by Earl Yates
The Mayan Indian Empire was one of the most awe inspiring civilizations in all of Central
America. Mayans had a reverent dread of the supernatural and a respectful fear inspired by their
unknown gods. Around the 11 th and 12 th Centuries, the Mayan Indians were subdued by the
invading Toltec warriors. Following this great change, years of decadence, uprising and political
crisis ensued, followed by the region being occupied by the Aztecs.
The Mayan culture was obsessed with human sacrifices, astrology and bloodletting. Their
majestic pyramids where kings once walked and ruled leave little doubt that this kingdom
was superior to most ancient civilizations, known to the world as The Mayan Empire. Their
civilization was the height of pre-Columbian culture. Their descendants today are widely
dispersed throughout jungle areas in southeastern Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, parts of El
Salvador and Honduras.
According to government surveys there are over 30 million Mayan Indians that boast
over 65 tonal dialects, all of which are grammatically and verbally distinct, making it difficult
for them to understand a dialect other than their own. Although Spanish is hypothetically the
national language, there are thousands of communities that do not understand Spanish, making
Mayan their mother language. Recently, several government educational programs have been
made available in the format of audio books for the Mayans. Most of these people are unable to
read; therefore, they can only be reached by hearing their language. It is reported that 88% of
the Indian homes now have small portable CD players provided by the government to help the
uneducated. Ministries endeavoring to reach these needy souls are almost absent amongst independent
Baptists. Sadly, and to our shame, the cults have their programs geared towards the Mayan
Indians. There are even Muslim Mosques now functioning amidst tribal areas.
The Earl Yates family is striving to take the good news of Jesus Christ to the Mayan tribes
and diverse ethnic people in three nations. This ministry is called the Me-Gu-Lize Ministries
representing Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize. Following the same format as used by the
government, we translated and produced on CD “The Romans Road to Heaven,” by the late Dr.
Wally Beebe, in the Yucatan Mayan dialect. It is presented in dialog form between two Yucatan
Indians. Also included are several translated hymns and a cordial invitation for them to contact
us. These are given to the Indians free of charge. We are trusting this will result in many being
saved and allow us to be invited into the tribes for church planting.
The Yates family has served with BIMI in Central America since 1991. The Lord has
enabled them to plant three churches in Northern Mexico and one in the Mayan region. All the
churches are nationally led ministries. The pastors are soul winners and the churches are totally
indigenous. The goal is to produce one million copies of the audio tract (CD) in the Mayan
languages. 22
BIMI WORLD – Number 3, 2009