The principal groups are Nahuas, Mayas, Mixtecos, Zapotecos, Otomies, Tzeltales and Tzotziles, and with the lesser groups they speak 234 local languages. Of these, three have a complete Bible: Chol, Maya and Tzeltal, but the Bible Society is hoping there will be a fourth by the end of this year when the Tzotzil Bible will be published.
A further 91 language groups have the New Testament, 39 have Scripture Portions, and 6 have Portions or the New Testament on audio cassettes.
Tzotziles are of Mayan origin, the same as the Tzeltales who also live in the Chiapas area. They survive principally on agriculture, farming corn, beans and tropical fruits, although there is a growing market for local crafts. Their traditional dress is highly colourful, although it is the women who most often wear the colours, men preferring the simple white tunic for their day-to-day tasks. The Tzotziles practise ritual dances and other customs related to their traditional polytheistic worship and veneration of ancestors. There are some well-established churches and missions among the Tzotziles, but there is sometimes religious conflict in the local communities.
