñol de CerquĂn
90:(gunshot wounds)
31:
19:
18:
576:
575:
571:
570:
569:
567:
566:
565:
536:
535:
516:
511:
510:
503:
487:
483:
473:
471:
464:
460:
450:
448:
442:
438:
428:
426:
415:
411:
400:
396:
389:
373:
369:
359:
357:
350:"New Beginning"
346:
342:
337:
315:
290:
262:
178:
134:
123:. Mentioned as
113:Central America
78:
34:
17:
12:
11:
5:
574:
564:
563:
558:
553:
548:
534:
533:
527:
515:
514:External links
512:
509:
508:
501:
481:
458:
436:
409:
394:
388:978-0313335372
387:
367:
339:
338:
336:
333:
332:
331:
326:
321:
314:
311:
310:
309:
302:
289:
286:
261:
258:
228:Seville, Spain
177:
174:
142:Lenca language
133:
130:
96:
95:
92:
91:
85:
81:
80:
75:
71:
70:
67:
63:
62:
59:
58:
55:
51:
50:
36:
35:
32:
24:
23:
15:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
573:
562:
559:
557:
554:
552:
549:
547:
544:
543:
541:
531:
528:
525:
521:
518:
517:
504:
498:
494:
493:
485:
469:
462:
447:
440:
424:
420:
413:
405:
398:
390:
384:
380:
379:
371:
355:
351:
348:Peace Corps.
344:
340:
330:
327:
325:
322:
320:
317:
316:
307:
303:
300:
296:
292:
291:
285:
283:
279:
271:
266:
257:
254:
250:
249:Spanish Crown
246:
241:
240:
234:
231:
229:
225:
221:
216:
214:
210:
206:
202:
197:
195:
191:
187:
183:
173:
171:
167:
163:
159:
155:
151:
147:
143:
139:
129:
126:
122:
118:
114:
110:
106:
102:
93:
89:
88:Assassination
86:
82:
76:
72:
68:
64:
60:
56:
52:
49:
45:
41:
37:
30:
25:
20:
556:Lenca people
523:
491:
484:
472:. Retrieved
470:. Mindat.org
461:
449:. Retrieved
439:
427:. Retrieved
423:the original
412:
403:
397:
377:
370:
358:. Retrieved
354:the original
343:
305:
298:
275:
245:Rodrigo Ruiz
243:
238:
236:
232:
219:
217:
198:
185:
179:
153:
149:
145:
137:
135:
124:
100:
99:
551:1537 deaths
474:11 February
451:11 February
107:of western
46:of western
540:Categories
502:9992663367
429:14 January
360:14 January
335:References
158:Comayagua
132:Etymology
40:Chieftain
524:Honduras
466:Mindat.
313:See also
278:currency
213:arquebus
121:Honduras
109:Honduras
79:Corquin
57:? – 1537
48:Honduras
520:Lempira
270:Gracias
196:rule.
194:Spanish
176:History
162:Olancho
138:Lempira
125:Lempira
101:Lempira
42:of the
22:Lempira
499:
385:
319:Urracá
105:Lencas
44:Lencas
253:Lenca
190:Lenca
146:lempa
54:Reign
497:ISBN
476:2013
453:2013
431:2013
383:ISBN
362:2013
168:and
160:and
74:Died
69:1499
66:Born
284:.
226:in
154:era
111:in
542::
308:".
272:.
144::
505:.
478:.
455:.
433:.
391:.
364:.
150:i
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
