The Yucatec of Belize

The Yucatec of Belize, numbering approximately 5,700 people, are No Longer Unreached. They are an ethnolinguistic group indigenous to the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico. They mostly adhere to Folk Catholicism and Yucateco is their primary language.

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

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Latin American and Caribbean Peoples
Country: Belize
People Cluster: Maya
Primary Language(s): Yucateco (yua)
Primary Religion(s): Folk Catholicism
Population: 5,700
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): No Longer Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): 10% or Greater Evangelical
People Group ID: PG016209
View on Joshua Project

Pray for the Yucatec 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.

Dig Deeper (Religion):

Primary Religion: Folk Catholicism
Religious Affiliation: Christianity

81%
%
Folk Catholicism Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Yucateco
Language Family: Mayan

100%
%
Maya, Yucatec Speakers

Media Resources in Yucateco:

Films:
TitleLink
JESUSView Film
MagdalenaView Film

2 films

Bible Resources in Yucateco:

Bible Name (Translation)VideoAudioText
1992 Bible Society of Mexico✓

1 entry

Or check out the Yucateco bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

SPI: No longer Unreached

The Yucatec 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 Yucatec:
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 Yucatec of Belize

Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.
readIsaiah 45:22

Pray for many lost people to turn to the Lord, finding forgiveness and salvation in Him, for He is the only way to true life and restoration.

“Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread."
readMatthew 6:10-11

As people go about their daily lives, pray they will have the opportunity to encounter Jesus-followers, receive the gospel, and respond with joy. Pray that, as God provides for their daily needs, He will also bring many into His beautiful kingdom.

In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
readMatthew 5:16

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will be humble and give glory to God through their good deeds.

For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; he is to be feared above all gods.
readPsalm 96:4

Pray that God will raise up believers to declare His glory among the lost, so that they may know that He is great and greatly to be praised, that He is exalted above all gods.

Maya, Yucatan Across Countries (ROP3 - 111105) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

3 people groups

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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