Tepeu is a word of the
K'iche' Maya language meaning "sovereign" (also "one who conquers" or "one who is victorious"). The title is associated with the god
Q'uq'umatz of the
K'iche'-Maya, one of the creation gods of the
Popol Vuh
''Popol Vuh'' (also ''Popol Wuj'' or ''Popul Vuh'' or ''Pop Vuj'') is a text recounting the mythology and history of the Kʼicheʼ people, one of the Maya peoples, who inhabit Guatemala and the Mexican states of Chiapas, Campeche, Yucatan and Q ...
; his whole name translating as "Sovereign Plumed Serpent".
[
][
] The title has also been used by numerous
K'iche' 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 Nahua peoples, most of whom live mainly in Central Mexico and have smaller ...
''Tepeuh''.
Popol Vuh: The Book of the People: Popol Vuh: Preamble
References
Maya civilization
K'iche'
{{Mesoamerica-myth-stub