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PEOPLE GROUP PROFILE

The Tzotzils of Mexico

The Tzotzils of Mexico, numbering approximately 777,000 people, are No Longer Unreached. They are a Mayan ethnolinguistic community indigenous to the central highlands of Chiapas, Mexico. They mostly adhere to Folk Catholicism and Tzotzil is their primary language.

Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite: Tzotzil

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Latin American and Caribbean Peoples
Country: Mexico
People Cluster: Maya
Primary Language(s): Tzotzil (tzo)
Primary Religion(s): Folk Catholicism
Population: 777,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): No Longer Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): 5% or Greater but Less than 10% Evangelical
People Group ID: PG039169

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Pray for the Tzotzils 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

63%
%
Folk Catholicism Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Tzotzil
Language Family: Mayan

88%
%
Tzotzil Speakers

Media Resources in Tzotzil:

Films:
TitleLink
JESUSView Film

1 film

Provided by the Jesus Film Project

View all resources

Bible Resources in Tzotzil:

Bible Name (Translation)VideoAudioText
2000 Bible Society of Mexico✓
1997 Bible Society of Mexico✓

2 entries

Provided by Faith Comes by Hearing

Or check out the Tzotzil bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

View all resources

SPI: No longer Unreached

The Tzotzils 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 Tzotzils:
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 Tzotzils of Mexico

Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you judge the peoples with equity and guide the nations upon earth.
readPsalm 67:4

Pray that those who are lost in darkness and confusion will come to understand God's ways, submit to His righteous rule, and experience the joy of His salvation.

Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God.
readMark 10:14b

Praise Jesus for the way He loves children, asking that many will learn the truth about Him and come to Him unhindered.

Praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.
readActs 2:47

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, God will use their faith and their church community as a testimony to the watching world and grow His Church.

Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?
readIsaiah 58:7

As believers cross cultures to share the good news of Christ, pray that God will sustain them and grow their faith as He gives them the compassion necessary to minister well to those in need.

Tzotzil Across Countries (ROP3 - 117158) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

2 people groups

PhotoPeople Group IDNameCountryPopulation ▼Strategic Progress IndexLanguageReligion
TzotzilsPG039169TzotzilsMexico777,000No Longer UnreachedTzotzilFolk Catholicism
TzotzilsPG049309TzotzilsUnited States77,500No Longer UnreachedTzotzilRoman 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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