The Salasaca Highland Quichua of Ecuador

The Salasaca Highland Quichua of Ecuador, numbering approximately 21,500 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are an indigenous Kichwa people of Ecuador's central Andes, centered in Salasaka in Tungurahua Province, known for a distinct Kichwa variety and a strong tradition of handwoven textiles. They mostly adhere to Ethnoreligion and Salasaca Highland Quichua is their primary language.

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

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Latin American and Caribbean Peoples
Country: Ecuador
People Cluster: Quechua
Primary Language(s): Salasaca Highland Quichua (qxl)
Primary Religion(s): Ethnoreligion
Population: 21,500
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
People Group ID: PG017475
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Pray for the Salasaca Highland Quichua of Ecuador

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Dig Deeper (Religion):

Primary Religion: Ethnoreligion
Religious Affiliation: Ethnoreligion

—
%
Ethnoreligion Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Salasaca Highland Quichua
Language Family: Quechuan

90%
%
Quichua, Salasaca Highland Speakers

Media Resources in Salasaca Highland Quichua:

Films:
TitleLink
JESUSView Film

1 film

Bible Resources in Salasaca Highland Quichua:

Bible Name (Translation)VideoAudioText
Wycliffe Bible Translators, Inc✓

1 entry

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

Linked from YouVersion

SPI: Unreached yet Engaged

The Salasaca Highland 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 Salasaca Highland 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 Salasaca Highland Quichua of Ecuador

I am the LORD; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols.
readIsaiah 42:8

Pray that lost people will turn from worthless idols to worship the one true God, recognizing that He alone is worthy of all glory and praise.

Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises!
readPsalm 47:6

Pray that believers will have a heart to invite others to trust in Christ alone so that they might sing praises to His name.

For the LORD, the Most High, is to be feared, a great king over all the earth.
readPsalm 47:2

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will exalt the Lord, recognizing His reign over the nations and His sovereignty over all things.

And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven."
readMatthew 16:17

Pray that God who is in heaven will place believers in the lives of people who need to encounter the gospel and that He will reveal to them the truth of what they hear.

Quichua, Salasaca Highland Across Countries (ROP3 - 108546) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

1 people group

To download a comprehensive people group list in spreadsheet form, visit our Research Data page.

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