MEXICO CITY—Jehovah’s Witnesses released the New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures in Tzotzil at a convention held December 26-28, 2014, in Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas. The “Keep Seeking First God’s Kingdom!” Regional Convention was presented in Tzotzil, a Mayan language, and was transmitted to another venue in Comitan, Chiapas. In addition to the Bible, all 5,073 in attendance received six more new publications in Tzotzil.

A spokesman for Jehovah’s Witnesses in Mexico, Gamaliel Camarillo, states: “We are thrilled with the release of the New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures in Tzotzil. We look forward to sharing this translation with our Tzotzil-speaking neighbors.”

The Tzotzil language is spoken by over 350,000 people in Baja California, Campeche, Chiapas, Oaxaca, and Veracruz, according to the Secretariat of Public Education for Mexico. In order to share the Bible’s message with the Tzotzil people, the Witnesses have set up a remote translation office for the Tzotzil language composed of 15 translators located in San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas. In 2002, the Witnesses released their first publication in Tzotzil. Jehovah’s Witnesses now have more than 60 Tzotzil publications available for download on their official website, jw.org.

Media Contact(s):

International: J. R. Brown, Office of Public Information, tel. +1 718 560 5000

Mexico: Gamaliel Camarillo, tel. +52 555 133 3048