Tenek Bible & Literacy

• Location: Mexico
• Bible Completion Target Date: 2038

Descendants of the ancient Maya, the Tenek-speaking people who use the San Luis Potosi Huastec dialect live in 12 villages in eastern Mexico. Including the Tenek living in Veracruz, they number about 169,000. Few are literate. Predominantly Roman Catholic with 60% adherents, 20% of the population classify as Protestant. Another 20% are independent, but less than 1% claim to be evangelical.

Since the deeply rooted influence of Catholicism in Mexico has caused difficulties for missionary work among the tribal people, fewer than 10 evangelical churches hold services for the Tenek language group. However, Fernando Angeles, raised in a Tenek village, providentially came across a Spanish Bible after learning Spanish in school. When he read about God's love and forgiveness, he believed in Christ's gift of salvation and began to share the truth with his people. As he began teaching and preaching from the Spanish Bible and translating into Tenek, he realized that his people desperately needed God’s Word in their language to read and understand for themselves.

In 2006, Bibles International adopted the Tenek New Testament translation project for the San Luis Potosi Huastec dialect. Fernando and his wife, Christy, acquired linguistic training under BI, and they soon accepted their initial assignment—to translate the Gospel of Mark. Fernando, with help from his wife and from BI senior consultant Ross Hodsdon, managed to complete this translation in one year.

In 2008, the president of Mexico required that Indian languages "normalize" their alphabet and vocabulary. Because Fernando and Christy had become acquainted with two Tenek linguists through their translation work, the government invited them to participate in the normalization. By 2013, the Tenek people received their authorized alphabet and grammar, which proved to be valuable tools in translating the Tenek New Testament. The translation team subsequently published trial editions of Mark, James, and John.

More than 500 people attended the dedication celebration of the Tenek New Testament on December 15, 2017, and everyone in the town square heard the gospel clearly presented in English, Spanish, and Tenek. After the preaching and testimonies ended, one elderly man confessed, "I couldn’t understand a word of the Spanish, but I could understand every word of the Tenek, and I have faith." The entire Tenek New Testament was later recorded by Faith Comes by Hearing, who also produced the Gospel of Luke in video format.

In 2021, BI adopted the Tenek Old Testament translation project. The newly-expanded Tenek translation team received training and began working on the books of Genesis and Ruth. A trial edition of Genesis was printed in 2025.

Our Tenek translator's life story has been written in a book targeted to middle schoolers.  Visit Amazon.com to purchase a copy.

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