Belize

Shane Liss-Riordan

Overview
Welcome to Belize. Belize is a small country (8,865 square miles, slightly smaller than Massachusetts) in Central America. They are the only Central American country that speaks English. Over the next week, you will view all six regions, and the major attractions.

Food
Cuisine is an important part of Belizean culture. Here is a preview of what meals to expect.

-Fish tacari: Fresh fish soaked in lime juice, onions and yellow ginger, seasoned with salt and pepper, often served with potato salad -Escabeche: Baked chicken breast mixed with garlic, oregano, spice seeds, cloves, and jalapenos, served with rice and mushrooms -Pebre: Breaded pork with onions, seasoned with sea salt, fresh black pepper, and recardo, served with corn tortillas -Crab Tostadas: Sweet crab, black beans, and cheddar cheese in a buttered tortilla, served with a creamy avocado sauce -Dahl Roti: Split peas, onions, and garlic, in a baked tortilla dough -Camaron Frito: Fried shrimp in a batter of egg, milk, and flour -Bundiga: Fresh fish dipped in milk, garlic, thyme, and banana, covered in grated coconut, seasoned with Central American spices -Stuffed Avocados: Chicken-stuffed avocados, mixed with hard-boiled eggs, celery, sweet peppers, mayonnaise, and onion -Churros de Plantana: Ripe bananas dipped in eggs and butter, served with rice, sauted pumpkin, and black beans -Black Fruit Cake: Different fruits mixed with brown sugar and butter, served with a sweet rum butter sauce -Rice and Beans: Rice and red beans cooked separately, with black pepper and grated coconut -Beans and Rice: White rice and red beans cooked together, with much gravy, served with every lunch -Stew Chicken: Chicken in coconut milk, seasoned with local spices, served with hot sauce -Hudut: Fish stew in coconut broth, served with fresh plantains -Conch Ceviche: Fresh conch served with tomato, onion, habanero, jalapeno, cilantro, and lime juice -Garnache: Hot tortilla topped with refried beans, cabbage, cheese, carrots, salt, and vinegar -Panades: Small corn pies stuffed with either meat or fish

Day 1
Today you will visit the Cayo District. There are many Maya archeological sites in this district. Those include Caracol, Actun Tunichil Mukal, Cahal Pech, and Xunantunich. Caracol in English means, snail, shell, or spiral, because of the winding stairwells which lead to the middle of the city. It is located in the bottom of the Vaca Plateau, 1,650 ft. below sea level, in the bottom of the Maya Mountains. It is 80 square miles, which is huge compared to other Maya sites, and larger than present-day Belize City. It was occupied as early as 1200 BC, but was a colony of the city Tikal until Caracol defeated them in the first ever star war in the mid-sixth century. In its peak it was one of the largest and most important Mayan towns, with a 15,000 population. Tikal was its main enemy throughout its existence. They built a temple which was and still is the largest temple in Belize. They carved 53 stone monuments, but used very few hieroglyphics. They relied heavily on water from the Macal River. Caracol was the initial part of the Maya collapse. It was discovered in 1937, by Rosa Mai, who was searching for mahogany trees. Actun Tunichil Mukal means, Cave of the Crustel Sepulcher. It is a cave that has skeletons, ceramics, and stoneware. The most famous one is the Crystal Maiden, which is a skeleton of a teenage girl, who was sacrificed, and her bones have been calcified so that they now are sparkly. It is also home to bats, crabs, crayfish, catfish, and other tropical fish. In May 2012, a tourist accidentally dropped a camera on a 1,000-year old skull, and fractured it, so now cameras are banned from the cave. Cahal Pech means, Place of the Ticks, and was a hilltop home to an elite family and now the oldest Maya site in Belize. It overlooks the banks of the Macal and Mopan Rivers. It has 34 structures. It was abandoned in the ninth century. Xunantunich means, Stone Woman, which refers to the ghost of a woman that many people claimed to see. It was a ceremonial center, and is located above the Mopan River. Farms were spread across the site. El Castillo is a famous pyramid in the region, and is the second largest tower in present-day Belize. Xunantunich lasted longer than the other sites in the Cayo District. That concludes your day in the Cayo District.

Day 2
Today you will visit the Corozal District. The attractions here include the Maya ruins of Cerros, Colha, and Santa Rita. Cerros means, hills, and was a small village to farmers fishermen and traders. They used Corozals fertile soil. It is located on the peninsula at the mouth of the New River. They had a population of 1,100, and they buried their houses to build large temples. Colha was one of the earliest sites in Belize. Their civilization survived from 3400 BC to 1300 AD, with their peak occurring from 400 BC, to 100 AD. Colha had large amounts of chert and obsidian, which were used to make tools, and made them powerful. Santa Rita is the most accessible Mayan site in Belize. It was an important lookout for a chain of towns. They controlled Chetumals trade routes to Mexico and Guatemala. It was inhabited from 2,000 BC to 1,500 AD, when conquistador Alfonso Davila was forced to leave Santa Rita. After that, the population steadily decreased, until it was fully abandoned. You can see the remains of rulers in jade and mica, as well as wealthy people with gold earrings. Another place you should go is the tower clock in Central Park. It is a meeting place for Corozal inhabitants. One thing at the tower clock, are shady parks, with many trees. 92% of Belizes land are is used for forests and woodlands. Timber is the countrys most important natural resource, and logwood, mahogany, and chicle, which is a fruit used to make gum and ice cream, are very important exported goods. Twice a week, there are traders at the park, set up like a flea-market. Belize makes $183 million annually from trade with the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union, Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean Common Market. The Corozal Town Hall has a very famous mural, showing Corozals history, painted by Manuel Villamor Reyes, who was half Belizean, and half Mexican. It shows many scenes, such as massacre at Bacalar, the colonial era, the Mayan struggles, the War of the Castes, and Hurricane Janet. It covers an entire wall. That concludes your day in the Corozal District.

Day 3
Today you will visit the Belize District. One thing you can do is visit the Great Blue Hole, in the Lighthouse Reef. It is a huge cave that was once dry, which we know from the stalactites at the top. Yet it has been submerged in water since the Ice Age, and is now a body of water that is great for diving. Another place you could visit is the Belize Zoo. Their mammals include Belizes national animal, Bairds Tapir, the five wildcat species, jaguar, puma, ocelot, margay, jaguarundi, in addition to the white-tailed deer, red brocket, spider monkey, howler monkey, greater grison, white-lipped peccary, collared peccary, and kinkajou. Their birds include many species of parrots, owls, and raptors, as well as the scarlet macaw, jabiru, great egret, wood stork, brown pelican, ornate hawk-eagle, harpy eagle, common black hawk, king vulture, spectacled owl, barn owl, mottled owl, yellow-headed Amazon, white-fronted Amazon, collared aracari, and great curassow. Their reptiles include the American crocodile, Morelets crocodile, boa constrictor, fer de lance, and crotalus durissus. Another major attraction is the government house. Belizes government is a parliamentary monarchy. They have the same three branches as the United States, but the also have a local government branch. Their executive branch comprises of the Queen, who is the head of state, the Governor-General, who represents the Queen since she lives in the United Kingdom, and the Prime Minister, who is the head of government, and has his own cabinet. The legislative branch has a Senate, which has 12 members, and a House of Representatives, which has 31 members. The members of the judicial branch are appointed. The local government is city, town, village, and community councils. That concludes your day in the Belize District.

Day 4
Today you will visit the Orange Walk District. The Mayan ruins of Lamanai are located here. Lamanai means, submerged crocodile, because the crocodiles live along the banks of the New River. Many iguanas and exotic birds also live in the region. The Maya lived in Lamanai from 1500 BC to 1500 AD. They traded copper with other regions in the Southern Mayan Lowlands. A total of 187 copper artifacts have been found. They include bells, rings, tweezers, clothing ornaments, pins, axes, chisels, needles, and fish hooks. They were all found with burials of the wealthy. There are three temples in this district, which are the Jaguar Temple, the Mask Temple, and the High Temple. The Jaguar Temple is named for its jaguar decoration. There are two stone masks on the temple, one is a human-like face, and the other is a crocodile. There is a court at the temple, used to play the Mesoamerican Ballgame, which is a game similar to racquetball, though the nine pound ball is hit with the players hips, instead of a racket. The loser of the game was often sacrificed, unless it was played by children. At the Jaguar Temple, jade, shell, and pearl have been found, above a pool of mercury. At the Mask Temple, there are two identical masks on either side, which proves the Maya use of symmetry in their architecture. The High Temple was built in 100 BC, and has a height of 108 feet. When climbed, you can see a panorama of the rest of Lamanai, many plains and forests, and the New River Lagoon. Another place to go is the Chan Chich Lodge. It is a famous nature reserve, with amazing bird and animal watching. There are many mammals, reptiles, birds, butterflies, and dragonflies. Their mammals include opossums, armadillos, bats, monkeys, squirrels, porcupines, alpacas, coyotes, raccoons, skunks, otters, jaguars, tapirs, and deer. Their reptiles include toads, frogs, crocodiles, turtles, lizards, and snakes. It is not unusual to see fifty birds in one outing. That concludes your day in the Orange Walk District.

Day 5
Today you will visit the Stann Creek District. In the Stann Creek District are Belizes two highest points: Doyles Delight, and Victoria Peak. Doyles Delight has a height of 3,688 feet, and was named after Arthur Conan Doyle, because of the prehistoric setting of his the novel, The Lost World. It is located in the Cockscomb Range, on the Maya Mountain Divide, as part of a slowly sloping range with no dynamic peak. Many palm trees, strangler figs, ferns, and mosses are on the floor of this mountain. There is a clearing on the peak that is used by the Belize Defense Force as a helicopter landing. Many scientific expeditions have also happened on Doyles Delight. Victoria Peak was long thought to be the highest point in Belize at 3,675 feet, but recently they were measured and it was discovered that Doyles Delight is slightly higher. You can easily see the peak from the coast. It is located slightly east of the Maya Mountain Divide. There are jaguar signs on the mountain trail, as well as beautiful flora. To hike Victoria Peak, it is required by law that you are accompanied by a licensed tour guide. For a short rock gulley, a rope is needed. If you enjoy adventures, you should go to the Bocawina Zip Line. They have the longest zip line in the country, which is 2,300 feet long. They have twelve platforms. You go through dense jungles and tropical rainforests, and see Belizes most important trees, which are the mahogany, cedar, rosewood, pine, oak, and palm trees. You can also see their most important birds, which comprise of toucans, macaws, and parrots. They also have the only waterfall rappelling in the country. You can hike Antelope or Big Drop Falls, for waterfall rappelling of 300 or 500 feet, or you could take the family-friendly Bocawina Falls. Another place to go, is the Placencia Lagoon. It lies behind the Placencia Peninsula, and is a 15-mile long shallow estuary. It is home to many endangered species such as bottle-nosed dolphins, Atlantic spotted dolphins, Jabiru Storks, Morelets crocodiles, American crocodiles, and West Indian manatees. There is also much shrimp farming from the lagoon. There is good kayaking, bird-watching, and manatee watching inside the lagoon. That concludes your day in the Stann Creek District.

Day 6
Today you will visit the Toledo District. There are Mayan ruins named Nim Li Punit, which means, big hat, or, top hat, referring to to the hat on the sculpture of an ancient king. It is located in the bottom of the Maya Mountains, near many mountain streams. There are several multi-step pyramids, the tallest being 40 feet high. There are also many carved stele, some unfinished, showing the Mayan rulers. A ballcourt is located in this region. They had a population of 5,000 during their peak. They had many natural resources, such as forestry, soil, and rock. Beans, corn, and herbs were grown in the region. There were many mammals, that include the howler monkey, spider monkey, paca, cougar, jaguar, bats, as well as birds and reptiles. Another recommended place to visit is Ray McDonalds Warasa Garifuna Drum School. Belizean music is a mix of influences from Kriol, Mesizo, Garifuna, and Maya. Mestizo music is known for the marimba, which is a xylophone-like instrument, descended from Africans. Their bands have drum sets, double basses, and often other instruments. The Kriol invented brukdown music, which mixes European harmonies, African rhythms, African call-and-responses, and local lyrical elements. The instruments include banjo, drums, guitar, dingaling bell, accordion, and a donkeys jaw bone struck with a stick. Wilfred Peters, its best known performer, is a national icon. Garifuna music is different from the rest of Central America. The most famous style is punta, in which dancers move their hips from right to left in a circular motion. It is often competitive. Other styles of Garifuna music include hunguhungu, combination, wanaragua, abaimahani, matamuerte, laremuna wadaguman, gunjai, sambai, charikanari, eremuna egi, paranda, berusu, punta rock, teremuna ligilisi, arumahani, and Mali-amalihani. Drums are very important. There are two types of drums, primero and segunda. Primero is a tenor drum, and segunda is a bass drum. They are made of mahogany or mayflower, with peccary, deer, or sheep skins. Siseras are made from dry gourds, filled with seeds, and are shaken as a percussion instrument with the drums. Modern Belizean music includes reggae, reggaeton, dancehall, hip hop, rock, and metal. You can also go fishing in the Toledo District. If you fish in an estuary, you can get tarpon, snook, and jacks. If you fish in a lagoon, you can get bonefish. If you fish in a coral reef, you can get grouper, snapper, jacks, and barracuda. And if you fish in the drop-off of a continental shelf, you can get sailfish, marlin, bonito, and pompano. That concludes your day in the Toledo District.

This concludes your trip to Belize.

We hope you enjoyed your time.

Sources
-Wikipedia -Trip Advisor -Discovering Central America: Belize; Charles J. Shields