Chinabajul

Chinabajul, also known as Zaculeu, was a fortified Mam Maya center in the western highlands of Guatemala. Deep ravines guarded much of the settlement, whose plazas and temples formed the heart of a powerful lordship. In 1525 Gonzalo de Alvarado led Spanish troops and Indigenous allies against the Mam defenders. Their leader Kayb’il B’alam held the stronghold through a prolonged siege, but hunger eventually forced its surrender and brought the Mam center under Spanish control.

The later city of Huehuetenango lies here.