Kaqchikel kingdom

Origins

The Kaqchikel had been allies and subjects of the K'iche' kingdom. Around 1470, during disputes that followed the reign of K'iq'ab, Kaqchikel lords left Q'umarkaj and founded their own capital at Iximche, on a ridge in the central highlands, becoming an independent and expanding power.

Rule and society

Iximche held palaces, temples and ballcourts in walled plazas for the leading lineages, whose two chief lords ruled jointly. The kingdom fought the K'iche' and Tz'utujil kingdoms. Its history, from origin myths to the Spanish conquest, is recorded in the Annals of the Kaqchikels, written in Kaqchikel in the colonial period.

Decline and legacy

The Kaqchikel kings Kaji' Imox and Beleheb' Kat welcomed Pedro de Alvarado in 1524, and Iximche briefly became the first Spanish capital. Harsh demands led to a revolt that ended in 1530; Kaji' Imox was hanged in 1540. Kaqchikel remains widely spoken.