Iximche - Political Organisation

Political Organisation

The Kaqchikel kingdom itself was divided among four clans that between them contained ten principal lineages or "big houses". The clans themselves were the Xahil, who were the main branch of the Kaqchikel, the Sotz'il, the Tukuche and the Akajal.

The rulers of Iximche were four principal lords with the titles of Ahpo Sotz'il, Ahpo Xahil, K'alel Achi and Ahuchan, although in reality it was the first two of these that held the real power. The two main clans of the Kaqchikel people each provided a leader, one was the Ahpo Sotz'il ("Lord of the Sotz'il") and the other was the Ahpo Xahil. These royal titles were originally bestowed upon the leaders of the Xahil and Sotz'il clans by the K'iche' in gratitude for their military services to the K'iche' Kingdom of Q'umarkaj. Both leaders were supposed to be equal in rank but in practice the Sotz'il king was the senior (or nab'ey al, "firstborn child") while the king of the Xahil was subordinate (the chipil al, "lastborn child"). The K'alel Achi and the Ahuchan were the other two lords, which translate from Kaqchikel as the "principal person" and the "speaker". The Kaqchikel document Testamento de los Xpantzay gives alternate titles for two of the four lords. This document lists the Ahpo Sotz'il and the Ahpo Xahil as the two most important, the other two lords were drawn from two additional clans and were the Ahpo Tukuche ("Lord of the Tukuche") and the Ahpo Raxonihay ("Lord of the Raxonihay").

The titles of Ahpo Sotz'il and Ahpo Xahil were passed from father to son. The Xahil heir bore the title Ahpop Achi Ygich, and the Sotz'il heir bore the title Ahpop Achi Balam. They were important positions in their own right and the heirs were military leaders who commanded on the battlefield.

When Iximche was founded in the late 15th century AD Wuqu-Batz' was Ahpo Sotz'il, Hun-Toh was Ahpo Xahil, Chuluk was K'alel Achi and Xitamel-Keh was Ahuchan. According to the early Colonial Kaqchikel document Memorial de Sololá, the last two of these were not very important. Each of the four lords had his own section in the new city that included his palace, royal court and temples.