As a present, the Achi offered cocoa and pataxte to the main cacique, Francisco Izquin Ahpalotz y Nehaib, giving him validity as king and obeying him as tributaries.
[2][3][4] When Spanish Dominican friars arrived in present-day Guatemala, the only place they had yet to conquer was Tezulutlán, or "Tierra de Guerra" (Land of War).
[5] One of the oldest references to Cubulco, a dialect of the Achi language, is found in el Título Real (The Royal Title) of Don Francisco Izquin Nehabib, written in 1558.
[5] The Dutch anthropologist Ruud Van Akkeren, in an interview on Mayan ethnic groups,[6] stated that: The original name of Salamá, the capital of Baja Verapaz, is Tz'alam Ha', which means "tables on the water".
[5] In the municipality of Cubulco, there are less-visited archaeological sites such as Belejeb' Tzaq, Chilu, Los Cimientos, Nim Poco, and Pueblo Viejo.
At present, women who live in rural areas continue to make their own güipil, but not the trim, as they are the most technical, using the fine threads and colors from the western part of the country.
In addition to the production of oranges and other crops, other outstanding activities are: handicrafts in Morro (jícaras, huchas, chinchines and guacales) made of clay, maguey, and wicker.
[8] An important part of the Achi culture, textiles are made with the telar de cintura (backstrap loom) or palitos (sticks), and in the way of Ixchel.
First, the raw material is obtained at a communal plot called "capilla del barro" (chapel of clay), then it is left to dry in the sun, then water is poured and the mud is stamped until it is very smooth, so it is ready for use.
The handmade pottery is burned in the open air, in a flat place, surrounded by dung and wrapped entirely in dry straw (zacate or zacatón).
According to historian Luis Luján Muñoz, the oldest pieces have their owners' names written on them and sometimes have text that alludes to the events for which they were made.
[10] The morro and the jícara are processed in three ways: It is then rubbed with a cloth to polish it, and then carved to create landscapes, human and animal figures, as well as names and various symbols.
[10] The fat extracted from the niij is rubbed against the dry morro, becoming a plant-drying oil or a kind of wax, which when mixed with tizne (fine charcoal from ocote) becomes a lacquer-like film.
Sahagún, in his writings of 1582, reports that it was also used as a medicine for skin and throat diseases, uterine affections, inflammation of the testicles, and as an antidote for poisonous mushrooms.
—Charles MacVeanThey also produce rope, palm products, wax, leather, construction materials, musical instruments (such as the tun and the chirimía or shawm), and tulle.
[14] The family requesting la Virgen must have an exemplary home in the eyes of the community, and that the father and mother must be married, religiously and legally.
During this period, the Convite de Rabinal and Santa Cruz del Quiché are presented and the cofradía members celebrate with fireworks.
The legend of the Virgen del Patrocinio is well known by local historians, who say that in the mid-eighteenth century,[14] a woman appeared to an old man who was cutting wood on the summit of San Miguel Chicaj, asking him to tell the priest of Rabinal to go to confession.
In 2004 the chosen one was Albertina Alvarado López of the Xococ village, a primary school teacher, who indicated that she would encourage the government to care for children, since infants are the present and future of Guatemala.
In a ballot of four candidates, Vivian Adriana Chen Piox, Rosalina Tot Morente and Ana Leticia López Yol also competed.
There are specialized storytellers, whose qualities include knowing how to pass on the historical memory of their people, giving advice to the community, and being true sentinels of the cultures of the region.
The other type of storyteller is the occasional one, who narrates with less mastery than the ajtzij, although they retain a large part of the wisdom and the ancestral traditions of their people.
The legends that are narrated during rituals by the ajtzij on sacred hills and shrines recall the mythical history, which for the Achí of Rabinal, is true.
Then, the man was frightened and went to ask forgiveness from the Señor del Cerro (Lord of the Hill), "doing a ritual for him" ("haciéndole una costumbre") to calm his anger.
Variants of this legend are found in every municipality of the region, but especially in Salamá, San Miguel Chicaj and Granados, and in Purulhá with those of Pocomchí ancestry.
The atzij say that the Dios Mundo is supported by four giant men, who when they get tired of holding it all up ("de sostenerlo a tuto"), change their position, and that is when earthquakes are generated.
La Llorona in Chol, shows a very different variant, since instead of drowning her son, she eats him to enact revenge on her husband who had a relationship with a woman from Cobán.
Other scary creatures are la Siguamonta, el Cadejo and los Tzizimites, of the sugar cane, which is abundant in San Jerónimo, Purulhá, and Cubulco.
The griffin (el pájaro grifo) is characterized as a western literary figure from Salamá, and several stories are found in the mestizo population.
It tells of the adventures of a boy, inhabitant of El Chol, who has to obtain feathers of a magic bird called griffin to heal and marry the daughter of the Gran Señor of the water country (país del agua).