Mixteco, Apasco y Apoala in Mexico

Introduction / History

Mixteco groups live in the mountains of Southern Mexico. They maintain a pre-Colombian language and culture. Their language, Mixteco, which also has several dialects such as Apasco y Apoala, which set them apart from one another. Most also speak Spanish, the language of trade, education, and government. Their name reflects their dialect and the town they live.

What Are Their Lives Like?

Today the Apasco y Apoala Mixtecos are usually subsistence farmers who grow corn, beans, and squash. Their farming equipment is usually basic. Mixtecs struggle to eke out a living from the poor soil. Most families exhaust their limited food supplies long before the next harvest. They improve their diet through hunting and fishing. Mixtecos go to the forests to collect things to sell in the markets. They also sell woven and ceramic goods.

Men plow the fields and tend their oxen. They enjoy easy access to alcohol, which causes serious family problems. Women carry the primary responsibility for Mixteco homes and families they cut firewood, wash clothes far away in a creek, wake before the sun comes up to make tortillas for their families' daily sustenance, tend goats or sheep, take care of children, and maintain their homes.

Mixteco culture is both hierarchical and patriarchal. Those who move from their villages maintain very strong cultural, family, and financial ties to their communities of origin. Most are oral learners and do not read or write in their own language.

What Are Their Beliefs?

The primary religion practiced by the Apasco y Apoala Mixtecos is a form of folk Catholicism. They revere Catholic saints, nature spirits and their ancestors, whom they believe are the guardians of Mixteco ways. They have regular fiestas to honor and revere their gods and patron saints.

What Are Their Needs?

The Apasco y Apoala Mixteco people need to put their trust and identity in the loving God of Creation who sent his son to make it possible for them to become part of his holy family.

Prayer Points

Pray for a "Book of Acts" type of movement to Christ among the Apasco y Apoala Mixtecos.
Pray God will have mercy on the Mixtecos, doing whatever it takes to place them in a position to receive him.
Ask God to give the Apasco y Apoala Mixtecos a record breaking harvest as a testimony of his goodness and power.
Pray for the Lord to use them as his servants among others in Mexico.
Pray for Mixteco men to turn from alcohol so they can care for their families.

Text Source:   Joshua Project