Tecun Uman, Guatemala

 I lived in Guatemala for several years back in the late 80's.  When there, I spent several months in a great little village outside of Quetzaltenango.  The village is known as Olintepeque.  While there, I learned that the national hero of Guatemala had died there.  I was intrigued.  What had this man done to become the national hero of an entire country.  Here is his story.

Before we get to the real story of Tecun Uman, I want to share with you what the locals told me. I asked the locals in Olintepeque many questions about him. I was fascinated. They explained to me that he had fought the Spaniards back during the conquest and had been defeated. Locally, the story goes that he gathered the Quiche people around him and led them to battle. In his battle, he was killed and defeated. The most amazing part of the story was that I was always told he had 70,000 warriors and they were defeated by a Spanish party of about 400 men.  The true story is a little different.

"Why have you chosen a hero who was killed in battle?" I would always ask.

They would look at me as if I was the most obtuse person on earth and respond only with many variations of, "He fought."

At the time, I was fairly new to the country. This response didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. Later, I learned that it makes all the sense in the world.

Tecun Uman was said to have been born around the year 1500 in Guatemala. Many believe he was the last king of the Quiche Mayans. Guatemala declared that he was their national hero for the battle he fought against the Spaniards in the valley of El Pinal where the modern village of Olintepeque sits.

Olintepeque is a small village just outside of Quetzaltenango. The flat plains coming out of Quetzaltenango dip slightly into a wide river valley. Here, a smallish shallow river runs back and forth through grasslands. At the far end of the valley, the flat lands turn abruptly to the sky and form a formidable mountain range. In the lee of these mountains, the village of Olintepeque stands. With a main road that comes into the town and crosses over a scenic stone bridge which overlooks the river, the main part of the village has only four or five main roads in both directions. Few cars pass, most of the traffic is of the foot variety. Off to the right hand side, a large grass field stands surrounded by the river on one side and trees on two others. The fourth side is bordered with one of the main city roads. In this field today, local soccer games are played on a regular basis.

It is in this field that Tecun Uman stood up to the Spaniards with his roughly 8500 men. The Spaniards were far outnumbered but had technology on their side. Don Pedro de Alvarado y Contreras was sent by Hernan Cortes to subdue the Quiche Mayans. With 300 soldiers, around 125 archers and gunmen, about 130 horsemen and several hundred of the Quiche's historic enemies, the Katchikel Mayans, Don Alvarado attacked. Tecun Uman and his men were slaughtered. This much is fact.

Many legends say that Tecun Uman and Don Alvarado met on the field and Tecun Uman thought that Don Alvarado and his horse were one beast. It is said Tecun killed the horse thinking he had slain the beast but then Don Alvarado killed him. with his spear. Then the legends say that Tecun Uman's nahual (his animal spirit guide) was filled with sorrow and landed on the hero's chest. The blood from the slain Tecun stained the Quetzal bird's breast and ever since, all male Quetzals have red feathers on their breast.

The truth, I think, is that because the native Guatemalans have been so beaten down through the centuries, that for them, anyone who stands up to a conquering nation is a hero. In my mind, this is why Tecun Uman is a true hero, he fought bravely in spite of certain defeat at the hands of better equipped enemies.

Today, his story is celebrated throughout the country on February 20th--the anniversary of his death. May we all be so brave as to fight on against the seemingly insurmountable odds that may surround us in our lives. One day, maybe people will see our efforts as heroic.

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