San Juan Guelavía Zapotec (ZABWBT)

Overview

The San Juan Guelavía Zapotec New Testament, titled Xtiidx Dios cun ditsa, is a translation of the New Testament into the Western Tlacolula Valley Zapotec language, published in 1995 by Wycliffe Bible Translators. [1] The translation was the result of over two decades of linguistic and translation work by SIL/Wycliffe linguists Ted and Kris Jones, who began living in the village of San Juan Guelavía, Oaxaca, in April 1973 to work with the previously unwritten language. [2]

Language and People

Western Tlacolula Valley Zapotec (ISO 639-3: zab) is spoken by approximately 28,000 people in the Tlacolula Valley east of Oaxaca City in the state of Oaxaca, southern Mexico. [Glottolog: sanj1284]

The language belongs to the Zapotecan branch of the Oto-Manguean language family. The Zapotec peoples are among the oldest civilizations of Mesoamerica, with a history stretching back over 2,500 years in the Valley of Oaxaca. San Juan Guelavía is a small community in the Tlacolula district whose Zapotec variety is part of the Western Tlacolula Valley group. [3]

Translators and Contributors

Ted and Kris Jones of Wycliffe Bible Translators arrived in San Juan Guelavía in 1973 and spent years learning and documenting the local Zapotec language before beginning the translation of the New Testament. [2] Their work included developing a practical orthography for the language and producing linguistic analyses alongside the Scripture translation. The SIL Mexico branch provided organizational support for the project. [3]

Publishing and Organizations

Created by Wycliffe Bible Translators, Inc. Translation type: New.

References