Toledo District is the southernmost
district
A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...
in
Belize
Belize (; bzj, Bileez) is a Caribbean and Central American country on the northeastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a wate ...
, and
Punta Gorda is the District capital. It is the second most developed region in the country (according to the
Human Development Index
The Human Development Index (HDI) is a statistic composite index of life expectancy, education (mean years of schooling completed and expected years of schooling upon entering the education system), and per capita income indicators, whi ...
(HDI)). The district has a diverse topography which features
rainforests
Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainforest ...
, extensive cave networks, coastal lowland plains, and offshore
cays
A cay ( ), also spelled caye or key, is a small, low-elevation, sandy island on the surface of a coral reef. Cays occur in tropical environments throughout the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans, including in the Caribbean and on the Great ...
. Toledo is home to a wide range of cultures:
Mopan and
Kekchi Maya,
Creole, the
Garifuna
The Garifuna people ( or ; pl. Garínagu in Garifuna) are a people of mixed free African and indigenous American ancestry that originated in the Caribbean island of Saint Vincent and speak Garifuna, an Arawakan language, and Vincentian ...
,
East Indians
The East Indians, also called East Indian Catholics or Bombay East Indians, are an ethno-religious Indian Christian community native to the Seven Islands of Bombay and the neighbouring Mumbai Metropolitan Area of the Konkan Division.
His ...
,
Mennonites
Mennonites are groups of Anabaptist Christian church communities of denominations. The name is derived from the founder of the movement, Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland. Through his writings about Reformed Christianity during the Radic ...
,
Mestizos
(; ; fem. ) is a term used for racial classification to refer to a person of mixed European and Indigenous American ancestry. In certain regions such as Latin America, it may also refer to people who are culturally European even though thei ...
, and descendants of
US Confederate settlers.
Geography
The District has many villages, including
Monkey River Town
Monkey River Town (or Monkey River) is a village in the north of the Toledo District of Belize. It is on the Caribbean Sea on the southern shore of the mouth of Belize's Monkey River. In 2011 the estimated population was 200 people.
The village ...
and the
Toledo Settlement
''Forest Home'' is a town in Belize's Toledo District.
Forest Home is located at , at an elevation of 37 meters above sea level. It was originally settled by Caucasian American refugees from the United States who had fled during the American Civi ...
; the Maya villages of
San Pedro Columbia
San Pedro Columbia is a village in Toledo District, Belize, located about two miles from the ancient Maya ruins of Lubaantun. In 2000 San Pedro Columbia had a population of about 700 people. The population is mostly Kekchi Maya with some Mopan ...
,
Blue Creek,
Indian Creek, Santa Cruz,
San Antonio
("Cradle of Freedom")
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, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = United States
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, s ...
, San Jose,
San Felipe; and the Garifuna village of
Barranco ''Barranco'' (), which is Spanish for "ravine", may refer to:
Places
* Barranco, Belize, a village in Toledo District, Belize
* Barranco, Spain, a village south of Jijona, Alicante, Spain
*Barranco District, Peru
*Barranco de Loba, Colombia
Perso ...
. It also has a number of
Maya ruins, including
Lubaantun,
Nim Li Punit
Nim Li Punit () is a Maya Classic Period site in the Toledo District of the nation of Belize, located 50 kilometres north of the town of Punta Gorda, and directly adjacent to the village of Indian Creek. Nim Li Punit is sometimes known as Big Hat ...
,
Uxbenka, and
Pusilha
Pusilhá is an archaeological site in Belize. The location of this Late Classic Maya urban complex, along the east and west flow of trade, made the city a major transfer point for economic activities in the whole region. In addition, the city gave ...
. According to the 2010 census, Toledo District had a
population
Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction using a ...
of 30,538 people.
Economy
The economy of Toledo relies heavily upon agriculture: crops grown include beans and corn, as well as rice which is sold to the Big Falls Rice Mill. Cacao is grown organically and sold via the Toledo Cacao Growers Association to Green & Black's for their renowned Maya Gold chocolate, as well as to chocolatiers within Belize. The District's ancient and modern-day links with chocolate are celebrated annually in May (Commonwealth Day Holiday weekend) at the Toledo Cacao Festival. Farmers grow additional crops such as coffee, yams, sweet potato, hot chili peppers, avocado, oranges and plantain for sale at the market in Punta Gorda, held each Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday.
Fishermen practice small-scale fishing from their dug-out canoes, as well as diving for lobster and conch during open season. The Port Honduras Marine Reserve just north of Punta Gorda Town is a protected area, and Toledo's waters are regarded as the permit capital of Belize. Many traditional fishermen have now trained as fly-fishing guides through the alternative livelihood projects offered by local conservation groups.
Tourism is an important, and relatively new, industry for Toledo. Once regarded as an area only for the hardy and adventurous, the opening of new tourist accommodation and the development of tours, as well as a growing awareness of the district's high proportion of protected areas, wildlife, excellent birding and the offshore cayes, have resulted in Toledo being recognized as an important ‘emerging destination’.
Language
According to the 2010 census,
Mayan languages
The Mayan languagesIn linguistics, it is conventional to use ''Mayan'' when referring to the languages, or an aspect of a language. In other academic fields, ''Maya'' is the preferred usage, serving as both a singular and plural noun, and as ...
are spoken by 68.4% of the population. This makes Toledo the only district in Belize where native languages are spoken by a majority.
Gallery
File:Blue Creek River, Belize.jpg, Blue Creek River, Belize
File:Monkey River Village, Toledo District, Belize.jpg, Monkey River Village
File:San Miguel Branch, Toledo District, Belize.jpg, San Miguel Branch
File:Swasey Branch, Toledo District, Belize.jpg, Swasey Branch
File:Looking towards the Maya Mountains from the fire watchtower.jpg, Bladen Reserve looking towards the Maya Mountains
File:Southern Highway, Toledo District, Belize.jpg, Southern Highway
Transportation
The Toledo District is served by the newly paved
Southern Highway, as well as several bush roads to the many rural villages in the District. A regular bus service is provided by Punta Gorda-based James Bus Line, shuttling passengers between the other districts, also Punta Gorda Town is served by several daily commuter flights on Tropic Air and Maya Island Air and small, family run bus services that transport passengers to and from the rural villages.
Events
Each year, during the
Commonwealth Day weekend, Toledo hosts the Chocolate Festival of Belize. The festival features
chocolatier
A chocolatier is a person or company who makes confectionery from chocolate. Chocolatiers are distinct from chocolate makers, who create chocolate from cacao beans and other ingredients.
Education and training
Traditionally, chocolatiers, ...
s from across the country as well as
chocolate
Chocolate is a food made from roasted and ground cacao seed kernels that is available as a liquid, solid, or paste, either on its own or as a flavoring agent in other foods. Cacao has been consumed in some form since at least the Olmec civ ...
-related arts and crafts. According to the project coordinator for the Toledo Cacao Growers Association Thomas Tillett, the Association currently has a membership of about 1,100 cacao farmers.
Indian Reservations
*Aguacate Indian Reservation, Toledo
*Black Creek Indian Reservation, Toledo
*Blue Creek Indian Reservation, Toledo
*Crique Sarco Indian Reservation, Toledo
*Graham Creek Indian Reservation, Toledo
*Hinchasones Indian Reservation, Toledo
*Machaca Indian Reservation, Toledo
*Xpicilha Indian Reservation, Toledo
Notable architecture
Several significant ancient Mayan sites are extant in
ruined
Ruins () are the remains of a civilization's architecture. The term refers to formerly intact structures that have fallen into a state of partial or total disrepair over time due to a variety of factors, such as lack of maintenance, deliberate ...
form in the Toledo District.
Nim Li Punit
Nim Li Punit () is a Maya Classic Period site in the Toledo District of the nation of Belize, located 50 kilometres north of the town of Punta Gorda, and directly adjacent to the village of Indian Creek. Nim Li Punit is sometimes known as Big Hat ...
is a Classic Period Mayan site with ballcourts and carved
stela
A stele ( ),Anglicized plural steles ( ); Greek plural stelai ( ), from Greek , ''stēlē''. The Greek plural is written , ''stēlai'', but this is only rarely encountered in English. or occasionally stela (plural ''stelas'' or ''stelæ''), wh ...
e.
Lubaantun is a drystone constructed site with ruined
pyramid
A pyramid (from el, πυραμίς ') is a structure whose outer surfaces are triangular and converge to a single step at the top, making the shape roughly a pyramid in the geometric sense. The base of a pyramid can be trilateral, quadrilat ...
s and stone tombs.
Notable people
*
Cristina Coc
Cristina Coc (born 1981) is a leader of the Maya community in southern Belize. She has served as co-spokesperson for the Maya Leadership Alliance and is the founder and executive director of the advocacy organization, the Julian Cho Society. In 20 ...
, Maya community leader
*
Juan Coy, politician
*
Michael Espat, politician
See also
* ''
The Forgotten District
''The Forgotten District'' is a documentary film directed by Oliver Dickinson.
Between the Caribbean Sea and the Maya Mountains lies Toledo, known as ''The Forgotten District'' of Belize, Central America. For the last 20 years, the Maya have be ...
'', a documentary film about ecotourism in Toledo
References
External links
Official website- with maps and area attractions
Toledo District at belize.fmThe Toledo Howler - quarterly newspaper published by the BTIA Toledo Chapter
How to Cook a Tapir- a Belize memoir, documenting the author's year-long working honeymoon in the Toledo District
Treehouse Perspectives - Living High on Little- the story of the Salisbury family's move and new life in Punta Gorda
- Influence or interference?
{{Coord, 16, 20, N, 88, 45, W, region:BZ_type:adm1st, display=title
Districts of Belize