The Belize People
- A Friendly lot indeed!

One thing that stood out for me about the Belize people was their friendliness. Approximately 300,000 People made up of various cultures and backgrounds, a nation of migrants, blending and bonding together, bringing out the best in human nature!

While the North of Belize is predominantly Mayan, Spanish (Mestizos) and Mennonite, Central Belize is Garifuna and Creole, and the South, kekchi and Mopen Mayas present 64% in the Toledo district. There is also an East Indian, Arab and Chinese population mix in all the districts.

How do these mixture of cultures individually contribute to make Belize an attractive country to visit?

The Creole make up 25% of Belize people and are living mostly in Belize City and the surrounding Belize District. They are a laid back and fun people, story tellers, always having a story to entertain you with, which we experienced at the Baboon Sanctury in Bermudian Landing.

My dad is from this culture and the stories he would tell us when we were young made our hair stand on end.

The Creole people originated from European settlers in the logging trade mixing with African slaves who were brought in to fell the trees. Many of the Creole continued to work as lumberjacks or logging crews.

During the war the British shipped crews of Belize Creole lumberjacks to cut wood to help in the war effort. That was back in 1941 and my dad was a member of one of those crews posted at Tranent, Scotland. In the snow! Miles away from home! Yet they maintained a friendly disposition.

If you get a chance, try the famous "beans and rice". It is a trade mark of the Creole people. I have the recipe posted on my recipe page.

Garifuna (Carinagus or Caribs) make up 6.6% of the Belize population, and are mostly concentrated in the Stann Creek District especially in Dangriga. This group of Belize people originated from the Carib Indians merging with escaped slaves from Barbados, on the Island of St. Vincent. All over Belize you will enjoy the fast beat of their drums accompanied by dancers with agile feet. Hear the sound of Garifuna soul here...

About the year 1869, Garinagu settled in Seine Bight, so the best place to discover the people and culture would be there in Placencia during the festival on 19th November 2008. There is a re-enactment of when the first settlers arrived at Dangriga port.

The people are scattered throughout Belize so you will find Garifuna dishes on the menu in almost all restaurants especially Fish Serre (fish cooked in coconut milk).

Originally the Mestizos were refugees who fled from the Caste War and settled first in the North.

Their food is a blend of Spanish, Mayan and Mexican and if you are thinking that the tortilla is Spanish like I did, well it was actually introduced by the Maya.

Three combined Mayan groups consist of 10.6% of the Belize people especially in the Toledo districts with some in the North. You have the Yucatec Maya, originally from Yucatan, Mexico, then the Ketchi Indians from the Verapaz region in Guatemala and Mopan from the Peten region of Guatemala.

The original Mayans who lived in the ancient cities with their temples, perished through disease or conflict.

The Toledo District is where you will find most of the Kekchi and Mopen Mayan people and their villages.

It`s as if time has stood still for these people, and you can get the chance to step back in time and experience life as they do in their traditions and culture.

Some of the tours to Belize attractions include a chance to spend some time with a Mayan family. You will hear stories about their ancestors, taste their cooking and visit the bush doctor who will tell you what herbs are used for different illnesses.

I never got the chance to do this so it is on the agenda for my next trip to Belize.

Lastly we have smaller groups who make up the Belize people. One group who will be pointed out to you by the tour guides, are the Mennonites, a German-speaking, Christian religious group who came from Mexico and settled in Belize in March 1958. They have settlements at Blue Creek, Spanish Lookout, Barton Creek, Shipyard, Little Belize, and Progresso. You will easily recognise them by their dress. The men wear a sort of dungaree or trousers with braces, and the women, long dresses and bonnets.

A completely self sustaining people they have their own schools, churches and financial institutions. They are keen carpenters so you can buy their furniture all over Belize. Also they contribute to the nations economy by supplying meat and dairy produce from their farms.

Some of the settlements farm with modern equipment while others refuse to do so.

East Indians are another small section of the Belize people who came over to Belize between 1844 to 1917 to be indentured workers, that is, workers who agreed to work under a master for a few years and then were allowed to work as they pleased.

They left India during the time when the British ruled, employment was scarce and food shortages drove them to find work elsewhere. Belize was offering opportunity.

Opportunity also attracted the Belizean Arab who consisted mainly of Palestinians. They came to establish lucrative businesses in Belize as the sugar cane cultivation and mahogany export boomed.

Most of the Chinese speaking Belize people immigrated to Belize from the 20th century onward, although a few came during the 19th century as contract labourers.

They came from South China and established themselves in the restaurant and fast food chains. Some own grocery stores, while others are involved in the lottery trades. The majority of Chinese-Belizeans are located in the Belize District.

In this melting pot of cultures it`s clear why Belize people have a reputation of being so friendly. Belize boasts of many great and spectacular natural attractions but the racial harmony between these friendly Belize people is the greatest attraction of all.

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