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The Northern Tlapanec of United States

The Northern Tlapanec of United States, numbering approximately 18,500 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are an ethnolinguistic community of Mexico. They mostly adhere to Roman Catholicism and Acatepec Me'phaa is their primary language.

Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 3.1 Flash: Northern Tlapanec

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Latin American and Caribbean Peoples
Country: United States
People Cluster: Central American Indigenous
Primary Language(s): Acatepec Me'phaa (tpx)
Primary Religion(s): Roman Catholicism
Population: 18,500
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
People Group ID: PG049289
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Pray for the Northern Tlapanec of United States

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: Roman Catholicism
Religious Affiliation: Christianity

95%
%
Roman Catholicism Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Acatepec Me'phaa
Language Family: Otomanguean

94%
%
Me’phaa, Acatepec Speakers

Media Resources in Acatepec Me'phaa:

Films:
TitleLink
JESUSView Film

1 film

Provided by the Jesus Film Project

View all resources

Bible Resources in Acatepec Me'phaa:

No Bible resources are listed for this language.

Provided by Faith Comes by Hearing

Or check out the Acatepec Me'phaa bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

View all resources

SPI: Unreached yet Engaged

The Northern Tlapanec 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 Northern Tlapanec:
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 Northern Tlapanec of United States

O Lord, you hear the desire of the afflicted; you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed, so that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more.
readPsalm 10:17-18

Pray that God, in accordance with His good character, will give justice to those who are oppressed by sin and that they will know that His offer of salvation is for everyone.

And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, "In you shall all the nations be blessed"
readGalatians 3:8

Ask the Lord to fulfill His promise to Abraham that all nations would be blessed by advancing the gospel to every people group who has yet to receive it.

Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!
readPsalm 100:3-4

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will be in awe of the Lord God, their Creator, and will give Him thanksgiving and praise.

Go on up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good news; lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good news; lift it up, fear not; say to the cities of Judah, "Behold your God!"
readIsaiah 40:9

Pray for God to send and sustain believers to go and herald the good news to the lost here.

Tlapanec, Acatepec Across Countries (ROP3 - 100034) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

2 people groups

PhotoPeople Group IDNameCountryPopulationStrategic Progress IndexLanguage ▲Religion
Northern TlapanecPG046980Northern TlapanecMexico186,000Engaged yet UnreachedAcatepec Me'phaaFolk Catholicism
Northern TlapanecPG049289Northern TlapanecUnited States18,500Engaged yet UnreachedAcatepec Me'phaaRoman 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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