Kaybʼil Bʼalam (alternatively written Kaibil Balam) was a 16th-century leader of the Mam people in the Maya kingdom in the western highlands of Guatemala.
[1] During the time of the Spanish invasion, the Mam population was mainly situated in Xinabahul (now modern-day Huehuetenango).
However, due to the Spanish conquest, the people returned to the stone fortifications of Zaculeu for protection.
[3] In 1975, the Guatemalan Army created a special operations force, the Kaibiles, named after Kaybʼil Bʼalam.
The group is centered out of Huehuetenango ("Land of the Old") some 5 km from the original stand off site at Zaculeu.