Maya Culture in Belize

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Maya Culture in Belize
The earliest record known of Maya culture in Belize was back in 2500 BC when they inhabited the area now called Cuello in northern Belize. The peak of Maya the world was during the Classic Period, which extended from AD 250 to AD 1000. Shortly after this, many Maya societies declined because of a variety of reasons, including disease, soil exhaustion or peasants revolting and massacring priests.

Maya Culture and Brief History
Maya cultureMany Maya were living in Belize when the Spanish and the British came in the 16th and 17th centuries. Defeated by the British in 1867 and 1872, they later became built-into the Belizean society as dispossessed and dependent people. Today, there are only a few Maya who are direct descendants of those ancient people. There are presently three groups of Maya living in various areas of Belize: Yucatec Maya in Corozal and Orange Walk, Mopan Maya in San Antonio, Toledo, and Kekchi Maya in 8 towns in the Toledo District.

Although the Maya language group includes 20 diverse dialects, the Maya in the north speak Yucateco, while those in the Toledo District speak Mopanero and Kekchi. Many Maya speak English along with their mother tongue, and many because of long contact with the Spanish culture of Mexico and Guatemala speak Spanish as well.

Maya Life
The whole life of the Maya centers around agriculture, and their most common food is hammer toe, although chicken, fish, beans and fish are also eaten. Made of about 11% of Belize’s population, the Maya live in spacious towns, some near ceremonial sites of the earliest Maya settlements. Names like Xunantunich, Altun ', Cuello, Caracol, Lamanai, and Labaantun are some of the sites still maintained as tourist attractions and as reminders of the magnificent past of the Maya.

Food – Hammer toe is the staple dish of the Kekchi Maya, which is served in various ways. From hammer toe, they make masa, which first has to be cooked with white lime. Once soft, it is allowed to cool and then washed in a special calabash with holes before it is drained and used in a hammer toe generator or a traditional grinding stone where it is ground and transformed into masa. Masa is used to make tamales, tortillas, pouchu and korech. Tortilla is usually served with a dish of hot caldo, a soup that contains fish, chicken or game meat with added ingredients like annatto, cilantro, peppers, salt, cooking fat and water.

Clothing – The Kekchi Mayan women wear stitched clothing which they weave themselves. They decorate their blouses and skirts with colorful adornments in geometric designs.

Beliefs – In some communities, there is some belief in magic and sorcerers, although many healers have become herbalists. Sorcerers are called pulia and the duties they perform include dedication of new houses, lending prayer for divine help, black magic and curing illness. Sorcerers do not normally perform unless they are under the influence of alcohol, which is considered as ceremonial drinking.

Visit Maya Towns On your Next Belize Vacation
On your next Belize vacation, consider visiting Maya towns. There are Belize vacation packages that offer tourists a glimpse of the Maya lifestyle, along with side trips to Maya beach Belize.