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PEOPLE GROUP PROFILE

The Yalalag Zapotec of Mexico

The Yalalag Zapotec of Mexico, numbering approximately 2,200 people, are No Longer Unreached. They are an ethnolinguisic subgroup of the Zapotec, an ethnic group indigenous to the state of Oaxaca, Mexico They are an Indigenous people, in the Zapotec people cluster of the Latin American and Caribbean Peoples affinity bloc. Their primary religion is Christianity - Folk Catholicism. They primarily speak Zapotec, Yalálag.

Yalalag Zapotec in United States photo
Photo courtesy of Joshua Project. Photo Source: Copyrighted ©️ 2025 GAAPNet / Dick Bashta Used with permission

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: American Peoples
Country: Mexico
People Cluster: Zapotec
Primary Language(s): Zapotec, Yalálag (zpu)
Primary Religion(s): Christianity - Folk Catholicism
Population: 2,200
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): No Longer Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): 5% or Greater but Less than 10% Evangelical
People Group ID: PG039232
View on Joshua Project

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Pray for the Yalalag Zapotec of Mexico

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Dig Deeper (Religion):

Primary Religion: Christianity - Folk Catholicism
Religious Affiliation: Christianity

%
Christianity - Folk Catho… Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Zapotec, Yalálag
Language Family: Otomanguean

%
Zapotec, Yalálag Speakers

Media Resources in Zapotec, Yalálag:

Films:

Provided by the Jesus Film Project

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Bible Resources in Zapotec, Yalálag:

Provided by Faith Comes by Hearing

Or check out the Zapotec, Yalálag bible resources at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

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Next steps for the Yalalag Zapotec

The Yalalag Zapotec are Unengaged and Unreached, which means there are less than 2% evangelical Christian populations among which there are no known efforts focused on establishing self-sustaining churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice.

Begin signifcant prayer and fasting for this group
Send cross-cultural teams to discover and research this people group
Begin gospel seed sowing and church planting among this group

Next steps for the Yalalag Zapotec

The Yalalag Zapotec are Engaged yet Unreached, which means there are less than 2% evangelical Christian populations but there are sustained efforts at establishing self-sustaining churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice.

Continue prayer and fasting for this group
Continue gospel seed sowing and church planting among this group
Begin training up local leaders to lead and develop strategies to reach their own people

Next steps for the Yalalag Zapotec

The Yalalag Zapotec 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.

Empower local believers to begin praying for their own people
Continue gospel seed sowing and church planting among this group
Encourage local leaders to being leading church planting strategy and looking for Unreached and Unengaged groups nearby

Pray specifically for the Yalalag Zapotec of Mexico

And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
readMatthew 24:14

Pray that the message of hope will reach those who are wandering in darkness, offering them a path to eternal life.

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.
readRomans 3:23

Pray that the gospel will advance and many will acknowledge that all have sinned, fall short of God's glory, and need a Savior to reconcile them to God.

And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.
readJohn 14:3

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will have hope in trials because they know that Jesus will one day take them to be with Him forever.

For so the Lord has commanded us, saying, “‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’”
readActs 13:47

Pray that as people come to faith, they will follow the Lord's leading to go to their neighbors and share the treasure they found in Christ.

Zapotec, Yalalag (ROP3 - 110943) reported in the following countries:

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 Definitions page.

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