Mixco Viejo

Mixco Viejo occupies a set of narrow ridges surrounded by deep ravines north of Guatemala City, a position chosen entirely for defence, and it was one of the fortified highland capitals occupied in the centuries before the Spanish arrival. The site has plazas on separate ridge tops linked by narrow necks of land, with steep temple platforms, ball courts and long structures, restored in the twentieth century. The ruins were named after the Poqomam capital of that name in colonial records, but that link was a mistake: the site has now been identified as Jilotepeque Viejo, capital of the Chajoma kingdom. The setting does most of the work: pine and scrub, deep gorges on every side, and almost no other visitors.

History

The ruins were long taken for the Poqomam capital that colonial records call Mixco Viejo, but they have now been identified as Jilotepeque Viejo, the capital of the Chajoma kingdom, built to be safer from attack by the hostile Kaqchikel kingdom of Iximche than their earlier capital. At the Spanish conquest the Chajoma may at first have allied with the Spanish together with Iximche, before joining the general Kaqchikel uprising against them in 1524 (Wikipedia, Mixco Viejo).

What you'll find

• Plazas on separate ridges - groups linked by narrow necks of land.
• Steep temple platforms - the highland building style.
• Ball courts - the playing fields between the plazas.
• Deep ravines on every side - the defensive position of the site.

When to go

Any time between November and April. Half a day from Guatemala City, though the drive is winding and slower than the distance suggests.

Good to know

The road is narrow, winding and in poor condition in stretches. There is little interpretation on site. Facilities are minimal. The identification of who built it remains disputed, and guides state it with more confidence than the evidence supports.

Nearby

San Juan Sacatepequez is south; Guatemala City lies beyond it.

Key facts