NO. I HONDURAS STROJSTG, KIDDER, AND PAUL 25 



and transported the materials for building a fleet across the isthmus, 

 the entire remaining Indian population fled. These evils were pre- 

 sented in full detail by Bartolome de Las Casas, and the new laws 

 resulting from his famous publication at least gave nominal protection 

 to the oppressed natives. 



In answer to a petition from Trujillo, the Emperor appointed 

 Francisco de Montejo, the former governor of Yucatan, as ruler 

 of Honduras. Only a handful of starving Spanish colonists remained. 

 Montejo subdued but did not enslave the Indians of the mountains 

 near Trujillo. Many Indians returned voluntarily to their homes in 

 this region. Montejo then visited the town of Gracias a Dios. Here, 

 owing to the murder of a Spaniard, he arrested and punished the 

 Lenca Indian ring leaders in the presence of the Caciques of the 

 district of Cerquin previously referred to. This aroused the opposi- 

 tion of the famous Lenca leader Lempira, " Lord of the Mountains." 

 Lempira had previously withstood Alvarado and driven off Spanish 

 attacks under Chavez, and he now opposed Montejo, The great 

 Indian leader had secured allies from various interior tribes including 

 several that had formerly been hostile to the Lenca, and was estimated 

 to have a force of some 30,000 warriors. 



According to Lehmann (1920, vol. 2, p. 637), he had united the 

 men of more than 200 towns and commanded over 2,000 " men and 

 gentlemen of distinction." 



" Lempira, the last of the chiefs of Corquin, made his final stand 

 against the Spaniards on the mountains of Piriera, which overlooks 

 the valley of the river Lempa, in the name of which beautiful stream 

 his own is commemorated." (Squier, 1858, p. 329.) 



Here for 6 months he was besieged by Caceres, a lieutenant of 

 Montejo, but so greatly were the Spaniards harassed by the Indians 

 that they were on the point of failure. Siege and assault having 

 failed, Caceres resorted to treachery. Under a flag of truce Lempira 

 came to the walls of his stronghold to parley with his enemies and 

 was shot by a hidden marksman. The Lenca and their allies fled, 

 and the great conspiracy soon fell to pieces. 



Mrs. Popenoe, quoting from a letter from Montejo to the King 

 of Spain, June i, 1539, gives the following account of the latter part 

 of this campaign against the Lenca : " 



Disturbing news reached Gracias, where Montejo was sojourning with 11 

 Spanish soldiers. The Indians were preparing stubbornly to resist him. In 

 Yamala, a nearby village, they were building many houses on a great, very 



" D. H. Popenoe, 1936, pp. 559-560. For the original, see Coleccion de Docu- 

 mentos Ineditos, 1864, vol. 2, pp. 212-266. 



