Introduction to Belize

We spent 2 weeks in Belize, a small Central American country. Kathryn's brother Steven has been living there for the last five years so we were overdue for a visit. Our time was roughly divided into thirds with a portion in the western interior near the Guatemalan border, a portion along the centre and eastern coast, and a portion on the island of Ambergris Caye.

Despite being a small country, Belize has a fairly diverse population. Once a Spanish colony (before Britain took over in 1840 and Independence in 1981), Hispanics remain the largest demographic group, with a sizable Creole population making up the next largest group. Originally a collection of Maya city states, the indigenous people still make up around 10% of the population with a combination of Europeans and Asians rounding out the group.

The motto of the nation, which they believe strongly enough to print directly on the flag is "Sub umbra floreo," which means, "Under the shade I flourish."

Another unique cultural group are the Garifuna, a people of mixed African and Amerindian ancestry which originated on the island of Saint Vincent. Much of the populace were transplanted to Central America in 1796 after a series of conflicts with the English known as the Carib Wars. 

The Garifuna language is an offshoot of Arawak with numerous European influences and in 2001 was declared, along with their music and dances, to be a “Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible History of Humanity” by UNESCO.

 Interestingly, Belize is not only the most sparsely populated country in Central America, but it is unique for having a far higher population 800 years ago at the peak of the Mayan empire than it does today.