Nov 10, 2011 (Caribbean News Now – McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) — The Garifuna people are one of the few remaining African ethnic groups in the entire Caribbean and Latin America who still maintain their culture. Some historians believe that these people were from the Mende ethnic group and migrated from West Africa to the Americas centuries before the other native people arrived in…
The name Nim Li Punit is derived from a carving on one of the site’s twenty six stelae, which depicts a figure wearing a large headdress. In the Maya Kekchi language, Nim li Punit means “the big hat.” The monument on which this carving appears is the longest stela in Belize, originally located in an area called Plaza of the Stelae. Nim Li Punit is…
WHAT TO SEE Offering a bit of a respite from the hotter lowlands, Mountain Pine Ridge is one of the most heavily visited reserves. It’s a landscape of rolling pine forest spread over smooth granite hillsides, a slightly bizarre area with battalions of uniform pine sporadically dissected by fire breaks and broadleaf gallery forest. Established in 1944, the reserve has been logged on a carefully…
Over 40% of Belize’s land mass enjoys some form of legal protected areas area status and these diverse natural areas form the basis of Belize’s tourism offerings. This significant portion of the country under sustainable management is a testament to the diversity of plant and animal species and to the energy and enthusiasm of pioneers in Belize conservation.
There are three ways to get to Placencia Belize – by plane, by car and by bus. Placencia By Plane: This is the most recommended way to get to Placencia. There are several flights into Placencia throughout the day and they are well coordinated with international flight arrival times. We are an agent of both local airlines — Tropic Air and Maya Island Air — and…
Spanning Belize’s coastline for 185 miles is the Belize Barrier Reef with dive sites inside and outside of the reef providing countless dive locations year round.
By Robin Denselow When the remarkable album Watina was released, nearly four years ago, it launched the tragically brief international career of Andy Palacio and focused attention to the culture and history of the Garifuna community – the descendents of escaped slaves from Africa who inter-married with the indigenous people of St Vincent, and are now scattered across Central America. Palacio died within a year…
Under this year’s September Celebration theme – Honoring our History, celebrating our cultures, uniting for peace – Belizeans countrywide and abroad are gearing up for the the day when Belize became Independent – September 21 1981!
Although Belize’s Maya occupation began as early as 1500 BC, it was during the Classic period of 250 AD to 900 AD that the population is thought to have exceeded one million people. Archaeological remains of the ancient Maya include pottery, skeletons, stelae, and tall palaces, temples, and ceremonial centers. Check out this video to learn more about Belize and the Maya History:
Lunar cycles play a vital role in fishing and nowhere in Belize as grandiosely as at Gladden Spit Marine Reserve off the coast of Placencia in southern Belize.