of Christopher Columbus and founder of the city of Santo Domingo, who arrived in Xaragua with his troops to subdue Bohechío and conquer his territory. The purpose of the Spaniards in so doing was to acquire gold. With his power weakened, Bohechío, advised by Anacaona, decided to recognize the sovereignty of the Catholic Monarchs. Instead of fighting, he committed himself to paying the tribute levied by the Spaniards with products such as cotton, bread, corn and fish. After Bohechío's death in 1500, Anacaona ruled as cacica until her execution in 1503. Arrest and death In the fall of 1503, Governor Nicolás Ovando and his party of 300 traveled on foot to Xaragua. They were received in a lavish ceremony by Anacaona, her nobles, and several Taíno chiefs. While the Taíno presented the reception as a gesture of welcome, the Spanish saw it as being an elaborate distraction. Ovando's party was under the impression that Anacaona and the Taíno chiefs present at the reception were planning an insurrection. Ovando lured the chiefs into a caney (large hut) for a Spanish tournament and gave the signal for the Spaniards to seize and bind the caciques. They were burned in the caney while other Taínos of lower rank were slaughtered outside. Anacaona was hanged. According to historian Troy S. Floyd, the accuracy of the accounts of this event remain uncertain for many reasons. For one, even though the separate accounts made it seem as though it was a perfectly segregated fight along racial lines, the two groups had coexisted and intermarried for six years prior. As such, there was a history of harmonious relations between the two races. For another, it is unclear why the Spaniards would lure the Taínos into a trap. Additionally, fifty Spaniards were killed; this is a high number of casualties considering that the Europeans deployed superior military technology. Finally, the Xaragua caciques were respected as some of the most intelligent on the island and it is unlikely that they could be lured into a hut if they were planning their own revolt. According to Sir Arthur Help's book The Spanish Conquest in America (1855), Nicolás Ovando renamed the place where Anacaona was murdered “The City of True Peace” (La Villa de la Vera Paz), "...in honor of his recent triumph". The arms assigned to the city were "...a rainbow and a cross, with a dove bearing the olive