Kʼicheʼ people
Women in El Quiché | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 1,680,551 (11.28% of the Guatemalan population) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Guatemala: | 1,680,551 |
| Quiché | 570,985 |
| Totonicapán | 405,765 |
| Quetzaltenango | 227,663 |
| Sololá | 180,488 |
| Suchitepéquez | 143,396 |
| United States | |
| Languages | |
| Kʼicheʼ, Spanish | |
| Religion | |
| Roman Catholic, Evangelical, Maya religion | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Kaqchikel, Tzutujil, Uspantek, Sakapultek | |
Kʼicheʼ (pronounced [kʼiˈtʃeʔ]; previous Spanish spelling: Quiché) are Indigenous peoples of the Americas and are one of the Maya peoples. The eponymous Kʼicheʼ language is a Mesoamerican language in the Mayan language family. The highland Kʼicheʼ states in the pre-Columbian era are associated with the ancient Maya civilization, and reached the peak of their power and influence during the Mayan Postclassic period (c. 950–1539 AD).
The meaning of the word Kʼicheʼ in the Kʼicheʼ language is "many trees". The Nahuatl translation, Cuauhtēmallān "Place of the Many Trees (People)", is the origin of the word Guatemala. Quiché Department is also named after them. Rigoberta Menchú Tum, an activist for Indigenous rights who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1992, is perhaps the best-known Kʼicheʼ person.