The city of Huehuetenango sits on the site of Chinabajul, which in pre-Columbian times was the capital of the kingdom of the Mams.  The Mam language is still spoken today by more than 40,000 people in the Huehuetenango, Quetzaltenango, San Marcos and Retalhuleu areas.

During the Spanish conquest, Gonzalo de Alvarado, brother of Pedro Alvarado, led 2000 Spanish troupes to Huehuetenago to seek revenge against the Mams, and their leader Kabil Balam, for their plot to ambush the Spanish in Utalán.   The Mams were warned of the approach of the Spanish and barricaded themselves inside Zaculeo.  In the end, however, the Mams were defeated in a grueling battle that lasted several weeks.

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