K'iche' Kingdom of Q'umarkaj
| Q'umarkaj (Utatlán) | ||||||||
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| Capital | Q'umarkaj | |||||||
| Languages | Classical K'iche' | |||||||
| Government | Monarchy | |||||||
| Ajpop | ||||||||
| • | ~1225–1250 (first) | B'alam Kitze | ||||||
| • | ~1500–1524 (last) | Oxib Keh | ||||||
| History | ||||||||
| • | Established | c.1225 | ||||||
| • | Conquered | 1524 | ||||||
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The K'iche' kingdom of Q'umarkaj was a state in the highlands of modern-day Guatemala which was founded by the K'iche' (Quiché) Maya in the thirteenth century, and which expanded through the fifteenth century until it was conquered by Spanish and Nahua forces led by Pedro de Alvarado in 1524.
The K'iche' kingdom reached its height under the king K'iq'ab who ruled from the fortified town of Q'umarkaj (also called by its Nahuatl name Utatlán) near the modern town of Santa Cruz del Quiché. During his rule the K'iche' ruled large areas of highland Guatemala extending into Mexico, and they subdued other Maya peoples such as the Tz'utujil, Kaqchikel and Mam, as well as the Nahuan Pipil people.
The history of the Quiché Kingdom is described in a number of documents written in postcolonial times both in Spanish and in indigenous languages such as Classical K'iche' and Kaqchikel. Important sources include the Popol Vuh which, apart from the well-known mythology, also contains a history and genealogy of the Kaweq lineage such as the Título de Totonicapán. Information from these can be crosschecked with the Annals of the Cakchiquels recounting the history of the Kaqchikel vassals and later enemies of the K'iche'. A number of other títulos such as those of Sacapulas, the C'oyoi, Nijaib and Tamub titles each recount K'iche' history from the viewpoint of a specific K'iche' lineage. Other sources include those written by conquistadors and ecclesiastics, and administrative documents of the colonial administration.
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