The Quiche Mayas of Utatlan: The Evolution of a Highland Guatemala Kingdom (Civilization of the American Indian Series)

Publisher's statement: "At the time of the Spanish conquest the Quiches were the most powerful group in the Guatemala highlands. Over a period of several hundred years they had migrated from the Gulf Coast to the region north of Lake Atitlan, established dominion over the native peoples, subjugated other Maya groups, and built a military and political empire that was comparable to the ancient empires of the Mediterranean. The Quiches ruled from the city they built in the highland plains, an architectural wonder to which they gave the splendid name K'umarcaaj, but which became known throughout the Maya world as Utatlan. A markedly creative people, they evolved a complex cosmology at one with nature, a calendric system, and a system of writing. From this rich culture came their consummate achievement, the Popul Vuh, the 'first book of the New World.'"