Tepeu is a word of the Kʼicheʼ Maya language meaning "sovereign" (also "one who conquers" or "one who is victorious"). The title is associated with the god

Qʼuqʼumatz Qʼuqʼumatz (; alternatively Gukumatz) was a god of wind and rain of the Postclassic Kʼicheʼ Maya. It was the Feathered Serpent that according to the ''Popol Vuh'' created the world and humanity, together with the god Tepeu.. It carried t ...

of the Kʼicheʼ-Maya, one of the creation gods of the

Popol Vuh ''Popol Vuh'' (also ''Popul Vuh'' or ''Pop Vuj'') is a text recounting the mythology and history of the Kʼicheʼ people of Guatemala, one of the Maya peoples who also inhabit the Mexican states of Chiapas, Campeche, Yucatan and Quintana Roo, ...

; his whole name translating as "Sovereign Plumed Serpent". The title has also been used by numerous Kʼicheʼ rulers such as Tepepul. The word originated from the

Nahuatl Nahuatl ( ; ), Aztec, or Mexicano is a language or, by some definitions, a group of languages of the Uto-Aztecan language family. Varieties of Nahuatl are spoken by about Nahuas, most of whom live mainly in Central Mexico and have smaller popul ...

''Tepeuh''.Popol Vuh: The Book of the People: Popol Vuh: Preamble

References

Maya civilization K'iche' {{Mesoamerica-myth-stub