Mazahua Valley ministries serves as a resource to the churches in the Mazahua Valley region of Mexico.  We have on-campus events, such as Bible studies and conferences, as well as many off-campus ministries that reach out to our community.  Our mission statement is:

 

"Mazahua Valley Ministries seeks to serve

and walk alongside those who are in need

by bringing hope to their families through

the Gospel of Jesus Christ."

 

Our Campus

Children and families from all around the Mazahua Valley region enjoy coming to the M.V.M. campus. Our facilities include student dormitories, camping rooms, a community kitchen, a public library, a student computer lab, a large gathering room and lots of room to run and play!

 

[above] Our campus auditorium is a popular gathering place for conferences and retreats.

 

 

  

[above] Our courtyard for recreational activities.

 

Our Location

The MVM campus is located in the Mazahua Valley outside of Atlacomulco (see map below) in the State of Mexico which is approximately 80 miles Northwest of Mexico City in the central highlands of Mexico around 9,600 ft. The climate is fresh during the spring and summer with heavy rains and cold with some frost during the fall and winter. The Monarch butterflies migrate every year from Minnesota to the Mazahua Valley during the months of November-February.

 

Our ministry covers a radius of 40 miles including 5 counties: Atlacomulco, Ixtlahuaca, San Felipe del Progreso, El Oro y Temascalcingo; reaching out to about twenty four villages and 35 churches from different denominations.

History of Mazahua Valley Ministries

The idea for Mazahua Valley Minisitries sprung out of a program at the Mazahua Mission. In 1988, Eustacio (Tacho) Dominguez began to work with the scholarship and discipleship program which had the goal of providing Mazahua children with better educational opportunities. This program allowed students in junior high to receive a monthly scholarship, mentoring, and tutoring which would enable them to continue their education. In Mexico , higher education is only provided in the larger cities. There are no school buses that go out into the villages to pick children up for school. If you want an education, you have to live close by the city to go to school. Many of these students who finished junior high expressed the desire to continue with their high school education. This is when the idea came about to build a mission nearby the city, so students could live there during the week and go to school in town. In 1995, it was suggested to build the MVM just outside of Atlacomulco. The proposal was supported by Calvary Lutheran Church in the United States, and the building was finished in 1998. Today, the center provides living space for fifteen disadvantaged students and is a resource to churches and the surrounding community.

1998 - Sally and Tacho Dominguez at the opening of the (then called) Mexican Indigenous University Center; now called, Mazahua Valley Ministries.

The Mazahua People

The Mazahua people are one of 62 indigenous groups found in Mexico. Although Mazahua is their native language, they are quickly being assimilated into the national culture. Today, many of the young people only speak Spanish. The Mazahuas are generally farmers subsisting on small plots of land. Their main crop is corn used for making tortillas, the main staple in their diet. Lack of employment has forced many to migrate to the cities, northern border areas, or the United States to find work as vendors, masons, or domestic employees. Most children have access to primary school, but very few go on to finish the secondary level. Half of the population lives in extreme poverty on less than $5 a day.

 

The Mazahua people are known for their gift of hospitality and service, close family ties, and community. That is why visitation is such an important aspect of our ministry. Unexpected visitors drop by daily and it can take us half a day just to visit one person.