400 BC. At the time of the Spanish conquest, the region was populated predominantly by Lencas, whose origin is still a source of ongoing debate among anthropologists and historians. Although the Lencas in the region accepted the language and religion imposed on them by the Spanish, they retained many elements of their pre-Hispanic culture, including agrarian and domestic rituals, myths, beliefs and other cultural elements that define Lencas as a distinct ethnic group. The indigenous Lenca in Intibuca maintained the Auxíliaria de la Vara Alta (Auxiliary of the High Majesty), which was the pre-Hispanic political and religious organization of the Lencas. The Auxíliaria de la Vara Alta collected and maintained common food supplies, collected taxes, oversaw land titles, and generally maintained the validity and respect of traditional culture. Before the Spanish conquest, there were two towns in this region, Lentercali and Eramani, while name Intibucá appeared in a report made in 1582 by the governor Alonso de Contreras Guevara of Honduras. The Spanish crown appointed Francisco de Cerdá mayor to govern and settle disputes among the indigenous people of the region. In a document dated 10 November 1647, he delimited the municipality of Intibucá to include villages with names of the Lenca dialect. In the population count of 1791 Intibucá was already the head of the parish. It was categorized as a village on 22 September 1848. In 1866 during the administration of president José María Medina it was designated a municipality of the department of Gracias (renamed Lempira in 1943). In 1883 it became a municipality in the new department of Intibucá. The territories of the municipalities of Intibucá and La Esperanza resemble the earlier territories of the towns of Lentercali and Eramani, respectively, except that parts of what were Lentercali are now within La Esperanza. Ladino merchants and ranchers came from Comayagua and other Honduran towns, Guatemala, and El Salvador and bought and appropriated lands from the indigenous residents of Eramani. The settlers founded La Esperanza, which was converted into the capital of Intibucá when the department was created in 1883. Rivalries arose over land and religion between the Lenca residents of Intibucá and the ladino residents of La Esperanza. Rather than fight with their neighbors, the Lencas abandoned buildings in the town center, including their church, the first and oldest of the region constructed in 1790, and their cemetery. These are now located within the border of