178 UNIT 2 COLONIAL MESOAMERICA
Figure 4.10 Conquest of Quetzaltenango, the place where the K’iche’ Mayan leader, Tekum,
was killed by the Spaniards. From the Lienzo de Tlaxcala. Guatemala, CA: Dirección General
de Cartografía (DGC), Editorial del Ejército, 1963.a K’iche’ point of view, this version casts the encounter in mythological terms. In at-
tacking Alvarado, Tekum is transformed into a valiant eagle; in death he becomes a
resplendent quetzal bird whose beauty astonishes the Spanish leader. Even in defeat
the native hero is glorified (see Box 4.3 for the full text on the death of Tekum from
the K’iche’ perspective).
After this defeat, the K’iches invited the Spaniards to return with them to their
capital, Q’umarkaaj or Utatlán. Once there, Alvarado realized that the Spaniards
had been led into a trap, and he and his men slipped away, taking several K’iche’ lords
prisoner. Alvarado then fought to bring the area surrounding Utatlán under con-
trol, and Utatlán itself was burned. Here the Spaniards were aided by the Kaqchikel
Mayas, enemies of the K’iches.