Mexico is culturally Roman Catholic, but few are faithful to the church.
  The number of evangelicals has been growing, but that growth is meeting
 with growing, sometimes violent resistance.
 
 Mexico is located in Central America on the southern border of the United
 States.  The country has a variety of terrain from mountains to coastal
 plains to desert.  The climate is tropical.
 
 Approximately 102 million people live in Mexico.  The Mestizo people, a
 mixture of Spanish and native Indian, account for about 60% of the
 population.  Another 30% are native Indians.
 
 Mexico has moved toward a free market economy, but the transition has not
 been entirely smooth.  While some have benefited from economic growth,
 unemployment remains high and many live in poverty.  A large number work in
 the United States, some illegally, to send money back home to their
 families.
 
 Mexico gained independence from Spain in 1821.  A revolution in the early
 1900's established the government as a republic, but one party effectively
 ruled until the 2000 elections when an opposition party candidate was
 elected president.  There is freedom of religion.
 
 Although the Mexican government has had its differences with the Roman
 Catholic Church, Catholicism is part of the Mexican culture.  Approximately
 90% of the people are classified as Catholic.  Evangelization can be
 difficult because many equate Catholicism with Mexican nationalism and are
 offended by protestant missions.
 
 Still, evangelicals have enjoyed steady growth and now account for nearly
 7% of the population.  However, evangelicals have been subjected to more
 persecution in recent years.  Some Catholics view them as unpatriotic.
  Pray for believers that they may be Christ-like in their response to
 persecution.  Pray that their witness would be bold and their numbers would
 continue to grow.
 
 After years of restrictions, missionary visas are now available.  Pray for
 those laboring in Mexico.  The majority are from the United States, but
 Americans are often viewed with suspicion.  Pray that these barriers would
 be broken down and that many more would hear the gospel.
 
 Native religions are still widely practiced in some areas, particularly in
 the poorer southern states.  Pray that the power of the occult would be
 broken and those tempted to mix the occult with Christianity would see the
 sufficiency of Christ alone.