Chiapas – Part 2

As mentioned in my previous article, our trip into Chiapas state was an intense one. We accomplished much over a short time period. After training and mobilizing missionary candidates in Pijijiapan, we set out to do field research. The ethnic landscape of Mexico is incredibly complex. Oaxaca state alone where we live is estimated to contain nearly 200 indigenous ethnic people groups, most of them descendents of the ancient Olmec peoples, and each requiring their own Bible translation. The diversity is nearly as great next door in Chiapas state where large indigenous groups descended from the Mayans are today scattered throughout the mountains and jungles. Fortunately, several of these groups have well established Evangelical missionary presence and even churches. The objective of Etnopedia is to investigate to what extent ethnic groups such as these around the world are actually reached with the Gospel. With this information we can help missionary movements work more strategically by focusing Bible translation and church planting efforts where the need is greatest. As much as possible we work within trusted missionary networks to obtain this information. Where no data is available we must gear up and go to the field to find out ourselves. Such was the case with several Zoque Indian groups in Chiapas for whom we had 30-year old data, much too old to effectively determine missionary sending needs. Getting to them required many hours traveling windy mountain roads in (minivan taxis packed to the brim with people) and further on by foot into their villages. We moved about prayerfully and cautiously, not knowing exactly what to expect or how we would be received, especially as we ventured deep into the jungle regions near the Guatemalan border. In these remote areas the leftist Zapatista guerilla movement has long staked its territory; signs along the road warn the Mexican military and outsiders alike to beware. A primarily indigenous resistance movement, they have at times engaged the government in armed conflict in a never-ending spat over land and human rights issues. As we set foot into one of villages on our list, a cold reception ensued. People wanted nothing to do with us. But with the Holy Spirit as our guide we proceeded to find out if any Christians lived there. We looked for a friendly face that might help us, and struggled through several brief conversations with Zoque Indians who spoke a form of broken Spanish. As we walked past one building where a few men had gathered under the shade to escape the mid-day sun, one man looked right at us as he placed a red-star-on-black cap on his head to show us he is a Zapatista. Most people just ignored us. One man, a store owner, opened up to us as we bought some snacks from him. As we asked him questions, a young man on a bicycle pulled up, turned his back to us, and sat there for a while to spy on our conversation. Each subsequent person we encountered told us no Evangelical Christians reside in that village. Not convinced, we persisted until finally one young man told us he knew of one who lived a couple of buildings down. From that conversation we also discovered that a neighboring village a few miles away was an Evangelical community. As we looked for our “man” we found out he was away working in the fields. We decided it best to visit this other village in the meantime and come back later to find him. We found the other village tucked away in the jungle well off the main road at the base of the mountains. The rugged geography of southern Mexico is a constant reminder of how so many distinct languages and cultures can seemingly “coexist” in complete isolation from one another. Even as we noticed three small wooden church buildings near the entrance, our reception became equally if not more cold than the previous. Part of the problem we later came to find out was that most of the men were away working in the fields while the women typically stay back in the village. This was simply bad timing for two ‘gringos’ to show up asking questions. The reality in these areas is that villages go to war with each other; oftentimes people get killed and sometimes kidnapped. We quickly identified ourselves as Evangelicals and what our purpose was. It did not take long before men showed up from the field wielding machetes. Possibly for many reasons unknown to us a deep spirit of fear and mistrust prevailed over them throughout a few terse conversations. Beyond meeting a pastor and learning general details about their church movement, we were unable to find out much about this community in general. We left, thankful to our Lord that He kept us safe, and returned later in the day to the first village where we found our Christian brother who received us warmly.

Jorge (actual name withheld) is a mestizo from another region of Mexico. His wife is a Zoque Indian from that village. Together they minister to their neighbors, pointing them to the truth about Jesus. He told us many details about life in this village and the religious beliefs of its inhabitants, including some of the darker aspects of the “christian”/pagan syncretism that prevails. Worship of demon spirits, including animal sacrifices to appease these spirits, keeps these people in constant bondage to fear. We learned of such a sacrifice performed recently consisting of three cows to protect a new nearby road under construction from demon spirits. Jorge told us about a Christian denomination in yet another village that helps him and his family in the midst of this spiritual struggle. We prayed with Jorge and he expressed how encouraged he was that we found him. With his help Dave and I managed to find out about one of the three Zoque Indian groups on our list. However, there were still two groups remaining, and we had many hours on the road yet ahead of us to get to them.