Nicarao, or Macuilmiquiztli (

Nahuatl Nahuatl ( ; ), Aztec, or Mexicano is a language or, by some definitions, a group of languages of the Uto-Aztecan language family. Varieties of Nahuatl are spoken by about Nahuas, most of whom live mainly in Central Mexico and have smaller popul ...

''Makwilmikistli'': ''macuil'' "five", ''miquiztli'' "death") was the most powerful ruler in

pre-Columbian In the history of the Americas, the pre-Columbian era, also known as the pre-contact era, or as the pre-Cabraline era specifically in Brazil, spans from the initial peopling of the Americas in the Upper Paleolithic to the onset of European col ...

Nicaragua Nicaragua, officially the Republic of Nicaragua, is the geographically largest Sovereign state, country in Central America, comprising . With a population of 7,142,529 as of 2024, it is the third-most populous country in Central America aft ...

, whose

chiefdom A chiefdom is a political organization of people representation (politics), represented or government, governed by a tribal chief, chief. Chiefdoms have been discussed, depending on their scope, as a stateless society, stateless, state (polity) ...

stretched from modern-day Rivas in southwestern Nicaragua to

Guanacaste province Guanacaste () is a Provinces of Costa Rica, province of Costa Rica located in the northwestern region of the country, along the coast of the Pacific Ocean. It is bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Alajuela Province to the east, and Puntarenas Pro ...

in northwestern

Costa Rica Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in Central America. It borders Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, as well as Maritime bo ...

. He was the

Nahua The Nahuas ( ) are a Uto-Nahuan ethnicity and one of the Indigenous people of Mexico, with Nahua minorities also in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica. They comprise the largest Indigenous group in Mexico, as well as ...

chief of ''Kwawkapolkan'', which means "place of capulín trees" in the

Nawat language Nawat (academically Pipil, also known as Nahuat) is a Nahuan language native to Central America. It is the southernmost extant member of the Uto-Aztecan family. Before Spanish colonization it was spoken in several parts of present-day Central ...

. It's a combination of the Nawat words ''Kwawit'' (tree), ''kapol'' ( capulín), and ''-kan'' (a locative meaning "place of"). Based on research done by historians in 2002, it was discovered that the chief's real name was Macuilmiquiztli, meaning "Five Deaths" in the

language. Macuilmiquiztli governed one of the many Nahua chiefdoms in western Nicaragua that the Spanish came to call the Nicaraos, who inhabited a shared land they referred to as Nicānāhuac.

Biography

Not much is known about Macuilmiquiztli's background. He was born in Nicānāhuac (western Nicaragua) in 1485. He was intelligent and well educated as well as a talented warrior.McCafferty and McCafferty 2009 According to Spanish conquistadors

Gil González Dávila Gil González Dávila or Gil González de Ávila (b. about 1480 – 21 April 1526) was a Spanish conquistador and the first European to explore present-day Nicaragua. Early career González Dávila first appears in historical records in 1508, w ...

and

Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo y Valdés Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo y Valdés (August 1478 – 1557), commonly known as Oviedo, was a Spanish soldier, historian, writer, botanist and colonist. Oviedo participated in the Spanish colonization of the West Indies, arriving in the first fe ...

, who was also a historian, Macuilmiquiztli had a cousin named "Wemak" who was the chief of Kakawatan, another Nahua chiefdom in present-day Rivas.Vida de González Dávila, Gil. Ávila, c. 1480 – 21.IV.1526. Descubridor y conquistador. et al., 2012Colonización de américa, cuando la historia marcha, de Oviedo y Valdés, Gonzalo c. 1480–1557, 2006

Spanish contact

At the time of Spanish arrival,

traveled to western Nicaragua with a small army of just over 100 men made up of conquistadors and their

Tlaxcalteca The Tlaxcallans, or Tlaxcaltec, are an indigenous Nahua people who originate from Tlaxcala, Mexico. The Confederacy of Tlaxcala was instrumental in overthrowing the Aztec Empire in 1521, alongside conquistadors from the Kingdom of Spain. The T ...

allies. They explored the fertile western valleys and were impressed with the Nahua and Otomanguean civilizations for the vast amounts of food they had in addition to their flourishing markets, permanent temples, and trade network.Vida de González Dávila, Gil. Ávila, c. 1480 – 21.IV.1526. Descubridor y conquistador. et al., 2012 Despite the good first impression however, Dávila referred to the Nahuas and Chorotegas as ''los rojos'' ("the reds" in

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

), and their children as ''rojitos'' ("little red kids" in Spanish) which were derogatory terms based on skin color.Vida de González Dávila, Gil. Ávila, c. 1480 – 21.IV.1526. Descubridor y conquistador. et al., 2012 Eventually, Dávila met with Macuilmiquiztli, and conversed with him through Tlaxcalan translators. Macuilmiquiztli initially welcomed the Spanish and their Tlaxcalteca allies. However, Dávila and his army used the opportunity to gather gold and

baptize Baptism (from ) is a Christian sacrament of initiation almost invariably with the use of water. It may be performed by sprinkling or pouring water on the head, or by immersing in water either partially or completely, traditionally three ...

some of the Nahuas along the way, much to Macuilmiquiztli's disapproval. When Dávila demanded the now skeptical Macuilmiquiztli, as well as chiefs Wemak and

Diriangén Diriangén was a native Nicaraguan king who controlled land from Diriamba in Carazo to the Ochomogo river in Rivas, outside the boundaries of Macuilmiquiztli's Nahua chiefdom of Kwawkapolkan, as well as the Nahua chiefdom of Kakawatan, also ...

who were also present, to be baptized, to renounce their pagan beliefs, and to hand over the rest of their gold and jewellery, they refused.Vida de González Dávila, Gil. Ávila, c. 1480 – 21.IV.1526. Descubridor y conquistador. et al., 2012 Realizing the threat that the Spanish imposed, Macuilmiquiztli, as well as the Chorotegas, waged war against the invaders, and Nahua and Chorotega warriors forced Dávila and his men to retreat to Panama. This set the stage for what would become the

Spanish conquest of Nicaragua The Spanish conquest of Nicaragua was the campaign undertaken by the Spanish ''conquistadores'' and their Tlaxcaltec allies against the indigenous peoples of Nicaragua, natives of the territory now incorporated into the modern Central American rep ...

in 1524 CE.

Nahua-Chorotega alliance

Despite the enmity between the Chorotegas and Nahuas, Macuilmiquiztli and Diriangén made peace and agreed to team up against the Spanish and Tlaxcaltecas. This alliance composed of the Nahua chiefdoms of Kwawkapolkan, Kakawatan and the Otomanguean Chorotegas, all of whom fought together against the Spanish and their central-Mexican allies. The Indigenous alliance lost the war however, when Nicaragua was invaded on all sides by several Spanish forces, each led by a

conquistador Conquistadors (, ) or conquistadores (; ; ) were Spanish Empire, Spanish and Portuguese Empire, Portuguese colonizers who explored, traded with and colonized parts of the Americas, Africa, Oceania and Asia during the Age of Discovery. Sailing ...

. González Dávila was authorized by royal decree to invade from the Caribbean coast of Honduras.

Francisco Hernández de Córdoba Francisco is the Spanish and Portuguese form of the masculine given name ''Franciscus''. Meaning of the name Francisco In Spanish, people with the name Francisco are sometimes nicknamed " Paco". San Francisco de Asís was known as ''Pater Comm ...

at the command of the governor of

Panama Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...

invaded from

Pedro de Alvarado Pedro de Alvarado (; 1485 – 4 July 1541) was a Spanish conquistador, ''conquistador'', ''adelantado,'' governor and Captaincy General of Guatemala, captain general of Guatemala.Lovell, Lutz and Swezey 1984, p. 461. He participated in the c ...

at the command of

Hernán Cortés Hernán Cortés de Monroy y Pizarro Altamirano, 1st Marquis of the Valley of Oaxaca (December 1485 – December 2, 1547) was a Spanish ''conquistador'' who led an expedition that caused the fall of the Aztec Empire and brought large portions o ...

, came from

Guatemala Guatemala, officially the Republic of Guatemala, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico, to the northeast by Belize, to the east by Honduras, and to the southeast by El Salvador. It is hydrologically b ...

through

San Salvador San Salvador () is the Capital city, capital and the largest city of El Salvador and its San Salvador Department, eponymous department. It is the country's largest agglomeration, serving as the country's political, cultural, educational and fin ...

and

Honduras Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Ocean at the Gulf of Fonseca, ...

fought directly against the alliance, and by 1525 the alliance had completely collapsed. Diriangén escaped the Spanish onslaught but eventually died between 1527-1529, Wemak was captured and executed in 1525 after the last of his Kakawatec forces were annihilated by the conquistadors and Tlaxcaltecas, and the fall of Kwawkapolkan in 1525 finalized their defeat.

Legacy and martyrdom

Macuilmiquiztli and Diriangén remain popular figures in Nicaraguan nationalism and anti-imperialism, so much so that The

National Assembly of Nicaragua The National Assembly () is the legislative branch of the government of Nicaragua founded in January 1985. History The unicameral National Assembly replaced the bicameral National Congress of Nicaragua which was disbanded following the overt ...

declared the two Indigenous leaders as national heroes. In addition, Macuilmiquiztli as well as Diriangén are credited with leading the resistance against the Spanish and Tlaxcaltecas, and are symbols of Indigenous resistance against imperialism. Furthermore, their alliance highlights a powerful lesson in teamwork between enemies who set aside their differences and came together to oppose a much greater threat.

Territory

The territory or ''

cacicazgo ''Cacicazgo'' is a phonetic Spanish transliteration (or a derivative) of the Taíno word for the lands ruled by a ''cacique''. The Spanish colonial system recognized indigenous elites as nobles in Mexico and Peru, and other areas. Nobles could ...

'' ruled over by Nicarao was situated in the

isthmus An isthmus (; : isthmuses or isthmi) is a narrow piece of land connecting two larger areas across an expanse of water by which they are otherwise separated. A tombolo is an isthmus that consists of a spit or bar, and a strait is the sea count ...

of what is now known as Nicaragua's

Rivas Department Rivas () is a Departments of Nicaragua, department of the Republic of Nicaragua. It covers an area of and has a population of 183,611 (2021 estimate). The department's capital is the city of Rivas, Nicaragua, Rivas. The indigenous inhabitants of ...

, next to

Lake Nicaragua Lake Nicaragua or Cocibolca or Granada (, , or ) is a freshwater lake in Nicaragua. Of tectonic origin and with an area of , it is the largest fresh water lake in Central America, the List of lakes by area, 19th largest lake in the world (by are ...

, and it extended southward to what is now known as the

Guanacaste Province Guanacaste () is a Provinces of Costa Rica, province of Costa Rica located in the northwestern region of the country, along the coast of the Pacific Ocean. It is bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Alajuela Province to the east, and Puntarenas Pro ...

in northwestern Costa Rica. The tribe's capital city or principal settlement was called Kwawkapolkan, though it has sometimes been referred to in history books as Nicaraocallí, and it is believed to have been situated near the modern lake port of San Jorge.

Name controversy and etymology

In 2002, through the research done by two Nicaraguan historians working independently of each other, it was discovered that the true name of the cacique was actually Macuilmiquiztli, which meant "Five Deaths" in the

language. It is not known how the name "Nicarao" came to be associated with chief Macuilmiquiztli as the letter "r" does not exist in the Nawat language. The etymology of the term "Nicarao" most likely originated as a shortened and

hispanicized Hispanicization () refers to the process by which a place or person becomes influenced by Hispanic culture or a process of cultural and/or linguistic change in which something non-Hispanic becomes Hispanic. Hispanicization is illustrated by spoken ...

form of "Nicānāhuac", the name used by the Nicaraos to refer to western Nicaragua. This is evident in the Spaniards use of the root ''Nica'' in "Nicarao" which derives from Nahuatl ''Nican''. Andrés de Cereceda, the treasurer of González Dávila's expedition, wrote in his log the names of the caciques of the villages where gold was collected. In the vicinity of Costa Rica's

Gulf of Nicoya The Gulf of Nicoya () is an inlet of the Pacific Ocean. It separates the Nicoya Peninsula from the mainland of Costa Rica, and encompasses a marine and coastal landscape of wetlands, rocky islands and cliffs. The first Spanish landing in Nicaragua ...

, they found the largest indigenous village they had visited, which was ruled by a cacique named Chorotega. Since then, linguistic sources have used the name of that cacique as an

eponym An eponym is a noun after which or for which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. Adjectives derived from the word ''eponym'' include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''. Eponyms are commonly used for time periods, places, innovati ...

, " Chorotega people ", to encompass a number of villages which had cultural and linguistic similarities despite being physically separated. According to a once-popular theory, the name "Nicaragua" was derived from a

portmanteau In linguistics, a blend—also known as a blend word, lexical blend, or portmanteau—is a word formed by combining the meanings, and parts of the sounds, of two or more words together.

of the name Nicarao and the Spanish word ''agua'' which means "water", due to the presence of two large lakes and other bodies of water in the country. However, this theory is considered to be outdated by most historians due to the fact that the cacique's real name was Macuilmiquiztli and not Nicarao. In addition the Nicaraos referred to the land as Nicānāhuac, which most historians now believe is the true etymology of "Nicaragua". It is a combination of the words "Nican" (here), and " Ānāhuac", which in turn is a combination of the words "atl" (water) and "nahuac", a locative meaning "surrounded". Therefore the literal translation of ''Nicanahuac'' is "here surrounded by water", fitting the theory that the etymology references the large bodies of water in and around the country, the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...

, lakes

and Xolotlan, and the rivers and lagoons.

References

{{reflist History of Nicaragua Nicarao