Kʼokaibʼ

Kʼokaibʼ was an early ahpop, “man of the mat”, as the Kʼicheʼ called their king, in the Guatemalan highlands. The Kʼicheʼ traced their rulers to invaders who entered the highlands around 1200 and founded three lineages: the ruling Nima Kʼicheʼ, the Tamub, and the warrior Ilokʼab.

Native king lists place Kʼokaibʼ at Pismachi, a new town with a large ritual center, around 1325–1350, after Ajkan and before Kʼonache.

Under these two kings the lineages began to quarrel, and the Ilokʼab left for Mukwitz Chilokʼab. The kingdom later moved its capital to Qʼumarkaj and dominated the highlands until the Spanish conquest of 1524.