Lempira (Lenca ruler)
Lempira | |
---|---|
Lencas of western Honduras | |
Reign | ? – 1537 |
Born | 1499 |
Died | 1537 (aged 37–38) Corquin |
Cause of death | Assassination (gunshot wounds) |
Lempira was a warrior, chieftain of the
Etymology
Jorge Lardé y Larín argues that the name Lempira derived from words of the
History
Historical accounts of Lempira differ.
The Spaniards, on instruction from their Governor, Francisco de Montejo, attacked Lempira at the Peñol de Cerquín, in what is now Lempira Department. 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 arquebus 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.
In the 1980s, the Honduran historian Mario Felipe Martínez Castillo discovered a very different account of Lempira in a document entitled Méritos y Servicios: Rodrigo Ruiz, Nueva España, written in 1558 in Mexico City. The manuscript is located in the
Ruiz wrote the questions, one of which is translated in part as follows:
"...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, Méritos y Servicios: Rodrigo Ruiz, Nueva España.[4]
Legacy and honors
In 1931, Honduras renamed its currency in honor of Lempira.[5] In 1943, Honduras renamed the Gracias Department as the Lempira Department.[6]
Representation in other media
- In 1957, the Honduran writer Ramón Amaya Amador wrote a novel featuring Lempira, entitled El señor de la sierra (The Lord of the Mountains).[7]
- In 2016, the filming of a movie based on Lempira was announced under the title of "El señor de la sierra".
See also
References
- ^ Peace Corps. "New Beginning". Peace Corps, Colombia. Archived from the original on 17 February 2013. Retrieved 14 January 2013.
- ISBN 978-0313335372.
- ^ Martinez Castillo, Mario Felipe (2000). Los Últimos Días de Lempira: Rodrigo Ruiz, El conquistador Español que lo venció en combate. Tegucigalpa: Universidad Nacional Autónoma, Editorial Universitaria.
- ^ Portal de Archivos Españoles. "Meritos y Servicios Rodrigo Ruiz, Nueva España". Ministerio de Cultura. Archived from the original on 16 December 2017. Retrieved 14 January 2013.
- ^ Famous Wonders (17 April 2011). "Honduran Lempira". Retrieved 11 February 2013.
- ^ Mindat. "Coloal Mine, Lempira Department, Honduras". Mindat.org. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
- ISBN 9992663367.
External links
- Lempira, extract from the book Honduras by Oscar Acosta, reproduced on Honduras.com website
- Portal de Archivos Españoles, Digital Portal to Archives in Spain, including the Archivo General de Indias.