Mixco Viejo

Mixco Viejo, occasionally called Jilotepeque Viejo, is an archaeological site in the north east of the Chimaltenango department of Guatemala, some 50 kilometres to the north of Guatemala City and 4 kilometres from the junction of the rivers Pixcaya and Motagua [1]. It is a moderate sized ruined city of the Postclassic Maya civilization [1]. The archaeological site has now been identified as Jilotepeque Viejo, the capital of the Chajoma kingdom [1]. Jilotepeque Viejo was settled by the Chajoma in order to provide a capital that was safer from attack from the hostile Iximche Kaqchikel kingdom than their previous capital [1]. In spite of this, the city fell under the domination of Iximche and the city's architecture, spread in a number of fortified groups along a ridge surrounded by deep ravines, shows a mixture of Chajoma and Kaqchikel styles [1]. The ruins consist of 15 groups containing the remains of over 120 major structures, including temples, palaces, and courts for playing the Mesoamerican ballgame [1].