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PEOPLE GROUP PROFILE

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.

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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

For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.
readEphesians 5:8

Pray that those who are lost will turn from the darkness they are walking in and embrace the light, becoming children of light who bear fruit in every good work.

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.

And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.
read2 Corinthians 9:8

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will trust God in all things, especially in times of persecution.

To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel.
readEphesians 6:18b-19

Ask God to give believers He sends to the lost of this people group the boldness and clarity to proclaim the mystery of the gospel in a way that people can understand.

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

Strategic Progress Index
All

2 people groups

PhotoPeople Group IDNameCountry ▼PopulationStrategic Progress IndexLanguageReligion
Northern TlapanecPG049289Northern TlapanecUnited States18,500Engaged yet UnreachedAcatepec Me'phaaRoman Catholicism
Northern TlapanecPG046980Northern TlapanecMexico186,000Engaged yet UnreachedAcatepec Me'phaaFolk 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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