they came originally from the
region of Mexico. Much later the Pipiles, a Nahuatl tribe, formed trade
colonies on the Pacific coast.

The Government and the Cities of the Cakchiquel and of the Quiche. The
ruler was chosen alternately from two families, the Zotzil and the
Xahil. In like manner the early Colombian chiefs of Tunja and of
Muequeta alternately chose from among their relatives the chief of
Suamo. The title of the ruler was Ahpo-Zotzil or Ahpo-Xahil, as the
case might be. The word _ahpo_, like the Quichua word _apu_, which it
resembles, means "Great Chief." There was a marked division into
classes among the Cakchiquel and the Quiche. In addition the sacerdotal
body was strongly intrenched in the social system. The Annals of the
Cakchiquel (Brinton, 1885) throw some light on the history of these
people. These Annals were written by a member of the Xahil family. The
mythical accounts go back to the reign of King Gagavitz, who flourished
about 1380. Sometime early in the fifteenth century the Cakchiquel came
into violent contact with the Quiche, and Quikab, King of the Quiche,
made good, for a time, his rule over the Cakchiquel. Later the latter
regained their freedom and founded Iximche.

Spanish Conquest. What Cortes was to Mexico and Montejo was to Yucatan,
Pedro de Albarado or Alvarado was to Guatemala. He was sent to that
country by Cortes, with whom he had been in Mexico. Leaving Mexico on
November 13, 1523, he went to Guatemala with about eighty adventurous
followers, an abundance of munitions, and some ships. He reduced the
whole region of the Cakchiquel-Quiche peoples to a Spanish province.
(Cortes, apud MacNutt, 1908, vol. ii, p. 178; Fuentes y Guzman, 1882,
vol. i, p. 46.) On July 25, 1524, the official title of this city
became Santiago de los Cavalleros de Goathemala. In 1533 the King
ordered Alvarado, whom he had made Governor of Guatemala, to make to
him a full report concerning the country and its people and their
customs. In 1541 Alvarado died at Guatemala, having in the meantime
been to Peru. From that time down to about 1675 the city and Audiencia
of Guatemala enjoyed a fair measure of prosperity under the usual type
of Spanish rule. In 1675 some Chol Indians arrived there, asking the
Dominican Provincial of Guatemala, Padre Maestro Fray Francisco
Gallegos, for missionaries to teach them the Christian faith.
(Villagutierre, p. 150 ff.)

Gallegos and Delgado. As a result of this Galleg