I pride myself on my knowledge of geography and culture. Social studies was always my favorite subject. History, culture, geography, maps, people--- all of it. It's why I became an anthropologist and it's why I'm living the life I am now. That said, I do have something to admit to you all--

I purposefully didn't look up anything on Belize and waited until I got here to discover it. All I knew is that it's a part of the British Commonwealth, used to be called "British Honduras", they speak English (?) and it's the red-headed stepchild of Central America. I knew it was different. I just didn't know how much. I planned on being surprised when I arrived and boy howdy, was I.


Architecture and Urban Layout

The first town I arrived in was Corozal in the north. The North of Belize has a very high population of Mexican-Mayan, Mestizo, Spanish-speaking Belizians that mostly came over as a result of the Caste War a century and a half ago.

The layout of the town is what I noticed first. Yes the signs were all in English, the speed limits were in MPH (surprising) and the buildings were a fusion of Latino-style cement-architecture and a lot of WOOD! Wood, my old friend.. It rots, wifi travels through it better, it's much hotter inside, and it holds onto paint until it falls apart. I was surprised to see so much wood architecture. It must be the Caribbean influence. 

Then I saw the town square. There was a town square at all, which surprised me, since that layout is typically of Spanish origin (going back to before the Romans even). There is one difference however, instead of a big catholic church across the street from it, I found many, many churches. Baptist. Mormon. Anglican. I saw many of the major protestant denominations represented. Not one catholic church to be found. 


More racial representation than I thought

If you want some stock images of multi-racial families or groups of people, come on down to Belize. The people of Belize are perfect for your University's website's splash page. I initially thought Belize's racial makeup would be like South Africa with a mix of White and Black, but mostly Black. I had incorrectly assumed that Belize had a very large white population, a stay-over from Britain's hold on the country from its colonial period. I was surprised to find out that isn't even close!


-White

You'll find a few Canadian and American ex-pats here but not as many as I'd assumed. I thought there would be a much larger population of them because of the use of English and stability and safety of the country but you'd be wrong. Many of the ex-pats were attracted to Mexico for the COST. Belize is much more expensive, so despite the English, the warm sandy beaches, and easy-going life, it hasn't attracted as many retirees as I'd thought there'd be.

You don't see a lot of white people in positions of government like some kind of dominating minority like they were in many post-colonial African nations. The politicians are as diverse as the racial makeup of the country itself, which is surprisingly awe-inspiring. I wish more people knew about it.

If you ever get some christo-fascist spewing racist nonsense like how Haiti is falling apart because the country is black and culturally cannot function, tell them to look at Belize and punch a hole right through their theory.

Since independence in 1981, Belize has had Prime Ministers of mixes of races of White, Maya, Palestinian and African, but not a single one who was only White.  Even their Latin neighbor countries have had pretty white leaders at times in comparison.


-Black

I knew the population of Belize would be very African. Much like Jamaica and other islands in the Caribbean, their populations are African because of the slave trade. European powers found that Africans are suited physically to toil in fields under the tropical sun. They would harvest new and exciting new-world crops like sugar, tobacco, and pineapple that brought booms to the economies of those empires back in the old world.

What I didn't expect was how 'Jamaican' they would all sound. I didn't have any expectations in this regard, but people of black backgrounds have a Jamaican-style accent that I'm sure is different once you get to know the two more closely. The west-african Niger-Congo and Bantu language families have their influence on the intonation and vowels of English, but then you have the real wildcard-- Creole.

Creole is a fusion of African grammatical structure and English. Most of the words are English, but a few words are West African in origin. It has it's own spelling and grammar rules like any other language. I imagine it like the difference between Spanish and Portuguese or Catalan, but with influences from Africa that give it a much more unfamiliar spin. Creole is spoken in the homes of many black and mixed families, but from what I've seen I wouldn't call it a language of government or business. Many creole speakers know proper English in parallel, and more than likely Spanish. Bilingualism here is as strong as French-Canada. The majority of people know more than one language.

Also, when I walked up to a restaurant once, they said they were serving riceandbean. When I heard the intonation, like the 3 words being said as one, I knew exactly what it was. All the way down in Costa Rica, on the east coast, there is ALSO a black, English-creole speaking minority with Caribbean influences that hark back to the slave trade. They have a dish native to the coast called "Riceandbean" which is Rice and beans mixed together cooked in coconut oil. I found the exact same dish here in Belize.


-Spanish Speakers (Maya and Mestizo)

A rebellion in the Yucatan by Maya natives lead to the Caste War in the mid to late 19th century. When that happened, many refugees fled across the border into Belize and have stayed here for generations. There were even some battles. For example: the Brits were actually trading arms with the rebel Maya in exchange for timber and chicle to make gum. When the British government put a stop to it, the Maya attacked Belize, most notably at the city of Orange Walk. When I was in Orange Walk I learned about how the Caste War spilled over into Belize and I was shocked to find out there was a monument here to the ATTACKER.

That's right, there are so many Spanish-speaking Belizians here of Maya and Mestizo descent, they actually erected a monument to the Mayan attackers and not for the British Defenders. Never underestimate the influence of the underdog.

Spanish is spoken by many people in Belize, particularly the northern regions. I've been able to have full conversations with Mexican-accent-speaking Mestizos (mixed white and native) but there are some words they'll just flat out say in English. While speaking with someone in Spanish, we'll be talking and then the word "Month" or "Coffee" will be spoken in English for the entirety of the conversation. It will have Spanish consonants and vowels when spoken (Munth/Month = Mont) (Coffee = Koe-fi) which may have me asking them to repeat the word before I realize they're using the English version of it.  It's textbook Spanglish.


-Mennonite

The Mennonite community are German-speaking but speak English with the rest of the country. Some even know Spanish to be able to navigate communities in the North. These guys are not just some regional minority, they're actually a very large percentage of this very small country (so small there aren't even any area codes on phone numbers). The Mennonites keep to themselves in tight-knit communities that are religiously and agriculturally centered. They speak German as their first language and they look VERY, VERY Aryan. Looking at the men, women, and children walking on the side of the road or riding in the back of trucks, if it wasn't for their clothes, you'd figure they were from Wisconsin. I actually look very much like them, so when I catch them looking at me on my motorcycle, they must be wondering if I broke away from the clan. 

Their communities look Midwestern. I can't quite explain it other than they have the slanted roofs like we do (for snow), clean yards, architecture based in wood, white picket fences-- the works. They're not allowed to use certain kinds of technology, so a lot of their wares and products are sold to people who do. Those factories are kept just as good, if not better, than factories in the states. Driving down Main St was like taking a drive through small towns in western Minnesota. The palm trees were the only thing that set them apart. It was fascinating seeing their major community here, Spanish Lookout.

One law I know the Mennonites cannot break is the use of rubber. They cannot use any machines that use rubber, so they cannot drive cars or use combines when planting or harvesting crops. I've seen them drive horse-drawn buggies with wooden wheels on the side of the road, donned with the "Slow" symbol on the back of the carriage. 

Use of rubber would've been deemed too big of a change for their community, and they'd be too much like the rest of us. In order to keep their culture separate, pure, and down to earth, the Mennonite communities have sets of rules on what technology they can and cannot use to keep their way of life alive and preserved. Their clothing, for example, is consistent with 16th to 18th century farming. I'm surprised if I see a set of jeans on any of them. Men have straw caps, women have bonnets. Men have overalls, women have Handmaid's Tale-style dresses. I expect this community to continue to grow rapidly, possibly gaining a major voice in Belizian politics in coming generations. You know, if they even allow for that sort of thing. (Edit: Yes they do!)


-Asian, & Arab

I've found there's quite a few Muslim and Asian minorities here but I haven't seen them that often. Asian minorities are most certainly Chinese, and many of them run general stores and Chinese restaurants. I've seen Muslim women with their heads covered playing with their kids in playgrounds. I haven't spoken to these folks much but it's a welcome surprise all the same- these are folks you won't see much of throughout Latin America. Well, except maybe Chinese. You'll find their communities in unexpected places almost anywhere.



With every person I approach, I've had to take a look at their race before deciding which language to continue with. When I see people speaking English but with a Spanish-speaking accent, I switch to Spanish much to their relief. If I see anyone of any other race, I'll be sure to speak English but I slow it down for the Arab and Asian minorities. English is still very much their second language and I haven't seen those communities get a good hold of it. I think they sometimes confuse what's Creole and what's not.

One thing that's pretty nice is people don't stare at me on the street like they do in the rest of Latin America. There are enough white people here to go around, so people don't go on staring like I've been dropped out of the sky. It could be the racial mix here, it could be the history, but so far the people who stare at me the most are funnily enough- the Mennonites. They might look at me and think I've "gone off the reservation".

-JT

5/11/2023