Mexico-2
One Story for All

28 Jan 2008

Opening scene: short clips (3 seconds each/your still pictures and mine) of several people groups. The audio of the indigenous languages will run at the same time. There is no attempt to synchronize the picture and language. We will scroll the names and population size of several of the groups. We will not include the % of believers (about 2 seconds per name).

85,000 HUICHOL

200,000 PUREPECHA

250,000 TZOTZIL

120,000 TLAPANECO

500,000 MIXTECO

500,000 ZAPOTECO

175,000 MAZATECO

135,000 NAHUATL GUERRERO

65,000 ZOQUE

90,000 TARAHUMARA

The indigenous people … those who lived in Mexico before the arrival of the Spanish colonists … make up about 10% of the country’s population. There are 62 officially recognized indigenous tribal groups. Among these people, over 300 dialects and languages are spoken. The clothes they wear, the language they speak, the place they live and their traditional worship practices distinguish one group from another.

The indigenous peoples resisted the Spanish colonists by both confrontation and by fleeing to the remote parts of Mexico. Some of these groups have been assimilated into the Mexican society but they continue to maintain many of their cultural traditions. Others live much as they did hundreds of years ago. The steep mountains and deep valleys, the lack of good roads, the fear of outsiders and a self-sufficient lifestyle have allowed them to protect a good deal of their traditional religions, customs, and language.

The traditional religions, … including human sacrifices, ancestor worship, witchcraft and magic, … were all developed many centuries before the arrival of the Spanish. Many of these beliefs and practices continued even after they were converted to Catholicism. The priests who were part of the invasion of Mexico by Spain “converted” the indigenous peoples but few understood what they were being converted into. Today most claim to be “Christian”. … They worship in the large churches, they pray to Mary as well as the Virgin of Guadalupe, they stand in awe at the magnificent churches in their towns and cites but this, … like the gold veneer on the statues and paintings, … is a facade. … It is only on the surface.

In a market near Oaxaca, a salesman has a large crowd of customers who are seeking something to better their lives. The small plastic bags contain a variety of items that promise to cure their ailments, make them wealthy and ward off evil spirits. The salesman has included a pyramid and a Buddha in this collection. In other places, they believe that corn is one of the few crops blessed by the gods and continue to cultivate it on soil that is ill suited for its productive growth. The indigenous people do not understand what Christianity means. As a result, many continue to offer sacrifices to their animistic gods and believe that salvation is dependent upon their performance in a variety of tasks during their lives.

The Message of Jesus Christ has not penetrated the remote areas where many live. In the past, numerous missionaries chose to focus their effort on reaching the urban centers assuming that the Message of Christ would eventually filter out to the rural villages. In reality, … this has not happened.

Many of the indigenous population groups do not have the Bible translated into their language or in their dialect. Unfortunately, … in most cases, … the people are unable to read their own language. It is for this reason that missionaries are developing an oral presentation of the Bible. This set of stories from God’s Word, … each fitting together like these blocks of clay, … will help address the lack of understanding and put the Bible within reach of many of the indigenous peoples. The Bible stories are all selected to address the individual cultural barriers that must be overcome before accepting Christ. As they are put together, a clear picture of God’s Word emerges.

Historia Unica, … the one story concept, … makes use of the story-telling skills of the various indigenous people groups. The stories developed by international … as well as national … missionaries are taught in a manner that even those who are unable to read can repeat them to their family, their friends and others who share a common language and cultural bond.

These stories explain who Jesus Christ is but, … still, ... it is difficult to commit their lives to Jesus Christ because of their traditional beliefs. When someone does accept Christ, they are often ostracized and seen as abandoning their culture and religion. Believers have been arrested, had their electricity and water turned off, been refused access to the city cemetery, had their houses burned and kicked out of their towns. Persecution is real among the indigenous in Mexico. Some believers have been killed.

The Gospel has not penetrated the hearts of the people. Historia Unica, … the one story concept, … reaches deep into lostness within Mexico as it presents the Gospel.

(Overlay: Open New Doors)

Our plan is to open doors each year to new people groups in Mexico.

(Overlay: By 2015, All Doors Open)

By the year 2015, our goal is for all indigenous peoples within Mexico to have God’s Story in a way that they can understand and share with others.

(Overlay: Persons of Peace)

PRAY for our missionaries as they seek out persons of peace to assist in the selection and translation of Bible Stories.

(Overlay: Protection of Believers)

PRAY for the protection of new believers as they are often persecuted for their belief.

(Overlay: Availability of God’s Message)

PRAY that God’s message will be made available to all indigenous peoples of Mexico.
Songs from the Tarahumara

PRONUNCIATION GUIDE:

façade fuh SAHD

Historia Unica

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