Mixteco, Cacaloxtepec in Mexico

Introduction / History

Mixteco groups live in the mountains of Southern Mexico. They maintain a pre-Colombian language and culture. They have their own language, Mixtec, which also has several dialects such as Cacaloxtepec, which sets them apart from one another. There is only one village, Santiago Cacaloxtepec, where this dialect is spoken. Their village is in a semiarid region known for its scarcity of vegetation. 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 Cacaloxtepec Mixtecs 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. Mixtecs 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?

A Catholic priest lives in the village and has much influence among the people. The village has a huge Catholic Church, four separate chapels and two new chapels under construction. There are four Catholic priests, all born in this village that work outside of their community. One of them is writing a book, in their dialect, about the history of this ethnic group. There is no Evangelical presence, so all they know about Jesus Christ comes from the Catholic church.

What Are Their Needs?

Water Projects: Extend the existing water system enabling more homes to have water service. The community is also in need of another well to be dug that would the installation of a pump.

Marketing Opportunity: There is a factory in the village that was used in the production of sombreros and other products of palm leaf. Currently the factory is closed but the work goes on, except now, these skilled hat weavers make everything by hand. One real need is to establish markets that would enable the village factory to get back on line.

Construction Projects: Many houses were destroyed with an earthquake that struck in June of 1999. Any type of assistance in rebuilding or new construction could open some permanent doors for the gospel.

Prayer Points

Pray for a "Book of Acts" type of movement to Christ among the Cacaloxtepec Mixtecs.
Pray God will have mercy on the Mixtec, doing whatever it takes to place them in a position to receive him.
Ask God to open the hearts of the Mixtecos to the gospel.
Pray for an unstoppable movement to Christ among them.
Pray for Mixteco men to turn from alcohol so they can care for their families.

Text Source:   Joshua Project