User:Joe Quick/sandbox

Destination: K'iche'

Prehispanic Period

Scholarship has followed two lines in an effort to establish the origins of the K'iche' people: some scholars assert that there is evidence to suggest that the K'iche' developed as a distinct people in situ while others argue that the journey described in the Popol Vuh reflects an actual migration of lineages from further north who incorporated themselves into local groups to establish the K'iche' state. Their origins notwithstanding, it is widely agreed that the K'iche' state began with the establishment of Utatlan around the year 1200. Thereafter, the power of the K'iche' expanded quickly, to encompass an extensive territory and large population.

Colonial Period

The K'iche' first made contact with the Spanish conquistadors in 1523, with the arrival of an expeditionary force led by Pedro de Alvarado.

Religion

Traditional Maya religious custom, or costumbre, is a syncretic conglomeration of pre-Columbian traditions and Catholicism. It combines devotion to the Catholic saints and celebrations of the Catholic festivals with traditional dances and elaborate ceremonies conducted at ceremonial sites that are scattered throughout the surrounding mountains.

Evangelical Protestantism has become increasingly strong since its arrival in the region in the 1970s.