The Chamacocos of Paraguay

The Chamacocos of Paraguay, numbering approximately 850 people, are No Longer Unreached. They are an Indigenous people of the Gran Chaco of Paraguay and adjacent Brazil. They speak Chamacoco (Yshyr), a Zamucoan language, and traditionally practiced hunting, fishing, and gathering while maintaining distinctive spiritual and cultural traditions. They mostly adhere to Animism and Chamacoco is their primary language.

Photo by Google. (2025). Image generated by Gemini 3 Flash: Camacoco

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Latin American and Caribbean Peoples
Country: Paraguay
People Cluster: South American Indigenous
Primary Language(s): Chamacoco (ceg)
Primary Religion(s): Animism
Population: 850
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): No Longer Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): 5% or Greater but Less than 10% Evangelical
People Group ID: PG017219
View on Joshua Project

Pray for the Chamacocos of Paraguay

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: Animism
Religious Affiliation: Ethnoreligion

60%
%
Animism Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Chamacoco
Language Family: Zamucoan

100%
%
Chamacoco Speakers

Media Resources in Chamacoco:

Films:
TitleLink
JESUSView Film

1 film

Bible Resources in Chamacoco:

Bible Name (Translation)VideoAudioText
2000 New Tribes Mission Paraguay✓✓✓

1 entry

Or check out the Chamacoco bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

SPI: No longer Unreached

The Chamacocos 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 Chamacocos:
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 Chamacocos of Paraguay

Abraham said, "God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son." So they went both of them together.
readGenesis 22:8

Pray that God will open the ears of those who are lost to understand and believe that only shed blood takes away sin and that, like Abraham, they will believe that God Himself provides the lamb for the burnt offering, who is Jesus the final, perfect sacrifice.

Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.
readIsaiah 43:19

Pray that the lost will see the new thing God can do in their lives and trust in His plan and purpose for them.

For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them.
read1 Corinthians 9:19

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will have hearts that want to serve the lost around them so that many might come to faith in Jesus.

Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wondrous works!
readPsalm 105:2

Pray for God to saturate this place with the gospel and raise up believing men and women from among them to share the good news of Christ with those who have yet to encounter it.

Chamacoco Across Countries (ROP3 - 101987) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

2 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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