People Group Profiles

“All nations will come and worship before you."

- Revelations 15:4

Chol of United States


People Group Info

Total Population: 30,000

ROP3 Code: 117159
IMB Affinity Group: American Peoples
Affinity Bloc: Latin-Caribbean Americans
People Cluster: Maya
Language: Chol - (ctu)
Religion: Christianity - Roman Catholic
Country of Origin: Mexico

Photo courtesy of Joshua Project.

By Reece Terrell

Majority Located Where

  San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA - 100

  Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA - 10

Click here to recommend other locations where this People Group resides.

Learn More

Brief Profile

The Chol are an indigenous Mayan people group who have come from the Northern portion of the state of Chiapas in Mexico. The Chol come from an agricultural background with few modern conveniences.

The language that is called Ch'ol in English is referred to as "Lak ty'añ" which means "our speech". The word Ch'ol refers to both the language and the people.

They came to the USA in search of better economic opportunities for themselves, their families, and their villages in Mexico.

The main religion practiced by the Chol is a mixture of Roman Catholicism with pagan syncretism. Catholic saints are worshiped in the church, but veneration is also given to sacred mountains and caves, the Sun and Moon, and stone idols. The Chol also practice traditional curing ceremonies which they believe drive out evils that cause illness.

Prayer Points

  • Pray for Chol believers to boldly proclaim the gospel to their people.
  • Pray that the barriers of traditional Mayan religion would be broken down.
  • Pray for more workers for the harvest, both for the Chol in the United States, as well as those in Mexico.


Learning Resources

Learn more about "Learning Paths"
Online Courses for embracing, encountering and engaging diaspora people. Work at your own pace. Begin anytime and complete the course according to your schedule. Interactive, Hands-On Application.

Learn more about "Reaching the Nations"
This book delineates five disciplines Christians should develop in order to effectively reach the nations. More specifically, it will guide Christians to develop an engagement strategy in their locale.

World Religions - Beliefs Overview
An overview of major world religions and cults - their beliefs and practices.


Other Resources

Prayer Guide for Unreached Peoples
A 30 day guide to pray for unreached people groups.

Prayer Guide using the GOSPELS acronym
A prayer guide that utilizes the acronym GOSPELS to pray for workers among diaspora.

Scripture Earth Resources in Various Chol Dialects
Scripture Earth Resources in Various Chol Dialects

Displaying 1-2 of 2 results.
Country City Metro Area Name State / Prov. Baseline Population
United StatesSan FranciscoSan Francisco-Oakland-HaywardCA100
United StatesLos AngelesLos Angeles-Long Beach-AnaheimCA10