Belize or not?

By P. J. Ott, Wild Side Destinations

The Spanish were astounded by the "easy" life the Maya had and it’s hard to blame them. Could you work six months, grow enough food for your needs and trade leftovers for other necessities, and then pursue six months of vacation or other interests? With its 22 major fiestas per year, wouldn't you agree that the Mayan "system" sounds like perfect harmony? No wonder explorers and pirates stayed in Belize, one of the Maya’s major habitations, and began trading for cacao – the basis of "chocolatl" – and for the local honey, nature’s own viagra. 

The cacao bean was real currency. Cortez’s historiographer Bernal Diaz del Castillo wrote that six beans bought a turkey in The Conquest of Mexico (1517-1521). This demand was simple: the drink "chocolatl" reliably expanded the artery leading to certain parts of the body, sustaining (and elating) older men. This real chocolate was fermented in a mash from the sweeter pulp of the fruit (a close second to the real stuff is called "Roma Cocoa" from Jamaica). We've got the recipe on brewing "chocolatl," but it's an acquired taste! 

Honey was also traded and known for its aphrodisiacal properties. Forty years ago modern science labeled it “testosterone honey”. Now you may understand why Mayan settlements thrived and flourished from as far back as 2000 B.C. to 1000 A.D., long before the Europeans arrived.

Belize’s past became even even more colorful in the 1600's when British pirates began roaming the Caribbean and stashing their valuables on Ambergris Caye. Ambergris, means whale excrement, which washed up on the shores, thereby giving the caye its name.  The ambergris produced oil which was sent to Europe for making perfumes.

British mariners also found a natural hideaway along the Belize coast for attacking the Spanish fleet during the 17th century. These were not just valuable remote locations, but safe harbors that abetted constant fighting among the English, French and Dutch pirates. Many shipwrecks in the area are proof of this. Later settlers developed the island's fishing industry; Spaniards brought the coconut for planting and harvesting, logwood (used to make dies), chicle (juices of the sapodilla tree for chewing gum) and lobster. But the industry that now leads the way is tourism. 

Belize is located south of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, bordered on its west and south by Guatemala. It’s the size of Massachusetts, but with a far tinier population of 225,000. Today the country’s northern highway connects with Mexico 90 miles north. The settlements of Orange Walk and Corozal along the route have economies based on sugar cane production.

The western highway runs through jungle, rivers and pine forests, with miles of hiking trails interlacing it that provide wonderful encounters with wildlife and waterfalls. In the south, the flavor is Caribbean, with palm trees, the sea and white sand to soothe your feet. The people there, the Garifuna, speak a language and live in a culture that is an intriguing mix of African and Indian. Lastly, there are the cayes, tropical islands cooled by ocean breezes. These are the most popular destinations for visitors to Belize. Ambergris Caye, which is really the far southern tip of the Yucatan Peninsula, is the largest of them. 

Unlike the European conquests of old, today's explorations in Belize include quiet walks along trails, placidly boating down rivers and exploring caves, as well as encounters with an amazingly diverse culture. There’s still some Mayan products and secrets to be found in village markets if you look closely and ask questions.