The Chuj of Guatemala

The Chuj of Guatemala, numbering approximately 102,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are an Indigenous Maya people of northwestern Guatemala, speakers of the Chuj language, whose identity is rooted in the highlands of Huehuetenango and long-standing cultural traditions linked to the Maya civilization. They mostly adhere to Folk Catholicism and Chuj is their primary language.

Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite: Chuj

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Latin American and Caribbean Peoples
Country: Guatemala
People Cluster: Maya
Primary Language(s): Chuj (cac)
Primary Religion(s): Folk Catholicism
Population: 102,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
People Group ID: PG024708
View on Joshua Project

Pray for the Chuj of Guatemala

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

88%
%
Folk Catholicism Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Chuj
Language Family: Mayan

64%
%
Chuj Speakers

Media Resources in Chuj:

Films:

No film resources are listed for this language.

Bible Resources in Chuj:

Bible Name (Translation) Video Audio Text
1993 Sociedad Bíblica de Guatemala ✓ ✓
1999 Bible Society of Guatemala ✓

2 entries

Or check out the Chuj bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

SPI: Unreached yet Engaged

The Chuj 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 Chuj:
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 Chuj of Guatemala

In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
read1 John 4:10

Pray for those without the hope of Christ to understand the depth of God's love and the sacrifice He made for them.

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
readRomans 5:1

Pray that the gospel will advance and that many who are far from God will receive the good news of salvation with joy and have peace with God through faith in His Son Jesus Christ.

This God - his way is perfect; the word of the LORD proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.
readPsalm 18:30

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will have access to His Word and the ability to understand it, so that they can grow in their faith and find refuge in Him.

The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!”
readJohn 1:35-36

Pray for those God sends to cross cultures to share the gospel, that they might faithfully share the good news of the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

Chuj, San Mateo Ixtatan Across Countries (ROP3 - 108618) 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.

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