Orthodoxy is gaining popularity among Mayan Indians in Guatemala
Researchers at the Russian State University for the Humanities (RSUH) have recorded a significant increase in the number of Orthodox Christians among the Mayans in Guatemala. According to data published in the RAS journal “Latin America”, by 2025 more than one and a half million people can be classified as Orthodox, which is more than six percent of the country’s population. This figure continues to grow, surpassing figures from a decade ago.
According to EA Daily, citing the work of researchers, the spread of Orthodoxy among indigenous Mayan-speaking populations is linked to the historical traumas of Indian communities. In the late 19th century, during the “liberal reforms” of President Justo Rufino Barrios, Catholicism was effectively banned, leading to the closure of monasteries and the seizure of church lands. This event deprived the Indians of a familiar religious environment and created a demand for new forms of spiritual life.
A key role in the establishment of Orthodoxy in Guatemala was played by Abbess Ines Ayau Garcia. After coming to Orthodoxy in the 1980s, she initiated the first Orthodox Liturgy in 1994. In 1996, the community received a dilapidated orphanage, which was transformed into the Monastery of the Life-Giving Trinity with a children’s shelter. In 1997, the first parish Orthodox church in Guatemala – the Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord – was consecrated on its territory. Subsequently, other temples were built, including Holy Trinity Church, erected in 2007 in the traditions of Old Russian architecture. Over the years the orphanage has welcomed more than a thousand children to Orthodoxy.
An important project of the Abbess was the foundation of the Olga and Manuel Ayau Cordon University in 2013. The institution offers free online education, attracting specialists from different countries, including staff members of RSUH. Professor Galina Ershova, a student of Yuri Knorozov, created the first textbook on Maya writing in Spanish, which contributed to the development of a new area of humanities education in Guatemala.
The growth of Orthodox communities continues through the collective conversions of Indian settlements, who find in Orthodoxy a form of Christianity closer to them in spirit and cultural heritage. Researchers note that for many Maya communities Orthodoxy is perceived as an opportunity to “restore the lost spiritual fullness” and strengthen community identity, while the painful memory of the ban of the Catholic Church in the XIX century remains.
Recall, earlier we reported that Ireland has seen a rapid growth in the number of followers of Orthodoxy. Over the past two decades, the number of Orthodox Christians in the country has increased almost sevenfold, which indicates a significant change in the religious landscape of the Republic.