Dionisio de Herrera was appointed governor of the province of Tegucigalpa on 23 March 1823. The first Congress of Honduras, a constituent assembly convened on 16 September 1824, effected the union of Comayagua and Tegucigalpa, declaring them alternate capitals of Honduras, and chose Dionisio de Herrera as First Chief of the State of Honduras, with Lieutenant General José Justo Milla as his deputy.
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The first constitution of Honduras dated 11 December 1825 established 4-year terms for the head of state, with Herrera's initial mandate concluding on 16 September 1827, but he was unable to conclude his mandate due to a coup d'état.
Background
The president of the Federal Republic of Central America, Manuel José Arce, opposed Herrera.
In October 1826 Arce had dissolved the Congress and the Senate, trying establish a centralist or unitary system, allying himself with the conservatives, by which he lost the support of his own party, the liberals.
This brought him into conflict with both the Federal Government and the States, being denounced by Herrera and Mariano Prado, Chief of State of El Salvador.
On 1 November 1826 Dionisio de Herrera suffered an attack in his house, in which hired men fired from the street into his bedroom.
In December of 1826 the conservative priest José Nicolás Irías Midence excommunicated Herrera, claiming that he was influenced by Freemasons and heretics.
Coup d'état
Arce called on the Honduran army commanded by the deputy chief of state, José Justo Milla Pineda, to support the actions of Irías.
On 4 April 1827 it began the siege of Comayagua. On 10 May, after 36 days, the square was surrendered by the military chief Fernández.
Aftermath
Dionisio of Herrera was taken prisoner and sent to Guatemala, where he remained in prison for two years.
On 15 March 1829 General Francisco Morazán and his army was intercepted by the federal troops of Colonel Prado in the ranch of Las Charcas. Morazán held a superior position and crushed Prado's army. Later, Morazán moved to recover his former positions in Pínula and Aceytuno, putting him again in place to command Guatemala City, where he finally freed Dionisio de Herrera.