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PEOPLE GROUP PROFILE

The Highland Totonac of Mexico

The Highland Totonac of Mexico, numbering approximately 227,000 people, are No Longer Unreached. They are associated with El Tajin's Pyramid of the Niches, a 7th-to-12th-century ceremonial center, a people of Mexico's Veracruz and Puebla highlands known for the Danza de los Voladores, an ancient pole-flying ritual now recognized by UNESCO. They mostly adhere to Folk Catholicism and Highland Totonac is their primary language.

Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite: Totonac, Highland

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Latin American and Caribbean Peoples
Country: Mexico
People Cluster: Central American Indigenous
Primary Language(s): Highland Totonac (tos)
Primary Religion(s): Folk Catholicism
Population: 227,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): No Longer Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): 5% or Greater but Less than 10% Evangelical
People Group ID: PG039251
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Pray for the Highland Totonac of Mexico

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.

Pray Now!
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Dig Deeper (Religion):

Primary Religion: Folk Catholicism
Religious Affiliation: Christianity

78%
%
Folk Catholicism Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Highland Totonac
Language Family: Totonacan

87%
%
Totonac, Highland Speakers

Media Resources in Highland Totonac:

Films:
TitleLink
JESUSView Film

1 film

Provided by the Jesus Film Project

View all resources

Bible Resources in Highland Totonac:

Bible Name (Translation)VideoAudioText
1999 Bible League International✓✓

1 entry

Provided by Faith Comes by Hearing

Or check out the Highland Totonac bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

View all resources

SPI: No longer Unreached

The Highland Totonac 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 Highland Totonac:
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 Highland Totonac of Mexico

But Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven"
readMatthew 9:14

Pray that those who are spiritually dead will recognize their need for spiritual nourishment and turn to the One who offers true fulfillment.

Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you!
readPsalm 67:5

While there are many who do not yet praise God, pray that He will work in their lives, advance the gospel among them, and bring many to saving faith in Christ.

O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise.
readPsalm 51:15

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will abide in Him, and God will help them to proclaim His praise and declare His goodness all day long.

Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul.
read3 John 1:2

Ask God to grant protection and good health — both physical and spiritual — to those He sends cross-culturally to share the gospel.

Totonac, Highland Across Countries (ROP3 - 103774) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

1 people group

PhotoPeople Group ID ▼NameCountryPopulationStrategic Progress IndexLanguageReligion
Highland TotonacPG039251Highland TotonacMexico227,000No Longer UnreachedHighland TotonacFolk 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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