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PEOPLE GROUP PROFILE

The Northwestern Chinantec of Mexico

The Northwestern Chinantec of Mexico, numbering approximately 21,000 people, are No Longer Unreached. They are a Chinantecan people of northern Oaxaca's Papaloapan River basin near Tuxtepec, Mexico, whose language traces to settlement of the Chinantla region over 3,500 years ago, distinct from the neighboring Zapotec and Mazatec. They mostly adhere to Folk Catholicism and Tlacoatzintepec Chinantec is their primary language.

Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite: Chinantec, Northwestern

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Latin American and Caribbean Peoples
Country: Mexico
People Cluster: Zapotec
Primary Language(s): Tlacoatzintepec Chinantec (ctl)
Primary Religion(s): Folk Catholicism
Population: 21,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): No Longer Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): 10% or Greater Evangelical
People Group ID: PG039070
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Pray for the Northwestern Chinantec of Mexico

Join others around the world in praying for the lost to be saved, the gospel to advance, the global Church to grow, and for laborers to be sent out and sustained in the harvest.

Pray Now!
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Dig Deeper (Religion):

Primary Religion: Folk Catholicism
Religious Affiliation: Christianity

59%
%
Folk Catholicism Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Tlacoatzintepec Chinantec
Language Family: Otomanguean

98%
%
Chinantec, Tlacoatzintepec Speakers

Media Resources in Tlacoatzintepec Chinantec:

Films:
TitleLink
JESUSView Film

1 film

Provided by the Jesus Film Project

View all resources

Bible Resources in Tlacoatzintepec Chinantec:

No Bible resources are listed for this language.

Provided by Faith Comes by Hearing

Or check out the Tlacoatzintepec Chinantec bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

View all resources

SPI: No longer Unreached

The Northwestern Chinantec are No Longer Unreached, which means there are more than 2% evangelical Christian populations and there are churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice. There is still more to be done among them.

Next steps for the Northwestern Chinantec:
Empower local believers to begin praying for their own people
Continue gospel seed sowing and church planting
Encourage local leaders to being leading church planting strategy and looking for Unreached and Unengaged groups nearby

Pray specifically for the Northwestern Chinantec of Mexico

And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.
readJohn 3:14-15

Pray that the lost among them will look to the One lifted up on the cross, believing in Him and receiving eternal life.

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
readRomans 5:1

Pray that the gospel will advance and that many who are far from God will receive the good news of salvation with joy and have peace with God through faith in His Son Jesus Christ.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.
readEphesians 6:10-11

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will grow strong in His power, putting on the full armor of God, which will enable them to stand against the devil’s lies.

Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked. But others said, “We will hear you again about this.”
readActs 17:32

Ask God to give those He sends to cross cultures wisdom and discernment as they engage in spiritual conversations with those who are curious about the gospel.

Chinantec, Tlacoatzintepec Across Countries (ROP3 - 110094) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

1 people group

PhotoPeople Group IDNameCountryPopulation ▼Strategic Progress IndexLanguageReligion
Northwestern ChinantecPG039070Northwestern ChinantecMexico21,000No Longer UnreachedTlacoatzintepec ChinantecFolk Catholicism

To download a comprehensive people group list in spreadsheet form, visit our Research Data page.

Peoplegroups.org relies on updates from the field and other organizations for much of our data, so if you have any updates, please contact us. We use various international naming standards. For a list of these standards and fields, visit our Data Standards section.

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