In January 1684, a large Indigenous revolt broke out against the advance of Spanish colonization in the province of Citará, in Chocó. The rebels attacked the settlements of Negua, Lloró, San Francisco de Atrato, and nearby mining camps, burning buildings, desecrating chapels, looting church ornaments, and killing nearly all Spaniards and Mestizos—men, women, and children—as well as many African slaves and Indigenous servants. At least 126 deaths were reported, with some victims decapitated or burned. The few survivors fled the region. The rebellion’s roots lay in the volatile frontier dynamics of the late 17th century. The Chocó’s gold-rich rivers had drawn miners and missionaries into the territory of the Citará, Emberá, Noanamá, and other Indigenous nations. Spanish incursions brought evangelization, tribute demands, and coerced labor for mining, while undermining Indigenous control of trade routes linking the Pacific and Caribbean watersheds. Although colonists relied heavily on local transport, food supplies, and geographic knowledge, they steadily eroded native autonomy. Planning for the revolt was deliberate. In the weeks before the attack, Indigenous ‘capitanes’ moved through the region to secure support. Testimonies suggest that, alongside anti-colonial grievances, material incentives encouraged participation: rebels seized female slaves, gold, steel tools, weapons, and salt. The looting of sacred objects also carried potent symbolism, rejecting Christian authority. Spanish forces, aided by allied Indigenous groups, would take more than three years of military campaigns before capturing and beheading the last rebel leader. Although suppressed, the Citará rebellion severely disrupted mining expansion and dealt a sharp blow to Spain’s fragile control of the Chocó.