Creoles

Creoles share two distinctive traits: some degree of African-European ancestry and the use of the local English-Creole dialect. Skin color runs from very dark to very light, but some old trace of English logger or buccaneer is back there. Many Creoles are also descended from other groups of immigrants.

The center of Creole territory is Belize City. Half of Belize’s ethnic Creoles live here, and they make up more than three-fourths of the city’s population. Rural Creoles live along the highway between Belmopan and San Ignacio, in isolated clusters in northern Belize District, and in a few coastal spots to the south—Gales Point, Mullins River, Mango Creek, Placencia, and Monkey River.

Cheap labor was needed to do the grueling timber work in thick, tall jungles. The British failed to force it on the maverick Maya, so they brought slaves from Africa, indentured laborers from India, and Caribs from distant Caribbean islands, as was common in the early 16th and 17th centuries. “Creolization” started when the first waves of British and Scottish began to intermingle with these imported slaves and servants.

Mestizos

Also referred to as “Ladinos” or just “Spanish,” mestizos make up the quickest-growing demographic group in Belize and encompasses all Spanish-speaking Belizeans, descended from some mix of Maya and Europeans. These immigrants to Belize hail from the nearby countries of Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and Mexico. Once the predominant population (after immigration from the Yucatecan Caste War), mestizos are now the second most-populous ethnic group of Belize. They occupy the old “Mexican-Mestizo corridor” that runs along New River between Corozal and Orange Walk. In west-central Belize—Benque Viejo and San Ignacio—indigenous people from Guatemala have recently joined the earlier Spanish-speaking immigrants from Yucatán.

The Maya

Small villages of Maya—Mopan, Yucatec, and Q’eqchi’—still practicing some form of their ancient culture dot the landscape and comprise roughly 10–12 percent of Belize’s population. After the Europeans arrived and settled in Belize, many of the Maya moved away from the coast to escape hostile Spanish and British intruders who arrived by ship to search for slaves.

Many Maya communities continue to live much as their ancestors did and are still the most politically marginalized people in Belize, although certain villages are becoming increasingly empowered and developed, thanks in part to tourism (although some would argue at a cultural cost).

Most modern Maya practice some form of Christian religion integrated with ancient beliefs. But ancient Maya ceremonies are still quietly practiced in secluded pockets of the country, especially in southern Belize.

Garifuna

The Garifuna, also called “Garinagu,” came to exist on the Lesser Antillean island of San Vicente, which in the 1700s had become a refuge for escaped slaves from the sugar plantations of the Caribbean and Jamaica. These displaced Africans were accepted by the native Carib islanders, with whom they freely intermingled. The new island community members vehemently denied their African origins and proclaimed themselves Native Americans.

As the French and English began to settle the island, the Garifuna (as they had become known) established a worldwide reputation as expert canoe navigators and fierce warriors, resisting European control. The English finally got the upper hand in the conflict after tricking and killing the Garifuna leader, and in 1797, they forcefully evacuated the population from San Vicente to the Honduran Bay Island of Roatán. From there, a large part of the Garifuna migrated to mainland Central America, all along the Mosquito Coast.

On November 19, 1823, so the story goes, the first Garifuna boats landed on the beaches of what is now Dangriga, one of the chief cultural capitals of the people. They landed in Belize under the leadership of Alejo Beni, and a small Garifuna settlement grew in Stann Creek, where they fished and farmed. They began bringing fresh produce to Belize City, but were not welcome to stay for more than 48 hours without getting a special permit—the Baymen wanted the produce but feared that these free blacks would help slaves escape, causing a loss of the Baymen’s tight control.

The Garifuna language is a mixture of Amerindian, African, Arawak, and Carib, dating from the 1700s. The Garifuna continued to practice what was still familiar from their ancient African traditions—cooking, dancing, and especially music, which consisted of complex rhythms with a call-and-response pattern that was an important part of their social and religious celebrations. An eminent person in the village is still the drum maker, who continues the old traditions, along with making other instruments used in these singing and dancing ceremonies that often last all night.

There are a number of old dances and drum rhythms still used for a variety of occasions, especially around Christmas and New Year’s. If you are visiting Dangriga, Hopkins, Seine Bight, Punta Gorda, or Barranco during these times (or on Settlement Day, November 19), expect to see (and possibly partake in) some drumming. Feel free to taste the typical foods and drinks. If you consume too much “local dynamite” (rum and coconut milk) or bitters, have a cup of strong chicory coffee, said by the Garifuna “to mek we not have goma” (prevent a hangover).

East Indians

From 1844 to 1917, under British colonialism, 41,600 East Indians were brought to British colonies in the Caribbean as indentured workers. They agreed to work for a given length of time for one “master.” Then they could either return to India or stay on and work freely. Unfortunately, the time spent in Belize was not as lucrative as they were led to believe it would be. In some cases, they owed so much money to the company store (where they received half their wages in trade and not nearly enough to live on) that they were forced to “re-enlist” for a longer period.

Most of them worked on sugar plantations in the Toledo and Corozal Districts, and many of the East Indian men were assigned to work as local police in Belize City. In a town aptly named Calcutta, south of Corozal Town, many of the population today are descendants of the original indentured East Indians. Forest Home near Punta Gorda also has a large settlement. About 47 percent of the ethnic group live in these two locations.

The East Indians usually have large families and live on small farms with orchards adjacent to their homes. A few trade in pigs and dry goods in mom-and-pop businesses. Descendant of earlier East Indian immigrants speak Creole and Spanish. A few communities of Hindi-speaking East Indian merchants live in Belize City, Belmopan, and Orange Walk.

Mennonites

Making up more than 3 percent of the population of Belize, German-speaking Mennonites are the most recent group to enter Belize on a large scale. This group of Protestant settlers from the Swiss Alps wandered over the years to northern Germany, southern Russia, Pennsylvania, and Canada in the early 1800s, and to northern Mexico after World War I. For some reason, the quiet, staid Mennonites disturbed local governments in these other countries, and restrictions on their isolated agrarian lifestyle led to a more nomadic existence.

Most of Belize’s Mennonites first migrated from Mexico between 1958 and 1962. A few came from Peace River in Canada. In contrast to other areas where they lived, the Mennonites bought large blocks of land (about 148,000 acres) and began to farm. Shipyard (in Orange Walk District) was settled by a conservative wing; Spanish Lookout (in Cayo District) and Blue Creek (in Orange Walk District) were settled by more progressive members. In hopes of averting future problems with the government, Mennonites made agreements with Belize officials that guarantee them freedom to practice their religion, use their language in locally controlled schools, organize their own financial institutions, and be exempt from military service.

Over the 30-plus years that Mennonites have been in Belize, they have slowly merged into Belizean activities. Although they practice complete separation of church and state (and do not vote), their innovations in agricultural production and marketing have advanced the entire country. Mennonite farmers are probably the most productive in Belize; they commonly pool their resources to make large purchases such as equipment, machinery (in those communities that use machinery), and supplies. Their fine dairy industry is the best in the country, and they supply the domestic market with eggs, poultry, fresh milk, cheese, and vegetables.

Belizeans Abroad

By some estimates, there are more Belizeans living in the United States than there are in Belize. They are concentrated mostly in New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, and New Orleans. Of these, many young Belizeans have served in the U.S. armed forces. The money these emigrants send home is an important source of income for their Belizean families. Some Belizean expats stay in the States, but many return with new skills. On the flip side are those who have been deported back to Belize because of illegal activities in the United States, bringing the negative impacts of U.S. gang culture with them, a problem plaguing Belize City.