Chutixtiox, Maya archaeological site in Quiché, Guatemala

Chutixtiox is a Maya settlement site on a high ridge overlooking the Rio Negro valley, containing about 30 structures arranged around a central plaza. The terrain sits on steep cliffs that provided natural protection for the community.

The settlement developed during the late postclassical Maya period and connected to the K'iche capital of Q'umarkaj, as shown by archaeological finds. Pottery and other artifacts reveal that the place was an important center before it was eventually abandoned.

The Popul Vuh names four groups settled around Sacapulas: the Lamakib, Kumatz, Tuhal Haa and Uch'aba Haa. Chutixtiox may be the Kumatz settlement, placed on the north side of the river; the Annals of the Kaqchikels and the Título Xpantzay II record its early 15th-century conquest by the central K'iche'.

The site sits at elevation with hiking paths over hilly ground, where steep slopes make walking challenging. Visitors should wear sturdy shoes and take care on uneven paths between the structures.

Excavations found a well-preserved sculpture of a crouching jaguar at the base of the stairway of Structure 3, one of the long structures. A life-size stucco jaguar was also buried with the deceased in a tomb beneath another long structure. Structure 10 held a rectangular stone-lined tomb whose doorway was sealed with a stone slab.