lies on the road leading from the famous church of Santo Tomas in Chichicastenango to a secluded clearing in the mountains known as Pascual Abaj where rituals sacred to the Maya have been performed for centuries. Its location between these two religious poles, one Catholic, the other Maya, is summarized by the symbolism of the double-headed bird. The bird is ubiquitous in the textile designs of the Quiche Maya and evolved as a synthesis of the Maya deity kot and the double headed eagle of the Spanish crown.