13 minSummaryRead it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook editionPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What does conquest look like when the people whose world it breaks keep the record?
In The Annals of the Cakchiquels, Francisco Hernández Arana Xajilá preserves the history of his Kaqchikel Maya people. A nobleman of the Xahil family, he draws on memories of origins, migration and rule in Guatemala’s highlands. According to the chronicle, the ancestors begin their journey at a gathering place called Tulan.
The record follows the Kaqchikel rise under the shadow of the stronger K’iche’, then turns to rival factions and quarrels over power. When Pedro de Alvarado arrives, the Kaqchikel kings welcome him as an ally. War, disease and forced labor threaten their world, while the chronicle holds on to memories that might otherwise fade.
What you’ll discover
- Origins remembered at Tulan Follow the ancestors’ departure in a chronicle that places a people’s remembered beginnings first.
- Power in the highlands Trace migration and rivalry as the Kaqchikel seek their place beside the stronger K’iche’.
- An uneasy Spanish alliance See Alvarado’s arrival through the Kaqchikel account of welcome, alliance and growing conflict.
- Memory under threat Encounter the effort to preserve elders’ knowledge as painted books and spoken memories fade.
- A record carried onward Discover a history begun by Hernández Arana Xajilá and continued by Francisco Díaz Xebut Queh.
Who will love it
This book suits readers who love origin myths, family chronicles and firsthand accounts of the Spanish conquest. It will please anyone curious about Maya history or how a people holds its memory through loss.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Family memory becomes a claim
- The ancestors begin with maize
- A crossing leads to separate roads
- The journey leaves names and losses
- Shared water makes room for peace
- A bread seller helps change history
- Victory cannot keep sickness away
- A welcome turns into a demand
- Memory keeps the people's road visible
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The Annals of the Cakchiquels
by Francisco Hernández Arana Xajilá
A Cakchiquel nobleman writes for his children about the ancestral journey from Tulan and the later founding of Iximche.
Easy readUnder 2 hours to read20 languages
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In short
What does a people remember when they have lost their city, and who do they write for? The Annals of the Cakchiquels opens with a father speaking to his children.
The Annals of the Cakchiquels at a glance
- Reading time
- About 45 min35 min fast, 55 min slow
- Length
- 10,900 words
- Library level
- Easy short sentences, plain words
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A family record written for the children
The Annals are not a neutral history. The writer wants the young Xahila to remember who their ancestors were and what those ancestors won.
Its first page calls it the record for the process, meaning a lawsuit. The family seems to have filed its whole history as proof of old privileges. The main writer was already an adult when the Spaniards came in 1524.
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- 15-minute summary
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Details
- Language
- English
- Level
- Easy read
Cite this edition
Arana Xajilá, Francisco Hernández. The Annals of the Cakchiquels. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-annals-of-the-cakchiquels.
Arana Xajilá, F. H. (2026). The annals of the Cakchiquels. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-annals-of-the-cakchiquels
Arana Xajilá, Francisco Hernández. The Annals of the Cakchiquels. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-annals-of-the-cakchiquels.
@book{aranaxajila2026annals,
author = {Arana Xajilá, Francisco Hernández},
title = {The Annals of the Cakchiquels},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-annals-of-the-cakchiquels}
}
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What is The Annals of the Cakchiquels about?
It is a Maya family chronicle. It tells of the journey of the Cakchiquels from Tulan, their settlement in Guatemala, their kings and wars, the founding of Iximche, and the arrival of the Spaniards in 1524.
Who were the Cakchiquels?
They were a Maya people of the Guatemalan highlands. They were close neighbors and rivals of the Quiche, the Tzutuhils and the Akahals, and their kings came from the Xahil and Zotzil families.
Who is Tunatiuh in the Annals?
Tunatiuh is the name given to Pedro de Alvarado, the Spanish conqueror. It comes from the Aztec word for the sun, and the Cakchiquels use it for the commander who entered Iximche in 1524.
The author
Francisco Hernández Arana Xajilá
1502–1581 · Maya chronicler
Arana Xajilá, Francisco Hernández, approximately 1502-1581.
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