Southern Mexico - A group of women - Photo: VOMC

Southern Mexico

Southern Mexico has a high concentration of indigenous minority groups that maintain separate identities and speak indigenous languages. Christians in these areas, representing about three percent of the population in this part of Mexico, understand the power of the Gospel and the importance of reaching out to others. When presenting the Gospel in new areas, persecution by village religious leaders usually occurs. It is common for evangelists, pastors and missionaries to travel several hours or even days in their efforts to reach different minority communities. Even with these challenges, the number of Christians has steadily increased.

Life for Christians:

Christian converts are rejected by their communities and often forced from their homes and villages. This means they also lose their jobs, inheritance, as well as their land. Those who can remain in their communities are marginalized, partly because they don’t participate in pseudo-religious celebrations sanctioned by tribal priests involving drunkenness, debauchery and pagan religious rites.

  • Country Information

    Population
    130,207,371 (July 2021 est.)

    Ethnicity (%)
    Mestizo (Amerindian-Spanish) (62), Predominantly Amerindian (21), Amerindian (7), other (10)

    Religion (%)
    Roman Catholic/Syncretism (78) Evangelical (11.2) unaffiliated (10.6)

    Leader
    President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (2018)

    Government type
    Federal presidential republic

    Legal system
    Civil law system with US constitutional law influence; judicial review of legislative acts

    Source: CIA World Factbook

  • Pray for Mexico

    Pray that the Christians residing within these regions will exemplify the grace of God toward those who oppose them. May these believers be further strengthened and encouraged to continue faithfully sharing the Gospel and demonstrating the love of Jesus. Ask the Lord to abundantly bless and multiply their efforts, resulting in a great harvest of lasting spiritual fruit in the lives of those within their communities and beyond – impacting the nation of Mexico as a whole.

Mexico News

  • Christian Woman Severely Beaten
    Green fields with hills in the background.
    A rural area in Hidalgo, Mexico.
    Photo: Flickr / David Cabrera (cc

    Since 2015, members of the Great Commission Baptist Church in the community of Rancho Nuevo, Hidalgo State, have been prohibited from accessing their land to cultivate crops. On December 21st, Maria Concepcion Hernández-Hernández was physically assaulted for merely viewing her plot of land after being asked by a neighbour to remove two trees from the property. When local leaders were informed that the Christian woman had gone to her land, she was ambushed and brutally beaten.

  • Christians Penalized for Not Participating in Festival
    A group of men praying, arms wrapped around each other
    Photo: VOMC

    For the fourth consecutive year, Christians from the Alpha and Omega Presbyterian Church in Nueva las Tacitas, Chiapas State, are being forced to participate in a religious festival or face fines from village leaders. Every year, the people of the area celebrate the Santa Cruz Festival on May 3rd. This festival is part of syncretistic religious beliefs, involving a combination of Roman Catholicism and traditional tribal religions.

  • Christians Jailed by Village Mayor
    Two men sitting under a tree
    Pray that people in these regions will hear and respond to the true Gospel.

    Three Christians in San Pedro Chimaltepec, a Mexican town located in eastern Oaxaca state, were jailed by the local mayor after refusing to contribute monetarily to an annual religious festival. Many residents of Oaxaca state practise a "traditionalist" mix of Catholic and indigenous religions involving rituals in which all villagers are expected to participate. The three Christian men, who are all members of the Emmanuel Mission Center Church, believed that it would be wrong for them to contribute to a festival that honours idols.

  • Christians Expelled and Homes Destroyed
    Believers who were previously displaced.
    Believers in Chiapas routinely face opposition for their faithfulness to Christ.

    Evangelical Christians in the San Cristóbal municipality of Chiapas State have faced opposition from other villagers for several years. In May 2016, 84 homes in the area were looted and partially destroyed, forcibly displacing 350 evangelicals. A year ago, these believers were prevented from constructing a church building and again forced to leave. In the latest incident, the homes of five Christian families in the community of Mitzitón were destroyed on January 10th, and 30 people were expelled.