Tecún Umán was killed in combat by Spanish Conquistador Pedro de Alvarado at Quetzaltenango.
Tecún Umán remains a folk-hero in modern Guatemala. One story says that the quetzal bird got the red spot on it's belly by being splattered by the blood of Tecún Umán when Alvardo killed him, and that the quetzal was so distraught that it has never sang since.