Thanks to endless excavations and valuable finds, including entire cities of an ancient civilization, the neighborhood of the Guatemalan city of Chimaltenango is one of the most desirable tourist sites and the most visited places in the country.

The history of this region begins in 1462, after the collapse of the Mayan empire into many peoples and tribes, one of which were the Kaqchikel. They separated from the K'iche' Kingdom and formed their state with Iximché as its capital. Iximché was an important religious center of Kaqchikel. Later it became the first capital of the Kingdom of Guatemala and played an important role in the history of Central America. As in K'iche', the Kaqchikel people were headed by 4 lords: Tzotzil, Xahil, Tucuché, and Acajal. Each was responsible for his sphere of influence: governance, economics, religion, and the defense of the state. The latter was especially important for this state because of the constant enmity with the K'iche' Kingdom.

Today, the archaeological zone is represented by six different sites, three of which are open to the public. Excavations by archaeologists are still ongoing in the rest. The architectural complex, built in the traditional style of the Mayan peoples, can be attributed to the 15th century. All of its buildings have survived to this day in excellent condition because the state of Kaqchikel concluded a peace treaty with the Spanish conquerors. They helped the conquistadors in enmity with other local tribes in exchange for the preservation of their territories.

In the ruins of the ancient city, you can notice the remains of the palace walls, pyramidal temples with altars and evidence of human sacrifice, tombs, and two fields for ball games, one of the favorite entertainment of those times. In total, archaeologists discovered about 160 buildings. Besides, many significant artifacts, such as sculptures and ceramics, have been found at this site.

Even though the territory of the ancient city of Iximché is considered an open-air museum, modern descendants of the Kaqchikel tribe still perform rituals on its ruins. In the ceremonial part, six stone altars have been preserved. There the Indians regularly leave flowers, food, and drinks as sacrifices.