Chuitinamit also known as Chiyá, was
the capitol of the Tzu'tuhil ,“
flower of the nations”
people, founded around 1400
AD, located on a
hilltop
north of what is today's
Santiago Atitlán,
Sololá, the defensive location is typical of the
Post classic Highlands cities.
The ruler was called A'Tziquinajay or ‘he, of the bird house’.
The ceremonial center at the top of the hill was tinamit, it also was
the administrative center, the lower part near the lake was the amak,
that mainly were noble houses and some temples.. It was conquered by the
Cak'chiquels, That kept the north shore
of
Lake Atitlán (Panajachel and Palopó).
The northwest shore of the lake, was conquered by the
K'ichés in times
of K'ikab. He took Santa Clara and ‘Panyevar’, now a village in
San Juan, marking the frontier K'iché-Tzu'tuhil. San Juan and
Tzununá continued in Tzu'tuhils hands. A small associated site was
Cho’qu’muc, 2 km. east from
Santiago Atitlán,
that was abandoned in 1548, due to the emigration of their settlers in
Santiago. Other Tzu'tuhil sites were:
Chacayá, Pachavaj, Xikomuk, Chejiyú and
Tolimán.
It has more than 30 structures with a
Pyramidal temple and 2 Plazas,
the first one closed and surrounded by defensive walls, reserved
for the nobles and
astronomical
observations (Tinamit) and the other in the lower level (Amak),
open for public ceremonies, there are no well designed structures
although there are aligned to the east, here
have been found several petrocarvings, the lords lived in this
ceremonial center and had its farming lands in the
pacific lowlands
where the common people lived. The
Bloodletting rituals
were used by them, in Xeoj, the practiced it, in October when the
cacao flowers
open to ensure a good crop.
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Site Map |
The identified Petrocarving places |
