The area Mayan K'iche', is located in the departments of Quiche, Totonicapán and Quetzaltenango. This group was the dominant one of the entire plateau during the Late Postclassic, with its capital in the city of Q'umarkaaj, which was located on a hill surrounded by ravines, which made it an impenetrable fortress.
However, the conquerors managed to enter peacefully, and upon learning of an attempted ambush, they captured their two leaders and burned the city.
Today this site is a sacred place, since it has the remains of its three main temples, a ball game court and several artificial grottoes that simulated the entrance to the underworld. The K'iche's, under the command of their ruler Quikab, they subdued almost the entire Guatemalan highlands, thus establishing the largest territorial state in its entire history.
The ancient city of Xelajú, today Quetzaltenango, was another K'iche' enclave where the bloodiest battles of the conquest of Guatemala occurred. It was here that the legend of Tecum, who is said to have died heroically when directly confronting the conquistador Pedro de Alvarado.
Currently, the K'iche' region is one of the richest in cultural elements, where the communities of Chichicastenango, Momostenango, Totonicapán, San Francisco El Alto, Nahualá, Zunil and Almolnga stand out, among many others. In these you can still see large regional markets, which are reminiscent of pre-Hispanic trading systems, as well as centers producing textiles, ceramic objects, masks and other wooden crafts.
The religious manifestations have pre-Hispanic elements, such as the ceremonies on the sacred hills, but syncretic elements also predominate, that is, fused with Christian features. The best example of these practices are the patron saint festivals, in which brotherhoods that honor a Catholic saint participate. Similarly, traditional dances such as La Conquista, Moros y Cristianos and El Torito, seem to derive from themes brought by the Spanish, but in reality they incorporate characters and concepts from Mayan mythology and worldview.
This mix can be seen in the colorful costumes worn by the dancers. Around the K'iche' area there are other minor Mayan ethnic groups: Sakapulteko, Uspanteko, Ixil and Achí; which reside in the communities of Sacapulas, Uspantán, Nebaj and Rabinal, respectively.
The latter is important because it is the place of origin of the dance-drama of Rabinal Achí, which is the only work of its genre that has survived intact from pre-Columbian times. In 2008 it was declared Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.
Then they made the small animals of the mountain, the guardians of all the forests, the genies of the mountain, the deer, the birds, lions, tigers, snakes, snakes, cliffs, guardians of the vines.
Popol Vuh
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