The Great Blue Hole | Belize

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The Great Blue Hole is a giant submarine sinkhole off the coast of Belize. 

The 300m wide and 124m deep hole is a part of the larger Belize Barrier Reef, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The reef system is the second largest in the world, after the Great Barrier Reef.

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Hopkins Drummers in Belize

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Hopkins is a small but vibrant community of approximately 1,000 villagers. The people live mostly by farming and fishing, and more recently many have found work in the growing tourist industry.

Garifuna music is a type of music found in Central America, primarily on the Caribbean coast of Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. The Garifuna are descendants of West and Central African people. Drums play an important role in Garifuna music. 

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The map of Belize

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Belize is a country in Central America. With a population of only 340,000 it has the lowest population density in Central America. It is the only country in the area that has English as its official language. Belize is bordered on the north by Mexico, to the south and west by Guatemala and to the east by the Caribbean Sea. 

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Ancient Maya ruins in Belize part two: Altun Ha

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In about one week I received two cards picturing Maya ruins in Belize. Both cards I didn’t expect to receive, sent by different persons. This one pictures Altun Ha, the ruins of an ancient Maya city.

 

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Actually  this postcard was sent from the USA. The label reads “US postage paid Barstow, MD”.

According to Wikipedia, Barstow in Maryland is a very small ‘community’ with no residential structures. No one resides in Barstow, MD and the only building in Barstow is the Post Office. 

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Mayan ruins in Belize: Lamanai

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Belize was once the center of one of the greatest civilizations of antiquity and is considered to have been the heartland of the Maya civilization during the Classic period.

Lamanai is the name of a site with Mayan ruins, located in Northern Belize.

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In 2013 the Pallottine sisters celebrated 100 years of service in Belize. The Pallottine Missionary Sisters were founded in 1838 by St. Vincent Pallotti in Rome, Italy. It is an international religious order serving in 19 countries. 

Thx Pat!

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Bliss Lighthouse, Belize City Harbour

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This light was built as a memorial to Henry E.E.V. Bliss, an English baron who was a major benefactor of Belize.  

On March 9th 1926, two months after his arrival in Belize and without ever having set foot on Belizean soil, Baron Bliss died, leaving Belize a $2 million legacy. The interest from his legacy was used to fund many infrastructural projects throughout Belize including roads, schools and the country’s first theatre.

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A 2012 issue to celebrate the sixty year reign of Queen Elizabeth II. Belize is part of The Commonwealth, a voluntary association of 54 independent countries, almost all of which were formerly under British rule. 

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Joncunu dancers from Belize

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Belize is a country located on the north eastern coast of Central America and it is the only country in the area where English is the official language. Belize is bordered to the north by Mexico, south and west by Guatemala, and to the east by the Caribbean Sea.

Joncunu or John Canoe, is a dance that originated in times of slavery and is performed around Christmas time. The participants will dress up in white masks and venture from house to house in order to receive food and drinks from that household. Some say the dance is meant to mimic white slave owners and their behaviour.

In Belize the Joncunu is part of the Creole and Garifuna cultures. The Creoles are direct descendants of British slaves.

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