 The Kaqchikel people abandoned their city and fled to the forests and hills on 28 August 1524.Ten days later the Spanish declared war on the Kaqchikel.Two years later, on 9 February 1526, a group of sixteen Spanish deserters burnt the palace of the "Ahpo Xahil", sacked the temples and kidnapped a priest, acts that the Kaqchikel blamed on Pedro de Alvarado.