Lempira (Lenca ruler) Lempira (Lenca ruler) Lempira was a war chieftain of the Lencas of western Honduras in Central America during the 1530s, when he led resistance to Francisco de Montejo's attempts to conquer and incorporate the region into the province of Honduras. Mentioned as "Lempira" in documents written during the Spanish conquest, he is regarded by the people as a warrior hero. Jorge Lardé y Larín argues that the name "Lempira" comes from the word "lempira," derived from words of the Lenca language: "lempa", meaning "lord" as a title of hierarchy, "i" meaning "of", and "era", meaning "hill or mountain". Thus, Lempira,
Honduran lempira the United States dollar (the 20-centavos coin is called a "daime" as it was worth the same as a U.S. dime). As of June 20, 2017, the lempira was quoted at 23.44 HNL to 1 USD. In 1931, coins were introduced in denominations of 5, 20 & 50 centavos, and 1 lempira. One-, 2- and 10-centavos coins were added in 1935, 1939 and 1932, respectively. The silver 1-lempira coins ceased production in 1937, with the other silver coins (20 & 50 centavos) replaced by cupro-nickel in 1967. The 1- and 2-centavos coins were discontinued in 1974 and 1998, respectively. Coins