ield camp occupied by the commander, Pedro de Alvarado, and his captains.
Four group diagram
Combining elements of costume, masks, and staging, the personages fall into four groups:
- The Rey K’iche’ (K’iche’ king) and his court in their palace at Q’umarcaaj
- The caciques led by Tekum in his palace at Xelajuj Noj
- The Maya priest-diviners in their temple on the volcano
- The Spaniards in their field camp
Continue reading for further information on the mask, costume, attributes and staging for each of these four groups.
1. The Royal Court at Q'umarcaaj
The Rey K’iche’ (K’iche’ king) resides in his palace at the head of the dance area, flanked by two young princes and two princesses, called Malinches, all of whom carry the royal sceptre. However, the Rey K’iche’ begins and ends the drama dancing with the blue-and-white Guatemalan flag which represents the sovereignty of the K’iche’ nation before the Spanish invasion.
The Rey K’iche’s mask is partially bald to show his advanced age, and his brow is furrowed with worry about the fate of his kingdom. His mask has light skin and golden hair, like those of the Spaniards, but with dark eyes like those of the caciques. The combination of Maya clothing and “European” masks underlines/expresses his transitional function, as the first to renounce Maya religion and adopt Christianity.
The princes are danced by boys. Their masks are likewise light-skinned and blond-haired, with a mustache that represents their gender, not their age. The princesses or Malinches are danced by girls wearing their finest hand-made clothing. (In some communities, they also wear a veil over their face.) The Malinches are the only persons in this dance who sing.
2. Tekum and the Caciiques at Xelajuj Noj
The caciques are K’iche’ leaders of high political authority and social rank who also serve as military officers in defending K’iche’ sovereignty. They are shown to be ethnically Maya by their dark skin, black hair and mustache, and brown eyes. The caciques carry an attribute that represents a bow and arrow.
Tekum was the heir to the K’iche’ throne and, following K’iche’ tradition, was also the captain general of the K’iche’ army. Tekum carries the royal sceptre until he receives the flag from the Rey K’iche’ as a sign of his military authority. In the late 17th century, the Guatemalan historian Fuentes y Guzmán decided to give him a surname in the Spanish fashion. Since then he has been known as Tekum Umam.
Tekum’s mask is noted for its fierce expression as well as the two carved quetzal birds. Tekum also wears a stuffed quetzal effigy on his crown, with the tail hanging down his back. This association of Tekum with the quetzal bird has developed gradually: originally his animal counterpart was the eagle. By the 1870s, it was believed that the quetzal is represented the struggle for liberty, as it cannot survive in captivity. Tekum was understood at this time to be a patriot who fought and died for the freedom of his fatherland.
Huitzitzil Zunun is Tekum’s second-in-command. His emblem (and name) is the hummingbird, which appears as an emblem on his headband. The hummingbird is associated with the sun, so he has an aureole of feathers surrounding his face. At times Huitzitzil Tzunun carries the bladed club called macana or macahuitl.
3. Ajitz and Ajitz Chiquito: The Priest-Diviners
Ajitz and Chiquito serve Tekum as his priest-diviners, so they carry a morral or shoulder bag for divination equipment. In Ajitz’s morral he carries the vara, a small bag with red beans and rock crystal used for divination. He also carries a small idol of the storm deity Tohil, the main K’iche’ deity, and he carries a chain that he will use to bind the Spanish emissaries. Ajitz and Chiquito also carry an axe, representing lightning as an attribute of Tohil.
The character of Chiquito does not appear in the original text for the dance. Furthermore, the character of Ajitz is written in part as a clown and a coward: both aspects that Maya performers over the centuries have altered greatly. But the clown role has led to another funct