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People group profile · PG039075

The Highland Oaxaca Chontal of Mexico

The Highland Oaxaca Chontal of Mexico, numbering about 4,000 people, are No Longer Unreached. They are an Indigenous people of southern Mexico, primarily located in the Sierra Madre de Oaxaca in the state of Oaxaca.

They are an indigenous people in the Maya people cluster of the Latin American and Caribbean Peoples. Their primary religion is Folk Catholicism, and they primarily speak Spanish.

Pray for the Highland Oaxaca ChontalPrint profile

AI-generated illustration representing the Highland Oaxaca Chontal people
AI-generated illustration, not a photograph. Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite: Chontal, Highland Oaxaca

Fast facts

Country
Mexico
Population
4,000
Affinity group
American Peoples
People cluster
Maya
Primary language
Spanish (spa)
Primary religion
Folk Catholicism
Strategic Progress Index ?
No Longer Unreached
Evangelical
5% or Greater but Less than 10%
GSEC ?
5% or Greater but Less than 10% Evangelical
Lostness priority ?
Moderately Reached People Group
Region
Central America, Americas
Location
Oaxaca: San José Chiltepec, San Lucas Ixcatepec, and 15 towns west of Tehuantepec isthmus

Where they live

Gospel status

The Highland Oaxaca Chontal are No Longer Unreached, which means 2% or more are evangelical Christians. In GSEC terms, this people group is greater than or equal to 5% evangelical.

  • Congregations exist Yes
  • Church planting in the last two years No Churches Planted

Next steps for the Highland Oaxaca Chontal

  • Pray for the churches among this group to grow in faithfulness and maturity
  • Equip believers to reach the unreached peoples around them
  • Send out laborers from this people to the nations

Primary religion

Folk Catholicism · Christianity

81% adherents

Primary language

Spanish · Indo-European family

100% speak Spanish

Gospel resources in Spanish

  • Bible available
  • JESUS Film available
  • Radio programs available
  • Gospel recordings available
  • Audio resources available
  • Bible stories not available

Films

Bibles

Find more at the JESUS Film Project, Bible.com and Faith Comes by Hearing.

Pray for the Highland Oaxaca Chontal

  1. Psalm 27:1. Pray that new believers will be strengthened in the face of persecution, with the Lord as their stronghold.
  2. Romans 12:4–5. Pray that believers from many cultures will work together as one body so that the church is built up.
  3. Revelation 7:9. Pray for the day when people from this group stand before the throne with every nation, tribe, people and language.
  4. John 17:3. Pray that many will come to know the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom he has sent.

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