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The Canari Highland Quichua of Ecuador

The Canari Highland Quichua of Ecuador, numbering approximately 175,000 people, are No Longer Unreached. They are an Andean people of southern Ecuador's Azuay and Canar highlands with over 3,000 years of settlement, noted for fine goldwork and stone architecture, who resisted Inca conquest until defeat in the 1470s and later allied with the Spanish against the Inca. They mostly adhere to Folk Catholicism and Cañar Highland Quichua is their primary language.

Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 2.5 Flash: Quichua, Canari Highland

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Latin American and Caribbean Peoples
Country: Ecuador
People Cluster: Quechua
Primary Language(s): Cañar Highland Quichua (qxr)
Primary Religion(s): Folk Catholicism
Population: 175,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): No Longer Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): 2% or Greater but Less than 5% Evangelical
People Group ID: PG017461
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Pray for the Canari Highland Quichua of Ecuador

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.

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Dig Deeper (Religion):

Primary Religion: Folk Catholicism
Religious Affiliation: Christianity

98%
%
Folk Catholicism Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Cañar Highland Quichua
Language Family: Quechuan

40%
%
Quichua, Cañar Highland Speakers

Media Resources in Cañar Highland Quichua:

Films:
TitleLink
JESUSView Film

1 film

Provided by the Jesus Film Project

View all resources

Bible Resources in Cañar Highland Quichua:

Bible Name (Translation)VideoAudioText
Sociedades Bíblicas Unidas de Ecuador 2010✓✓

1 entry

Provided by Faith Comes by Hearing

Or check out the Cañar Highland Quichua bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

View all resources

SPI: No longer Unreached

The Canari Highland Quichua 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 Canari Highland Quichua:
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 Canari Highland Quichua of Ecuador

For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols, but the LORD made the heavens.
readPsalm 96:5

Pray that those who are seeking after worthless idols will not be satisfied until they seek the truth and find it in Christ.

The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.
readActs 17:24-25

Pray that the good news will reach everyone in this people group and that many will come to know and serve the one true God who made the world and everything in it and lives today.

But you said, "I will surely do you good, and make your offspring as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude."
readGenesis 32:12

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will experience God's presence and protection even in difficult circumstances, knowing that He will make them fruitful.

And he said to them, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who will not receive many times more in this time, and in the age to come eternal life.”
readLuke 18:29-30

Pray that God will raise up people to go and share the gospel and help them trust His promise that anyone who has left those they treasure for the sake of the kingdom of God will receive many times more in this life and in the life to come.

Quichua, Canar Highland Across Countries (ROP3 - 101871) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

1 people group

PhotoPeople Group IDName ▼CountryPopulationStrategic Progress IndexLanguageReligion
Canari Highland QuichuaPG017461Canari Highland QuichuaEcuador175,000No Longer UnreachedCañar Highland QuichuaFolk 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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