It is uncertain whether at the present day any of the aboriginal names of places survive, for the successive invaders from the North or from beyond the seas, if they did not utterly destroy towns, imposed new names on the conquered places. We speak of the ruins of Palenque or of Quirigua, but we do not know the former names of these places, and call them, for convenience, by the name of the nearest modern village. Much ingenuity has been expended in the derivation of Indian names still extant, even the name of the republic itself being one of the undetermined ones; for while Guatemala is undoubtedly taken from the name of the Cakchiquel capital, Tecpan Quahtemalan, it is not known whether this was named for Prince Jieutemal, or indeed whether the prince of that name ever existed. _Quiché_ is derived from _qui_, “many,” and _che_, “trees;” or from _queche_, _quechelau_, meaning “a forest,”—an inappropriate name now. No less questionable are the derivations of _Tucurúb_, “town of owls;” _Es(Itz)cuintla(n)_, “land of dogs;” _Izmachi_, “black hair;” and many others. The termination _pan_ means a “standard” or “chief place;” hence, _Mayapan_ of the Mayas, and _Totonicapan_ of the Totonaques. _Tepec_ is a “mountain,” or “high place;” hence, Alotepeque, Coatepeque, Olintepeque, Jilotepeque, and Quezaltepeque,—all of them in mountainous regions, the second being a volcano of considerable height. _Tlan_ means a “city” or “home;” hence, _Atitlan_, “the home of the old woman (Atit),” _Zapotitlan_, etc. The most common termination is _tenango_, a Mexican word with much the same meaning as _tlan_,—_Huehuetenango_ being equivalent to “the ancient abode;” _Chimaltenango_ to “the House of the Shield.” A troublesome matter is the varying and uncertain orthography of most of the names now in use. Goattemala, Gautemala, Guatimala, are all used by writers. The termination _pan_ is often in official publications spelled _pam_. Quezaltenango is properly, though seldom, written Quetzaltenango; and Cumarcah or Gumarcah, Izabal or Yzabal, Jutiapa or Xutiapa, are common variations. The omission of the letter _n_ in such words as Montezuma and Montagua, and at the end of Escuintlan, is the rule in Guatemala; but foreign writers do not always regard it. The interchange of _b_ and _v_ is common,—as _bejuco_ or _vejuco_; _benta_ or _venta_. So far as sound goes, the name of the large macaw may be _Juacamalla_ or _Guacamaya_. _Tzololà_ was one form of _Sololà_; _Taltic_, of _Tactic_; and _Mictlan_, of _Mita_.