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The Mopan Maya of Belize

The Mopan Maya of Belize, numbering approximately 16,500 people, are No Longer Unreached. They are an Indigenous Maya people whose homeland spans Belize and Guatemala; after displacement into Petén, some families returned to Belize in the late nineteenth century, establishing communities including San Antonio in Toledo District. They mostly adhere to Folk Catholicism and Mopán Maya is their primary language.

Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 2.5 Flash: Mopan Maya

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Latin American and Caribbean Peoples
Country: Belize
People Cluster: Maya
Primary Language(s): Mopán Maya (mop)
Primary Religion(s): Folk Catholicism
Population: 16,500
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): No Longer Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): 10% or Greater Evangelical
People Group ID: PG016206
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Pray for the Mopan Maya of Belize

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

74%
%
Folk Catholicism Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Mopán Maya
Language Family: Mayan

100%
%
Maya, Mopán Speakers

Media Resources in Mopán Maya:

Films:

No film resources are listed for this language.

Provided by the Jesus Film Project

View all resources

Bible Resources in Mopán Maya:

Bible Name (Translation)VideoAudioText
2004 Wycliffe Bible Translators Inc.✓✓✓

1 entry

Provided by Faith Comes by Hearing

Or check out the Mopán Maya bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

View all resources

SPI: No longer Unreached

The Mopan Maya 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 Mopan Maya:
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 Mopan Maya of Belize

When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
readMatthew 9:36

Pray that those who have no hope and are in need of a Savior will be comforted by the Good Shepherd, who seeks to gather the lost and weary into His care.

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
readJohn 14:6

Pray that those who are searching for a way to God and desiring truth will encounter the good news of eternal life and accept it.

We give thanks to you, O God; we give thanks, for your name is near. We recount your wondrous deeds.
readPsalm 75:1

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will give thanks to the Lord for His wondrous works and declare His goodness to all people.

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
readEphesians 6:12

Ask God to give those He sends to cross cultures the discernment they need to recognize the spiritual battle they are fighting. Pray God will protect their faith as they abide in Him.

Maya, Mopan Across Countries (ROP3 - 106783) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

3 people groups

PhotoPeople Group IDNameCountryPopulation ▼Strategic Progress IndexLanguageReligion
Mopan MayaPG016206Mopan MayaBelize16,500No Longer UnreachedMopán MayaFolk Catholicism
Mopan MayaPG024732Mopan MayaGuatemala8,000No Longer UnreachedMopán MayaEthnoreligion
Mopan MayaPG050487Mopan MayaCanada3,300No Longer UnreachedMopán MayaRoman 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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