230 
GUATEMALA. 
king, Topiltzin Acxitl, returned to the fruitful lands of 
Central America, and in Honduras founded the kingdom 
of Hueytlat, with the principal city of Copantl, now 
known by the wonderful ruins of Copan. 
Other immigrations are mentioned by tradition, but no 
definite account of their origin is given. It seems prob¬ 
able, however, that certain tribes, called Mam 1 or Mem, 
came from the North and destroyed both Tula and Na- 
chan. Another inroad, led by the four chiefs Balam 
Agab, Balam Quitze, Mahucutah, and Iq Balam, ad¬ 
vanced as far as Mount Hacavitz in Verapaz, north of 
Rabinal; and here these chiefs remained as freebooters 
and founded that tribe known as the Quiches. They 
constantly attacked their neighbors, and offered the cap¬ 
tives taken in these encounters to their god Tohil, who, 
with Avilitz and Hacavitz, formed the trinity in the 
Quiche cult. Force and stratagem proving of no avail 
against them, the surrounding tribes gradually submitted; 
and when peace was established, the four captains con¬ 
veniently disappeared, leaving the government in the 
hands of three sons, Iq Balam having no offspring. And 
now we have the curious account given by the un¬ 
known author of the “Popul Vuh,” or sacred book of the 
Quiches, of which two translations exist, one in Spanish 
by Ximenes, the other in French by the Abbe Brasseur 
de Bourbourg. The annalist tells us that before the 
departure of the four chiefs they charged their sons to 
undertake a journey to the East; and the new rulers, in 
obedience to this command, passed the sea easily (Lago 
de Izabal ?) and came to the city of a great lord called 
1 Meaning dumb, because they could not pronounce certain letters of the 
Cakchiquel alphabet. 
