The Santiago de Estero Quichua of Argentina

The Santiago de Estero Quichua of Argentina, numbering approximately 60,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are descendants of Quechua-speaking yanaconas brought from Peru and Chile by Spanish colonists who founded Santiago del Estero, Argentina in 1553, in an area earlier home to the Tonocote and Sanavirona peoples. They mostly adhere to Ethnoreligion and Santiago del Estero Quichua is their primary language.

Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 2.5 Flash: Quichua, Santiago de Estero

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Latin American and Caribbean Peoples
Country: Argentina
People Cluster: Quechua
Primary Language(s): Santiago del Estero Quichua (qus)
Primary Religion(s): Ethnoreligion
Population: 60,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
People Group ID: PG017364
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Pray for the Santiago de Estero Quichua of Argentina

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Dig Deeper (Religion):

Primary Religion: Ethnoreligion
Religious Affiliation: Ethnoreligion

85%
%
Ethnoreligion Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Santiago del Estero Quichua
Language Family: Quechuan

50%
%
Quichua, Santiago del Estero Speakers

Media Resources in Santiago del Estero Quichua:

Films:

No film resources are listed for this language.

Bible Resources in Santiago del Estero Quichua:

No Bible resources are listed for this language.

Or check out the Santiago del Estero Quichua bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

SPI: Unreached yet Engaged

The Santiago de Estero Quichua 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.

Next steps for the Santiago de Estero Quichua:
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

Pray specifically for the Santiago de Estero Quichua of Argentina

For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
readRomans 5:7-8

Pray for the many who don't yet understand the hope of the gospel, and pray that God will reveal to them that while they were in darkness, Christ died for them.

"O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me."
readJohn 17:25

Pray that the lost will come to know the Father and Jesus Christ, whom He has sent, and that they will be filled with His love and grace.

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.
readJames 1:5

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will ask God for wisdom when they lack it, trusting that He will generously give it to them.

Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe."
readJohn 6:35-36

Praise God for the things such as bread that He has provided as natural conversation bridges to the gospel. Pray that believers will use any bridges He provides to share the gospel with those who do not yet know the good news.

Quichua, Santiago del Estero Across Countries (ROP3 - 108678) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

1 people group

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