Etymology
Q'umarkaj comes from the K'iche' Q'umqaraq'aj. While often translated as "place of old reeds" or "place of rotted cane", the name Q'uma'rka'aaj translates more precisely as "rotted reed houses" (q'uma'r = "rotten"; ka'aaj = "house or shack built of cane and reeds"). It was translated as Tecpan Utatlan by the Nahuatl-speaking Tlaxcalan allies of the Spanish conquistadors, with Tecpan being added to distinguish the city as being a seat of rule, equivalent to the Tollan used in Mesoamerica in earlier times.
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