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Kaybʼil Bʼalam
Kaybʼil Bʼalam (alternatively written Kaibil Balam) was a 16th-century leader of the Mam people in the Maya kingdom in the western highlands of Guatemala. During the time of the Spanish invasion, the Mam population was mainly situated in Xinabahul (now modern-day Huehuetenango). However, due to the Spanish conquest, the people returned to the stone fortifications of Zaculeu for protection. The city was attacked in 1525 by '' conquistador'' Gonzalo de Alvarado y Contreras, brother of Pedro de Alvarado. Kaybʼil Bʼalam and his warriors successfully repelled the attempted siege by the Spanish forces for several months until being forced to surrender after being reduced to the verge of starvation.Recinos 1986, p.110. In 1975, the Guatemalan Army created a special operations force, the Kaibiles, named after Kaybʼil Bʼalam. The group is centered out of Huehuetenango Huehuetenango () is a city and municipality in the highlands of western Guatemala. It is also the capital of the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mam People
The Mam are an indigenous people in the western highlands of Guatemala and in south-western Mexico who speak the Mam language. Most Mam (617,171) live in Guatemala, in the departments of Huehuetenango, San Marcos (department), San Marcos, and Quetzaltenango (department), Quetzaltenango. The Mam people in Mexico (23,632) live principally in the Soconusco, Soconusco region of Chiapas. In pre-Columbian times the Mam were part of the Maya civilization; the pre-Columbian capital of the Mam kingdom was Zaculeu. Many Mam live in and around the nearby modern city of Huehuetenango. The city of Quetzaltenango or Xela was originally Mam. Many more Mam live in small hamlets in the mountains of northern Guatemala, keeping many of the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
