Lempira''s Rebellion
There was sporadic but persistent resistance to the Spanish advance by the indigenous groups they encountered, although the power of these was lessened by their geographical dispersal and the lack of a single powerful group. No significant threat to the Spanish was posed until Lempira's rebellion in 1536. A Lenca cacique (chieftain) from what is today Erandique in southwest Honduras, Lempira was a charismatic leader, popularly believed to be invincible. Persuading the tribes of the centre and western highlands to unite in rebellion, he amassed a force of up to 30,000 men, retreating with them to the natural mountain redoubt of Penol de Cerquin. From here he signalled the outbreak of hostilities by killing three Spanish passers-by. The mass insurrection that followed was at first impossible for the Spanish to control; at one point Comayagua was burnt down and Gracias, San Pedro de Puerto Caballos and Trujillo besieged. Outright rebellion continued for three years, before the Spanish, having lured Lempira down to participate in peace talks, shot and killed him in 1539. With no leader at their head, Lempira's forces were easily overcome and the Spanish hold on the land assured.
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