To the Southwest the K’iche ‘ Maya area, is located in the departments of Quiché, Totonicapán and Quetzaltenango. This group was the dominant of the entire plateau during the late post-classic period, with the capital in the city of Q’umarkaaj, which was located on a hill surrounded by ravines, which made an impenetrable fortress. However, the conquistadors managed to enter peacefully, and learn of an ambush attempt, its two leaders captured 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 caves that simulated the entrance to the underworld. The K’iche ‘ s, under the command of its Governor Quikab, subjected to almost all the Guatemalan Highlands, thus establishing the largest territorial State in its history. The ancient city of Xelaju, named Quetzaltenango today, was another enclave K’iche ‘ took place where the bloodiest battles of the conquest of Guatemala. It was here where arose the legend of Tecum, who reportedly died heroically to directly confront the conquistador Pedro de Alvarado. The K’iche ‘ region is currently one of the richest in cultural elements, which stand out the communities of Chichicastenango, Momostenango, Totonicapán, San Francisco El Alto, Nahualá, Zunil and Almolnga, among many others. In these you can see still large regional markets, which are reminiscent of the pre-Hispanic trade systems, as well as centers producing textiles, ceramic objects, masks and other wood crafts. The religious manifestations have pre-Hispanic elements, such as the ceremonies in the sacred mountains, but also dominate the syncretic elements, like fusions with Christian features. The best example of these practices are the Patron Saint Festivities, in which participants called “cofradías” or “brotherhoods” give honor to a Catholic Saint. Similarly, dances and traditional dances as the conquest, moors and Christians and El Torito, seem to arise from issues brought by the Spaniards, but in fact incorporate characters and concepts from mythology and Maya cosmo-vision. This mixture can be seen in colorful costumes worn by the dancers. Around the area of K ‘iché are other minor Mayan ethnic groups: Sakapulteko, Uspanteko, Ixil, and Achi; which reside in the communities of Sacapulas and Nebaj and Uspantán, Rabinal, respectively. The latter is important because it is the place of origin of the danza-drama of the Rabinal Achí, which is the only performance of its kind that has survived intact since pre-Columbian times. In 2008 he was declared Intangible cultural heritage of humanity by UNESCO.