Source: United Bible Societies, October 8, 2026
Coinciding with its sixtieth anniversary celebrations and Bible Month in the region, the Bible Society of Mexico (BSM) dedicated the complete Bible in the Purépecha language in Michoacán.
The launch marked the culmination of 23 years of specialized, step-by-step translation, rigorous linguistic reviews, and continuous validation with native speakers to ensure precision and clarity.
This effort builds upon a historical foundation laid in 1968 with the completion of the Purépecha New Testament, which has since seen revised editions, digital releases, and audio formats. The initiative placed an emphasis on accessible media, including audio recordings and Braille portions, as it recognizes that Purépecha culture is predominantly oral and many native speakers do not read or write the language.
Efforts to render biblical texts into Mesoamerican languages date back to the 16th century, when Indigenous scholars and friars produced early translations of the Epistles and Gospels. Many of those historical Purépecha texts were suppressed by the Inquisition and remained scattered for centuries until academic efforts, such as the National Autonomous University of Mexico’s Biblical Philology in Indigenous Languages program, recovered and studied them.
In Mexico, 32% of the population speaks a native language. The official language is Spanish, although there are 280 native languages. Mexico is the largest country in Latin America with a native language speaker population [and home to] 4.7 million people who cannot read or write.
Read the full story and also take a look at a UBS article about the Digital Bible Library, an impressive collection of texts in many forms and thousands of languages spoken by more than 6 billion of the world’s 8.3 billion people.
By the way, November is Global Bible Month. You in?