A Lost Doomed City Destined To Not Be Found

Villa Hermosa: Vanished But Not Forgotten

Did we find Villa Hermosa? Indigenous warriors did their part to destroy any evidence of the Spanish settlement. The Spaniards with the knowledge of its exact location died in subsequent battles. The contemporary written record as it exists is sparse and riddled with contradictions. 

Indigenous warriors standing over the body of defeated Spanish conquistador, before wiping out all traces of initial Spanish incursion

Antique map of Honduras dated circa 1614, eight-seven years after the destruction of Villa Hermosa & it's no longer on the map, already forgotten by history

As a historian, I require empirical evidence - facts, hard data, artifacts, verifiable accounts. Something that can be proven over and over. I encountered none of this. Circumstantial evidence suggests that Villa Hermosa was located somewhere below El Boquerón mountain, in the Olancho River valley. This was the area we explored. There are two other possibilities: north of El Boquerón in the Agalta Valley. In this location little gold was found and discovering gold was the primary driving force for the Spanish conquistadors to establish a settlement. The other location: south of El Boquerón near the current small town of San Francisco de Becerra. All the Spanish chronicles mention a “river valley next to a mountain.” San Francisco de Becerra is located near a river but not in a river valley. The nearest mountain is some distance away, El Boquerón. 

Olancho River Valley meets all the criteria as mentioned in Sixteenth & Seventeenth Century Spanish chronicles & manuscripts

Lenca weapons: these are the type of artifacts needed to substantiate claims of Spanish habitation. No Sixteenth Century Spanish artifacts have been found in the Olancho Valley attributed to Villa Hermosa.

In all likelihood, Villa Hermosa was at the foot of El Boquerón, near a source where a great quantity of gold was found, and continues to be unearthed, particularly after heavy rains. The site is next to a water source, something needed to sustain life. If this is the right location, all evidence of the settlement has been obliterated. The attack by regional natives purposely destroyed Villa Hermosa. Indigenous tribes rejected initial Spanish incursions into their territory. They burnt the city to the ground. Over 500 years there has been repeated flooding of the river valley washing away remaining evidence of Spanish habitation. 

The forest & jungle quickly regenerates itself after flooding, concealing what came before

We will never know or discover its exact location based on empirical evidence. It is truly doomed to be lost to history. I believe I was guided by the spirit of Juan de Grijalva to the location of his death. According to all sixteenth century manuscripts, he was brutally slaughtered during the battle at Villa Hermosa that annihilated the city. I made contact with his spirit close to the site where he fought his last battle and was killed. Was this the site of Villa Hermosa? Maybe? There is nothing more definitive, and never will be, that can be claimed. 

Site where I believe my long dead ancestor Juan de Grijalva conveyed a message to me. Is this the location of Villa Hermosa or close to it?

Only the mountains & trees know the true location of this lost city, and they're not telling

So no, we did not find the exact location of Villa Hermosa and no one ever will. I’m convinced in my heart, if not in my mind, the area we surveyed is the site of the long ago sixteenth century Spanish colonial city of Villa Hermosa. Through my discovery, I started a process that at its conclusion will allow Juan de Grijalva’s soul and spirit to rest in peace with his family in his beloved homeland. After all, that was my true goal. The Honduran Expedition has been a success.

Map of Lenca territory in the Sixteenth Century

Statue of Lenca Chief Lempira who led a revolt against the Spanish settlements in Honduras in the Sixteenth Century, soon after the destruction of Villa Hermosa

Two thousand year old Lenca artifacts found in Honduras

Lenca men & woman of today

The Spanish conquistadors are all gone, the Lencas survive

Indigenous people of the Americas continue to struggle & fight in their native lands