Cobàn was conquered by the Spanish in a much different way than the rest of Guatemala.  Even though the Indians of the highlands had been forced under the rule of the Spanish for more than a decade, those in the Cobàn area resisted and the area came to be known as Tesulutlàn, or the Land of War.

A different approach, using peaceful means, was implemented by Friar Bartolomè de las Casas.  First, he made a contract with the Spanish authorities that they would leave the Indians alone for five years while he and his collaborators slowly converted the local population to Christianity.  Using translation of scripture to Quiche, as well as gifts of knives and mirrors, the conversion was complete about ten years after Cobàn was founded in 1538.

In the 1880's and 1890's, hundreds of Germans were invited to Cobàn by President Barrios in order to plant coffee in the unused land. The Germans maintained their language and customs and some were heard to say, "Heil Hitler," during the 1930's.  During World War II, when Guatemala sided with the Allies, those who had remained German citizens were no longer welcome in the area and returned to Germany.  You will still find blue-eyed, blond-haired Guatemalans in the Cobàn area.  

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